TicketsTAMPA, Fla. – The University of Cincinnati baseball team scored four runs in the ninth and hung on for a 6-4 win at South Florida in American Athletic Conference action on Sunday at USF Baseball Stadium.
Cincinnati (21-20, 10-10 AAC) tallied only one hit in the final at bat, a bunt single by Joe Powell, but took advantage of USF (17-21, 7-9 AAC) miscues, plating runs on an error, two hit batters and a wild pitch.
Tanner Holen was hit by the first offering of the frame and Powell's bloop bunt to third advanced pinch runner Josh Hegemann to second. Jace Mercer drew a 1-out walk on a 3-2 count and Joey Bellini reached on an error which scored Hegemann. Eric Santiago was hit by the first pitch, and Powell crossed the plate with the go-ahead run. Paul Komistek reached on a fielder's choice which saw Mercer thrown out trying to score. After USF went to the bullpen, Ryan Nicholson was hit by the first pitch and Bellini scored. Santiago came home on a wild pitch and UC headed to the bottom of the ninth with a 6-3 advantage.
Reliever Dean McCarthy was in for the ninth after stranding two USF runners with the final out of the previous inning and USF would not go down without a fight, loading the bases following a double and a pair of full-count walks which were sandwiched by a 3-2 strikeout, but the senior transfer got a fly out to center field to end the game and earn the series split for the Bearcats.
McCarthy (3-3) picked up the win while USF reliever Orion Kerkering (3-3) took the loss. UC starter Jalen Wade pitched a gem, going 6.0 innings and giving up one run on four hits, striking out three in a 96-pitch outing, his longest since throwing 102 pitches against Xavier on May 8, 2018.
Mercer finished 2-for-4 with a double, walk and RBI while Powell was also 2-for-4 with a run scored and walk.
SERIES NOTABLES
• Santiago hit .471 after collecting eight hits, including two doubles, with three runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base.
• Mercer had six hits, including a double and a triple, two runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases.
• Joey Bellini had three RBIs and five hits, including a double.
UP NEXT
UC continues an eight-game road swing next weekend at Houston. The Bearcats and Cougars (16-23, 4-12 AAC) are slated for a Friday doubleheader started at 3 p.m. ET and Saturday and Sunday games set for a 3 p.m. first pitch and 1 p.m. start, respectively. All four games will air on ESPN+ with live stats on BearcatStats.com.
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 (21-20, 10-10 AAC) tallied only one hit in the final at bat, a bunt single by Joe Powell, but took advantage of USF (17-21, 7-9 AAC) miscues, plating runs on an error, two hit batters and a wild pitch.
Tanner Holen was hit by the first offering of the frame and Powell's bloop bunt to third advanced pinch runner Josh Hegemann to second. Jace Mercer drew a 1-out walk on a 3-2 count and Joey Bellini reached on an error which scored Hegemann. Eric Santiago was hit by the first pitch, and Powell crossed the plate with the go-ahead run. Paul Komistek reached on a fielder's choice which saw Mercer thrown out trying to score. After USF went to the bullpen, Ryan Nicholson was hit by the first pitch and Bellini scored. Santiago came home on a wild pitch and UC headed to the bottom of the ninth with a 6-3 advantage.
Reliever Dean McCarthy was in for the ninth after stranding two USF runners with the final out of the previous inning and USF would not go down without a fight, loading the bases following a double and a pair of full-count walks which were sandwiched by a 3-2 strikeout, but the senior transfer got a fly out to center field to end the game and earn the series split for the Bearcats.
McCarthy (3-3) picked up the win while USF reliever Orion Kerkering (3-3) took the loss. UC starter Jalen Wade pitched a gem, going 6.0 innings and giving up one run on four hits, striking out three in a 96-pitch outing, his longest since throwing 102 pitches against Xavier on May 8, 2018.
Mercer finished 2-for-4 with a double, walk and RBI while Powell was also 2-for-4 with a run scored and walk.
SERIES NOTABLES
• Santiago hit .471 after collecting eight hits, including two doubles, with three runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base.
• Mercer had six hits, including a double and a triple, two runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases.
• Joey Bellini had three RBIs and five hits, including a double.
UP NEXT
UC continues an eight-game road swing next weekend at Houston. The Bearcats and Cougars (16-23, 4-12 AAC) are slated for a Friday doubleheader started at 3 p.m. ET and Saturday and Sunday games set for a 3 p.m. first pitch and 1 p.m. start, respectively. All four games will air on ESPN+ with live stats on BearcatStats.com.
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.