TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team led by as many as five, before ultimately falling to Houston, 8-7, in extra innings on Friday night inside Schroeder Park.
Houston rallied with five runs in bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The Cougars walked it off on a solo home run in the 10th to even the series.
Cole Harting, Tommy O'Connor and Kameron Guidry all homered in the loss. The trio finished 4-for-12 with four RBI and six runs scored.
Sean Springer and Ryan Nicholson each recorded two hits while Josh Hegemann drove in two runs.
Redshirt junior Alex Shea made his first start of the season on the mound. The left-handed pitcher matched his career-long 4.0 innings pitched. He surrendered just two runs on two hits and struck out four batters with two walks against one of the conference's best offenses.
Senior Jackson Murphy tossed a career-long four innings in relief. He surrendered just one unearned run on two hits and tied his career high with four strikeouts.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
Cincinnati jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Harting's two-run homer in the top of the second. Houston answered with a solo shot in the next frame to make it 2-1.
The Bearcats extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the fourth with back-to-back homers and a clutch hit from Hegemann. O'Connor started things off with a solo home run off the batter's eye for his second straight game with a round tripper. Guidry followed with his sixth homer of the season. He smashed a 3-1 fastball 396 feet over the center field wall at 102 off the bat. Hegemann later came through with a two-out RBI single through the right side to cap off a three-run inning.
The Cougars got a run back on an RBI ground out in the home half of the fifth.
After back-to-back walks, Springer laid down a bunt single to load the bases in the top of the sixth. Hegemann drove in a run on a ground out while Harting raced home on a wild pitch to extend the lead to five, 7-2.
Houston rallied late with five runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The Cougars walked it off on a solo home run in the 10th for the 8-7 final score.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati and Houston will play the rubber match at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Houston rallied with five runs in bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The Cougars walked it off on a solo home run in the 10th to even the series.
Cole Harting, Tommy O'Connor and Kameron Guidry all homered in the loss. The trio finished 4-for-12 with four RBI and six runs scored.
Sean Springer and Ryan Nicholson each recorded two hits while Josh Hegemann drove in two runs.
Redshirt junior Alex Shea made his first start of the season on the mound. The left-handed pitcher matched his career-long 4.0 innings pitched. He surrendered just two runs on two hits and struck out four batters with two walks against one of the conference's best offenses.
Senior Jackson Murphy tossed a career-long four innings in relief. He surrendered just one unearned run on two hits and tied his career high with four strikeouts.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
Cincinnati jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Harting's two-run homer in the top of the second. Houston answered with a solo shot in the next frame to make it 2-1.
The Bearcats extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the fourth with back-to-back homers and a clutch hit from Hegemann. O'Connor started things off with a solo home run off the batter's eye for his second straight game with a round tripper. Guidry followed with his sixth homer of the season. He smashed a 3-1 fastball 396 feet over the center field wall at 102 off the bat. Hegemann later came through with a two-out RBI single through the right side to cap off a three-run inning.
The Cougars got a run back on an RBI ground out in the home half of the fifth.
After back-to-back walks, Springer laid down a bunt single to load the bases in the top of the sixth. Hegemann drove in a run on a ground out while Harting raced home on a wild pitch to extend the lead to five, 7-2.
Houston rallied late with five runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The Cougars walked it off on a solo home run in the 10th for the 8-7 final score.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati and Houston will play the rubber match at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.