TicketsCINCINNATI – Relentless offense, exceptional defense, and strong pitching helped lead the University of Cincinnati baseball team to its first win of the season on Tuesday, a 10-2 triumph vs. Northern Kentucky at UC Baseball Stadium.
The win also marked the first victory for first-year head coach Jordan Bischel as the bench boss of the Bearcats.
Cincinnati (1-2) struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning and led 3-0 before Northern Kentucky (2-2) plated a pair of runs in the fifth. UC responded with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth and continued to pile it on, scoring three in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Landyn Vidourek had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, his first career multi-homer game. Junior Tommy O'Connor also had a three-hit day, and teammates Lauden Brooks and Christian Mitchelle both had two hits apiece. Brooks also stole two bases and scored twice.
Dalton Pearson had a productive day at the plate hitting out of the leadoff spot, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a sac fly while getting plunked twice.
Six different Bearcat pitchers saw time on the mound, with Nathan Taylor earning the start and tallying three strikeouts in two scoreless frames. Mitchelle tossed a scoreless ninth inning and Chase Horst, Carson Marsh, and Griffin Hugus all turned in scoreless outings as well.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
After Taylor sent the Norse down in order to open the game, Hunter Jessee drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first to bring in the first run of the game.
O'Connor's RBI single in the bottom of the second made it 2-0, and Pearson's sac fly two innings later gave UC a 3-0 lead through four frames. Taylor and Horst shut the Norse down in the first four innings, combining for four strikeouts and allowing just two total baserunners. They kept Northern Kentucky out of the hit column until the fourth inning.
NKU's Logan Devenport hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to make it 3-2, but the Bearcats responded with a three-run fifth inning to push the lead up to four. Vidourek's first home run of the game led off the inning, and UC later scored two runs on a bases-loaded ground ball to put the score at 6-2.
The Bearcats continued to pour it on in the sixth. After Pearson and O'Connor led off the inning with back-to-back hits, Vidourek left the yard for the second time to make it 9-2. In the bottom of the seventh, Brooks stole third and scampered home on a throwing error to score and make it a 10-2 ballgame.
Bradley Coulter threw a scoreless sixth inning and Marsh, Hugus, and Mitchelle ended the game with scoreless outings to secure the first victory of 2024.
// NEXT UP
Cincinnati will head to Conway, S.C. to play in a tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina this weekend. UC will face Ball State on Friday morning before playing Illinois on Saturday and the No. 25-ranked Chanticleers on Sunday.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.
The win also marked the first victory for first-year head coach Jordan Bischel as the bench boss of the Bearcats.
Cincinnati (1-2) struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning and led 3-0 before Northern Kentucky (2-2) plated a pair of runs in the fifth. UC responded with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth and continued to pile it on, scoring three in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Landyn Vidourek had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, his first career multi-homer game. Junior Tommy O'Connor also had a three-hit day, and teammates Lauden Brooks and Christian Mitchelle both had two hits apiece. Brooks also stole two bases and scored twice.
Dalton Pearson had a productive day at the plate hitting out of the leadoff spot, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a sac fly while getting plunked twice.
Six different Bearcat pitchers saw time on the mound, with Nathan Taylor earning the start and tallying three strikeouts in two scoreless frames. Mitchelle tossed a scoreless ninth inning and Chase Horst, Carson Marsh, and Griffin Hugus all turned in scoreless outings as well.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
After Taylor sent the Norse down in order to open the game, Hunter Jessee drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first to bring in the first run of the game.
O'Connor's RBI single in the bottom of the second made it 2-0, and Pearson's sac fly two innings later gave UC a 3-0 lead through four frames. Taylor and Horst shut the Norse down in the first four innings, combining for four strikeouts and allowing just two total baserunners. They kept Northern Kentucky out of the hit column until the fourth inning.
NKU's Logan Devenport hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to make it 3-2, but the Bearcats responded with a three-run fifth inning to push the lead up to four. Vidourek's first home run of the game led off the inning, and UC later scored two runs on a bases-loaded ground ball to put the score at 6-2.
The Bearcats continued to pour it on in the sixth. After Pearson and O'Connor led off the inning with back-to-back hits, Vidourek left the yard for the second time to make it 9-2. In the bottom of the seventh, Brooks stole third and scampered home on a throwing error to score and make it a 10-2 ballgame.
Bradley Coulter threw a scoreless sixth inning and Marsh, Hugus, and Mitchelle ended the game with scoreless outings to secure the first victory of 2024.
// NEXT UP
Cincinnati will head to Conway, S.C. to play in a tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina this weekend. UC will face Ball State on Friday morning before playing Illinois on Saturday and the No. 25-ranked Chanticleers on Sunday.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.