TicketsHOUSTON – Joey Bellini had a two-out, RBI single in the top of the ninth to tie the game up, but the University of Cincinnati baseball team fell on a Houston walk-off in the bottom of the frame, 6-5, Saturday in American Athletic Conference action at Schroeder Park.
Cincinnati (23-21, 12-11 AAC) saw its three-game winning streak snapped by Houston (17-25, 5-14 AAC). UH's Ian McMillan singled through the right side with one out to score pinch runner Samuel Benjamin which broke the 5-5 tie in the ninth.
The Bearcats led 3-0 after the top half of the fourth inning thanks to a solo homerun by Griffin Merritt in the third and an RBI groundout by Ryan Nicholson and RBI single by Paul Komistek in the fourth.
Houston got a run back in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff homer on the first pitch from starter Evan Shawver to UH's Ryan Hernandez, who took advantage of a breezy day and launched one over the left-field fence.
Shawver, making his first start in over a month, worked out of a first-inning jam, stranded two runners and settled in until the bottom of the fifth when Houston scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead. He threw 4.1 innings, with four strikeouts and a walk in the no decision.
Houston added a run on a one-out RBI single in the sixth, forcing the Bearcats to make the late come back. UC got a leadoff home run from Joe Powell in the seventh to pull within one and stranded two in the eighth ahead of Bellini's two-out effort in the ninth.
NOTABLE
• Reliever Beau Keathly took the loss, falling to 1-3 on the season. UH's Derrick Cherry (2-3) got the win.
• Bellini racked up three hits and scored a run.
• Nicholson had his first career triple with one out in the eighth inning.
• Merritt finished 2-for-4 with his homer, run scored and RBI.
• Wyatt Stapp and Komistek both drew a pair of walks.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati goes for the series win Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in Schroeder Park. Bearcats RHP Jalen Wade and Cougars RHP Carter Henry will be on the hill in the Sunday finale. The game airs on ESPN+ with live stats on BearcatStats.com.
WATCH • LIVE STATS
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.
Cincinnati (23-21, 12-11 AAC) saw its three-game winning streak snapped by Houston (17-25, 5-14 AAC). UH's Ian McMillan singled through the right side with one out to score pinch runner Samuel Benjamin which broke the 5-5 tie in the ninth.
The Bearcats led 3-0 after the top half of the fourth inning thanks to a solo homerun by Griffin Merritt in the third and an RBI groundout by Ryan Nicholson and RBI single by Paul Komistek in the fourth.
Houston got a run back in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff homer on the first pitch from starter Evan Shawver to UH's Ryan Hernandez, who took advantage of a breezy day and launched one over the left-field fence.
Shawver, making his first start in over a month, worked out of a first-inning jam, stranded two runners and settled in until the bottom of the fifth when Houston scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead. He threw 4.1 innings, with four strikeouts and a walk in the no decision.
Houston added a run on a one-out RBI single in the sixth, forcing the Bearcats to make the late come back. UC got a leadoff home run from Joe Powell in the seventh to pull within one and stranded two in the eighth ahead of Bellini's two-out effort in the ninth.
NOTABLE
• Reliever Beau Keathly took the loss, falling to 1-3 on the season. UH's Derrick Cherry (2-3) got the win.
• Bellini racked up three hits and scored a run.
• Nicholson had his first career triple with one out in the eighth inning.
• Merritt finished 2-for-4 with his homer, run scored and RBI.
• Wyatt Stapp and Komistek both drew a pair of walks.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati goes for the series win Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in Schroeder Park. Bearcats RHP Jalen Wade and Cougars RHP Carter Henry will be on the hill in the Sunday finale. The game airs on ESPN+ with live stats on BearcatStats.com.
WATCH • LIVE STATS
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.