TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team returned to the win column on Wednesday with an 8-3 victory against Western Illinois at UC Baseball Stadium.
The Bearcats (10-8) struck early, scattering 12 hits at the plate while keeping the Leathernecks' offense at bay all afternoon.
Kameron Guidry homered for the third straight game, the first UC hitter to do that since teammate Kerrington Cross did so last season. Guidry's three-run shot in the bottom of the first inning was his fifth home run in a span of 10 plate appearances stretching back to Sunday's game at Kansas State.
On the mound, Nathan Taylor made the midweek start and struck out two in 2.2 hitless frames. Carson Marsh was electric, striking out six in 3.1 perfect innings in his best outing of the season. The freshman right-hander tied his season-high for innings pitched and set a new high watermark for punchouts. Tommy Boba struck out two in 1.1 innings to end the game and seal the win.
Tommy O'Connor was 2-for-4 at the plate, extending his on-base streak to an impressive 33 games dating back to last season.
The Bearcats ran roughshod over the Leathernecks on the basepaths, tying a season-high with seven stolen bases. UC stole 12 bases total in the two-game midweek series.
Next up for Cincinnati is its first Big 12 Conference home series of the year, a three-game set vs. Kansas this weekend. The Bearcats and Jayhawks will open play on Friday, March 15 at 5 PM before continuing their series on Saturday, March 16 at 2 PM. The finale is set for noon on Sunday, March 17. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
Cincinnati struck early with four runs in the bottom of the first. Josh Kross' fly ball to right field was lost in the sun and dropped in for a double, allowing Kerrington Cross to score the first run of the game. Kameron Guidry followed with a three-run bomb to left field to put the score at 4-0.
Nathan Taylor and Drew Erdmann combined to keep the Leathernecks out of the hit column until the top of the fourth inning. Western Illinois drove in its first run of the game on a two-out single up the middle to make it 4-1.
UC got the run back in the bottom of the fourth. Hunter Jessee reached on a fielder's choice then advanced to second on a balk and stole third before scoring on Christian Mitchellle's groundout.
The Bearcats tacked onto their lead in the sixth and seventh innings. Cross' ground-rule double that hopped over the center field wall brought home Jessee in the bottom of the sixth, and then Jessee turned into the run producer in the next inning. His two-out double to right field scored Guidry and Luke Sefcik and gave Cincinnati an 8-1 advantage.
Western Illinois put two on the board with a two-run double in the top of the eighth, but it was too little too late. Carson Marsh had flummoxed the Leatherneck hitters in the middle innings, long enough to allow UC to build its sizable lead.
Tommy Boba entered the game in the top of the eighth and retired all four batters he faced, striking out two in the ninth to end the game.
// 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 Bearcats (10-8) struck early, scattering 12 hits at the plate while keeping the Leathernecks' offense at bay all afternoon.
Kameron Guidry homered for the third straight game, the first UC hitter to do that since teammate Kerrington Cross did so last season. Guidry's three-run shot in the bottom of the first inning was his fifth home run in a span of 10 plate appearances stretching back to Sunday's game at Kansas State.
On the mound, Nathan Taylor made the midweek start and struck out two in 2.2 hitless frames. Carson Marsh was electric, striking out six in 3.1 perfect innings in his best outing of the season. The freshman right-hander tied his season-high for innings pitched and set a new high watermark for punchouts. Tommy Boba struck out two in 1.1 innings to end the game and seal the win.
Tommy O'Connor was 2-for-4 at the plate, extending his on-base streak to an impressive 33 games dating back to last season.
The Bearcats ran roughshod over the Leathernecks on the basepaths, tying a season-high with seven stolen bases. UC stole 12 bases total in the two-game midweek series.
Next up for Cincinnati is its first Big 12 Conference home series of the year, a three-game set vs. Kansas this weekend. The Bearcats and Jayhawks will open play on Friday, March 15 at 5 PM before continuing their series on Saturday, March 16 at 2 PM. The finale is set for noon on Sunday, March 17. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
Cincinnati struck early with four runs in the bottom of the first. Josh Kross' fly ball to right field was lost in the sun and dropped in for a double, allowing Kerrington Cross to score the first run of the game. Kameron Guidry followed with a three-run bomb to left field to put the score at 4-0.
Nathan Taylor and Drew Erdmann combined to keep the Leathernecks out of the hit column until the top of the fourth inning. Western Illinois drove in its first run of the game on a two-out single up the middle to make it 4-1.
UC got the run back in the bottom of the fourth. Hunter Jessee reached on a fielder's choice then advanced to second on a balk and stole third before scoring on Christian Mitchellle's groundout.
The Bearcats tacked onto their lead in the sixth and seventh innings. Cross' ground-rule double that hopped over the center field wall brought home Jessee in the bottom of the sixth, and then Jessee turned into the run producer in the next inning. His two-out double to right field scored Guidry and Luke Sefcik and gave Cincinnati an 8-1 advantage.
Western Illinois put two on the board with a two-run double in the top of the eighth, but it was too little too late. Carson Marsh had flummoxed the Leatherneck hitters in the middle innings, long enough to allow UC to build its sizable lead.
Tommy Boba entered the game in the top of the eighth and retired all four batters he faced, striking out two in the ninth to end the game.
// 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.