TicketsTAMPA, Fla. – The University of Cincinnati baseball team had an early lead but fell in a 4-2 decision at USF as the teams' American Athletic Conference series started Friday afternoon at USF Baseball Stadium.
The Bearcats took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Joey Bellini RBI single which scored Cole Harting who led off with a single of his own.
UC starter Garrett Schoenle took it from there, scattering four hits in the first four innings before running into some trouble in the fifth. The Bulls had a pair of one-out hits where the Cincinnati outfielders struggled with the sun and wind, allowing a pair of two-out runs to score and USF had the 2-1 advantage.
The Bearcats came back and loaded the bases up with two outs in the top of the sixth but couldn't push any runs across. The sun again came into play with one out in the bottom of the frame with a triple by Daniel Cantu which scored a run and a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Nick Gonzalez which played USF's fourth run. Reliever Jackson Murphy induced a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.
UC stranded three runners in the final two innings and left 10 on the bags for the game.
Schoenle (4-2) took the loss, going 5.0 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts. The senior has fanned 30 batters in his last four starts.
Eric Santiago finished 3-for-4 with a double and RBI while Jace Mercer also added a pair of hits.
Game two of the series was slated to get underway 45 minutes after game one finished.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati baseball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow UC baseball (@GoBearcatsBase) and Coach Googins (@CoachGoogs) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.
The Bearcats took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Joey Bellini RBI single which scored Cole Harting who led off with a single of his own.
UC starter Garrett Schoenle took it from there, scattering four hits in the first four innings before running into some trouble in the fifth. The Bulls had a pair of one-out hits where the Cincinnati outfielders struggled with the sun and wind, allowing a pair of two-out runs to score and USF had the 2-1 advantage.
The Bearcats came back and loaded the bases up with two outs in the top of the sixth but couldn't push any runs across. The sun again came into play with one out in the bottom of the frame with a triple by Daniel Cantu which scored a run and a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Nick Gonzalez which played USF's fourth run. Reliever Jackson Murphy induced a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.
UC stranded three runners in the final two innings and left 10 on the bags for the game.
Schoenle (4-2) took the loss, going 5.0 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts. The senior has fanned 30 batters in his last four starts.
Eric Santiago finished 3-for-4 with a double and RBI while Jace Mercer also added a pair of hits.
Game two of the series was slated to get underway 45 minutes after game one finished.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati baseball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow UC baseball (@GoBearcatsBase) and Coach Googins (@CoachGoogs) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.