TicketsCONWAY, S.C. – The University of Cincinnati baseball team captured a pair of impressive wins on Saturday, defeating perennial MAC contender Ball State by a score of 6-5 before besting Illinois, 10-3.
Cincinnati played from behind for much of game one, but a two-run triple from Lauden Brooks in the seventh inning proved to be the game-winning hit. Brooks went 2-for-4 at the plate, and Kerrington Cross joined his teammate in recording two hits as well.
Tommy O'Connor went 1-for-2 with three walks in the first game and had a hit in game two, and has now reached base in 20 straight games dating back to last season.
Seth Logue started game one and struck out four in 4.2 innings, while Chase Horst and Griffin Hugus provided solid pitching in relief. Hugus pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings to earn the save, his first of the year.
UC's offense put game two out of reach in the first few innings, and Nathan Taylor's terrific outing on the mound kept the Fighting Illini at bay for the duration of his performance.
Taylor struck out 10 in 5.1 innings and kept Illinois out of the hit column until the bottom of the sixth inning. His 10 K's are tied for the most by a Big 12 pitcher so far this season and he's the first Bearcat hurler with double-digit strikeouts since Beau Keathley in 2022. Ryan Insco ended the game with 3.1 scoreless innings to earn the save.
Kerrington Cross went 3-for-4 with a home run and a career-best four runs scored against Illinois. Dalton Pearson also homered, a three-run shot that was his first in a Bearcat uniform. Hunter Jessee had a 2-for-3 night with three RBI.
Cincinnati will face No. 25 Coastal Carolina on Sunday at 2 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
Ball State struck first with a leadoff home run in the top of the second, but the Bearcats tied it up in the bottom of the third when Lauden Brooks scored on a bases-loaded balk. The Cardinals extended their lead to 3-1 with a two-run top of the fourth and made it 4-1 with a two-out RBI double in the fifth.
Cincinnati took advantage of a few Ball State miscues in the bottom half of the fifth to tie the score at 4-4. Christian Mitchelle led off the inning with a double and later advanced to third on an error, then two batters later scored on a wild pitch. A sac fly off the bat of Landyn Vidourek and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Josh Hegemann brought home the other two runs. UC sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth inning.
Ball State regained the lead with a run in the top of the sixth, but Brooks' two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh gave UC a 6-5 lead, its first of the game. Kerrington Cross led off the inning with a single, and Hegemann walked in the next at-bat to put two runners on base, and two batters later Brooks brought them both home with his triple.
Griffin Hugus earned the save by pitching scoreless eighth and ninth innings to close the door. After allowing two Cardinals to reach base in the top of the eighth he induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to get out of trouble, and he stranded a pair of runners in the ninth to end the game and clinch the victory.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
Game two was all Bearcats from the jump thanks to Nathan Taylor's incredible start. He took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning and had at least two strikeouts in each of his first four innings.
Hunter Jessee's sac fly in the top of the second was the first run of the game, and Cincinnati's offense blew the game open in the fourth. Kerrington Cross and Jessee both reached base after getting hit by a pitch, and Alec Jones walked to load the bases with one out. Cross came in to score on a bases-loaded walk, and Jessee scored shortly after on a fielder's choice. Dalton Pearson stepped to the plate as the seventh batter of the inning and lifted the first pitch he saw over the wall in left field for a three-run homer to make it 6-0.
The Bearcats continued to pour it on after their five-run inning. Landyn Vidourek led off the top of the fifth with a single and three pitches later Cross drilled a home run to right-center field to give UC an 8-0 lead.
Illinois ended the shutout with a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Cincinnati responded with two more runs in the top half of the seventh to bring the score to 10-3. Jessee's two-run single brought home Cross and Vidourek to cap the scoring.
Ryan Insco earned the save with 3.1 shutout innings while striking out three.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
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NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.
Cincinnati played from behind for much of game one, but a two-run triple from Lauden Brooks in the seventh inning proved to be the game-winning hit. Brooks went 2-for-4 at the plate, and Kerrington Cross joined his teammate in recording two hits as well.
Tommy O'Connor went 1-for-2 with three walks in the first game and had a hit in game two, and has now reached base in 20 straight games dating back to last season.
Seth Logue started game one and struck out four in 4.2 innings, while Chase Horst and Griffin Hugus provided solid pitching in relief. Hugus pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings to earn the save, his first of the year.
UC's offense put game two out of reach in the first few innings, and Nathan Taylor's terrific outing on the mound kept the Fighting Illini at bay for the duration of his performance.
Taylor struck out 10 in 5.1 innings and kept Illinois out of the hit column until the bottom of the sixth inning. His 10 K's are tied for the most by a Big 12 pitcher so far this season and he's the first Bearcat hurler with double-digit strikeouts since Beau Keathley in 2022. Ryan Insco ended the game with 3.1 scoreless innings to earn the save.
Kerrington Cross went 3-for-4 with a home run and a career-best four runs scored against Illinois. Dalton Pearson also homered, a three-run shot that was his first in a Bearcat uniform. Hunter Jessee had a 2-for-3 night with three RBI.
Cincinnati will face No. 25 Coastal Carolina on Sunday at 2 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
Ball State struck first with a leadoff home run in the top of the second, but the Bearcats tied it up in the bottom of the third when Lauden Brooks scored on a bases-loaded balk. The Cardinals extended their lead to 3-1 with a two-run top of the fourth and made it 4-1 with a two-out RBI double in the fifth.
Cincinnati took advantage of a few Ball State miscues in the bottom half of the fifth to tie the score at 4-4. Christian Mitchelle led off the inning with a double and later advanced to third on an error, then two batters later scored on a wild pitch. A sac fly off the bat of Landyn Vidourek and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Josh Hegemann brought home the other two runs. UC sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth inning.
Ball State regained the lead with a run in the top of the sixth, but Brooks' two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh gave UC a 6-5 lead, its first of the game. Kerrington Cross led off the inning with a single, and Hegemann walked in the next at-bat to put two runners on base, and two batters later Brooks brought them both home with his triple.
Griffin Hugus earned the save by pitching scoreless eighth and ninth innings to close the door. After allowing two Cardinals to reach base in the top of the eighth he induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to get out of trouble, and he stranded a pair of runners in the ninth to end the game and clinch the victory.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
Game two was all Bearcats from the jump thanks to Nathan Taylor's incredible start. He took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning and had at least two strikeouts in each of his first four innings.
Hunter Jessee's sac fly in the top of the second was the first run of the game, and Cincinnati's offense blew the game open in the fourth. Kerrington Cross and Jessee both reached base after getting hit by a pitch, and Alec Jones walked to load the bases with one out. Cross came in to score on a bases-loaded walk, and Jessee scored shortly after on a fielder's choice. Dalton Pearson stepped to the plate as the seventh batter of the inning and lifted the first pitch he saw over the wall in left field for a three-run homer to make it 6-0.
The Bearcats continued to pour it on after their five-run inning. Landyn Vidourek led off the top of the fifth with a single and three pitches later Cross drilled a home run to right-center field to give UC an 8-0 lead.
Illinois ended the shutout with a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Cincinnati responded with two more runs in the top half of the seventh to bring the score to 10-3. Jessee's two-run single brought home Cross and Vidourek to cap the scoring.
Ryan Insco earned the save with 3.1 shutout innings while striking out three.
// 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.