TicketsCINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bearcats took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never trailed from there on the way to a 7-3 win over the East Carolina Pirates on Friday. The win gives UC its first conference-win of the year.
Sophomore pitcher Conner Linn (2-0) started on the mound and picked up the win for Cincinnati (10-14, 1-0). The southpaw went six innings, giving up one run on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out four.
At the plate, the Bearcats were led by redshirt sophomore catcher Joe Powell, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a double, a home run, a walk and two RBIs. Sophomore outfielder Cole Harting furnished a noteworthy performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs. Redshirt sophomore infielder Max Palmieri also helped out for Cincinnati, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.
Listen to @CoachGoogs recap tonight's 7-3 victory over East Carolina!#Bearcats | #NatiBoyz pic.twitter.com/qe9LmREG7s
— Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) April 2, 2022
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Cincinnati's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including a two-run double off the bat of Harting.
The Bearcats then lost some of their lead, expanding on their advantage in the second inning after the Pirates cut it to 4-1. Cincinnati pushed across a run on Powell's two-out RBI double, which brought the Bearcats' lead to 5-1.
Cincinnati kept East Carolina without a run before building its lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning. The Bearcats added a run on Powell's one-out solo home run off junior Garrett Saylor.
The Pirates gained ground, closing the gap to 6-2 until Cincinnati added some insurance in the eighth. The Bearcats sent home a run on freshman Kerrington Cross' one-out RBI double, bringing the Cincinnati advantage to 7-2. East Carolina put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Bearcats still coasted to the 7-3 win.
Hear from the MVP following tonight's big win!@conner_linn #Bearcats | #NatiBoyz pic.twitter.com/bioS9xd3jX
— Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) April 2, 2022
GAME NOTES
» The Bearcats power output was led by Powell, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame. He hit his fourth homer of the season and drove in another run on an RBI double, increasing his slugging percentage to .737, second-best on the team.
» After missing the past two games, sophomore outfielder Cole Harting went 1-for-3 with an two-RBI double and two runs scored.
» Cincinnati took a 4-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» After not pitching since March 15, Linn put together six innings of one-run ball for the Bearcats. It's his second quality start of the year and his ERA is now a team-best 2.20.
» Today's win marked the first time UC has won it's first conference game of the season since 2016 when it beat USF on April 1.
» Today marks the third time this year that the Bearcats have held their opponents to three or less runs. The other two were on March 19 against Saint Joseph's (one run) and March 5 against Northwestern (two runs).
TICKET INFORMATION
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