TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team won its three-game series against Butler on Sunday inside UC Baseball Stadium.
The Bearcats (11-14) split Sunday's doubleheader, falling 8-5 in the middle game of the series before earning a 13-3 run-rule victory in the rubber match. UC picked up its second series win of the season.
Redshirt junior outfielder Josh Hegemann went 2-for-4 with a career-high three RBI in the first game of the doubleheader.
Cincinnati stole a season-high nine bases – one shy of the program record – in the series finale. Sophomore Lauden Brooks went 2-for-3 with his first career triple and stole a career-high three bases. Freshman Landyn Vidourek and redshirt junior JP Sponseller each homered in the win.
// HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME ONE
Freshman starter Chase Horst struck out a career-high seven batters over five innings. Junior reliever Max Bergmann (0-1) came out of the bullpen and took the loss for the Bearcats.
Butler struck first with two runs on two Cincinnati errors in the top of the first. Horst bounced back over the next three innings and retired nine of the 12 batters faced.
In the bottom of the fourth, Cincinnati drew three consecutive walks to load the bases with one out. Hegemann drove in the Bearcats' first run of the game with a single to left field.
Cincinnati took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with four runs on four hits. Cole Harting notched a one-out single to left field and moved to second after Sponseller was hit-by-pitch. Kameron Guidry tied the ballgame with a two-run single to center field. Hegemann followed with a two-run double to right center to give UC the lead, 5-3.
Butler tied the game with a two-run double in the seventh and took the lead for good with a three-run homer in the eighth for the eventual 8-5 final score.
// HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME TWO
Junior starter Conner Linn made his first start of the season in the second game of the doubleheader. He worked one inning in his debut, allowing a run on two hits. Graduate student reliever Dylan Brosky (2-2) earned the win in 3.2 innings of work and allowed two runs on four hits.
Trailing 2-0, the Bearcats responded with a four-spot in the third inning. Brooks and Griffin Hugus drew back-to-back one-out walks. Brooks came home on an RBI ground out from Vidourek. Nicholson then delivered a two-run single to left field to give UC the lead. Harting doubled to center field to plate another run for the Bearcats. Cincinnati drew three walks and stole five bases in the frame.
The Bulldogs scored on a solo shot to left center in the top of the fourth, but the Bearcats quickly got the run back on a passed ball in the home half of the inning.
Cincinnati exploded for five runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth. Sponseller smashed a two-out solo home run to right field. Guidry then drew a walk and Brooks singled to left field to bring up Hugus, who drove in the pair on a base hit to left field. Vidourek stepped into the batter's box and belted a two-run home run to right field to make it 10-3.
Harting and Alec Jones led off the sixth with back-to-back base hits. Brooks then notched a two-out triple to right center to drive in two more runs. Hugus was hit-by-pitch, stole second and raced home on a wild pitch to extend the advantage to 10. Pitcher Garrett Harker came out of the bullpen in the seventh and tossed a 1-2-3 inning.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati continues its seven-game homestand with a midweek contest against No. 6 Louisville at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at UC Baseball Stadium.
The Bearcats (11-14) split Sunday's doubleheader, falling 8-5 in the middle game of the series before earning a 13-3 run-rule victory in the rubber match. UC picked up its second series win of the season.
Redshirt junior outfielder Josh Hegemann went 2-for-4 with a career-high three RBI in the first game of the doubleheader.
Cincinnati stole a season-high nine bases – one shy of the program record – in the series finale. Sophomore Lauden Brooks went 2-for-3 with his first career triple and stole a career-high three bases. Freshman Landyn Vidourek and redshirt junior JP Sponseller each homered in the win.
// HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME ONE
Freshman starter Chase Horst struck out a career-high seven batters over five innings. Junior reliever Max Bergmann (0-1) came out of the bullpen and took the loss for the Bearcats.
Butler struck first with two runs on two Cincinnati errors in the top of the first. Horst bounced back over the next three innings and retired nine of the 12 batters faced.
In the bottom of the fourth, Cincinnati drew three consecutive walks to load the bases with one out. Hegemann drove in the Bearcats' first run of the game with a single to left field.
Cincinnati took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with four runs on four hits. Cole Harting notched a one-out single to left field and moved to second after Sponseller was hit-by-pitch. Kameron Guidry tied the ballgame with a two-run single to center field. Hegemann followed with a two-run double to right center to give UC the lead, 5-3.
Butler tied the game with a two-run double in the seventh and took the lead for good with a three-run homer in the eighth for the eventual 8-5 final score.
// HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME TWO
Junior starter Conner Linn made his first start of the season in the second game of the doubleheader. He worked one inning in his debut, allowing a run on two hits. Graduate student reliever Dylan Brosky (2-2) earned the win in 3.2 innings of work and allowed two runs on four hits.
Trailing 2-0, the Bearcats responded with a four-spot in the third inning. Brooks and Griffin Hugus drew back-to-back one-out walks. Brooks came home on an RBI ground out from Vidourek. Nicholson then delivered a two-run single to left field to give UC the lead. Harting doubled to center field to plate another run for the Bearcats. Cincinnati drew three walks and stole five bases in the frame.
The Bulldogs scored on a solo shot to left center in the top of the fourth, but the Bearcats quickly got the run back on a passed ball in the home half of the inning.
Cincinnati exploded for five runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth. Sponseller smashed a two-out solo home run to right field. Guidry then drew a walk and Brooks singled to left field to bring up Hugus, who drove in the pair on a base hit to left field. Vidourek stepped into the batter's box and belted a two-run home run to right field to make it 10-3.
Harting and Alec Jones led off the sixth with back-to-back base hits. Brooks then notched a two-out triple to right center to drive in two more runs. Hugus was hit-by-pitch, stole second and raced home on a wild pitch to extend the advantage to 10. Pitcher Garrett Harker came out of the bullpen in the seventh and tossed a 1-2-3 inning.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati continues its seven-game homestand with a midweek contest against No. 6 Louisville at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at UC Baseball Stadium.