TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team capped its weekend with a 10-1 victory over Kansas on Sunday to claim its first weekend series since joining the Big 12.
UC (12-9, 3-3 Big 12) was terrific at the plate and on the mound on Sunday. For the second straight day the Bearcats flummoxed the Jayhawk hitters on the bump, with Nathan Taylor and Carson Marsh doing the damage this time. Taylor struck out five in six scoreless frames, allowing just five hits and one walk to earn his fifth win of the season. Marsh allowed only one run and struck out three over the final three innings to close things out, earning his first save of the year.
After falling to the Jayhawks in the opener on Friday, the Bearcats responded by allowing just one run on eight hits while striking out 16 over the final two games of the series. The last time UC allowed just one run combined over a two-game stretch was April 19-20, 2013 when it posted 5-1 and 4-0 victories, respectively, against Villanova.
At the plate, all nine hitters had at least one hit on Sunday and UC scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings. Christian Mitchelle had a career-high four hits and scored twice, and Lauden Brooks tied a career-high with three hits operating out of the leadoff spot. Brooks also scored three times, tying his career-best mark.
Hunter Jessee had a multi-hit effort for the second straight day and scored twice and Tommy O'Connor reached base three times while scoring two times as well.
Cincinnati will face Miami (Ohio) in Oxford on Wednesday afternoon before hitting the road for a three-game series at Saint Louis this weekend.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats struck first with a couple runs in the bottom of the first inning. Lauden Brooks reached on a double and Tommy O'Connor walked to put a couple runners on base for Kerrington Cross, who drove both of his teammates in on a base hit into left field. Brooks scored easily and O'Connor came home on a Kansas error to make it 2-0.
After plating a pair in the bottom of the first, UC would go on to score at least one in each of the next six innings to expand on its lead. Christian Mitchelle scored on a KU error in the second and hustled out a safety squeeze in the bottom of the third to bring in a run and make the score 4-0. Josh Kross' RBI double in the bottom of the fourth gave UC a 5-0 lead.
Brooks hustled out a two-out infield single in the bottom of the fifth to bring home another run and Alec Jones' two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth gave the Bearcats a 8-0 advantage.
While Cincinnati's bats were building a large lead, Nathan Taylor was shutting down the Kansas hitters inning-after-inning. He didn't allow his first hit until the top of the fourth, but still faced the minimum that inning after inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. The most adversity Taylor faced was in the top of the sixth when KU put runners on second and third with one out, but he got the final two outs to escape unscathed.
Kansas got its lone run in the top of the seventh on a solo homer, but Cincinnati responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to make it 10-1. Brooks scored on a fielder's choice and Jessee singled into center field to score O'Connor to cap the scoring for the Bearcats.
Carson Marsh retired the final six batters of the game to finish the game and wrap up his first career save.
// 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.
UC (12-9, 3-3 Big 12) was terrific at the plate and on the mound on Sunday. For the second straight day the Bearcats flummoxed the Jayhawk hitters on the bump, with Nathan Taylor and Carson Marsh doing the damage this time. Taylor struck out five in six scoreless frames, allowing just five hits and one walk to earn his fifth win of the season. Marsh allowed only one run and struck out three over the final three innings to close things out, earning his first save of the year.
After falling to the Jayhawks in the opener on Friday, the Bearcats responded by allowing just one run on eight hits while striking out 16 over the final two games of the series. The last time UC allowed just one run combined over a two-game stretch was April 19-20, 2013 when it posted 5-1 and 4-0 victories, respectively, against Villanova.
At the plate, all nine hitters had at least one hit on Sunday and UC scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings. Christian Mitchelle had a career-high four hits and scored twice, and Lauden Brooks tied a career-high with three hits operating out of the leadoff spot. Brooks also scored three times, tying his career-best mark.
Hunter Jessee had a multi-hit effort for the second straight day and scored twice and Tommy O'Connor reached base three times while scoring two times as well.
Cincinnati will face Miami (Ohio) in Oxford on Wednesday afternoon before hitting the road for a three-game series at Saint Louis this weekend.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats struck first with a couple runs in the bottom of the first inning. Lauden Brooks reached on a double and Tommy O'Connor walked to put a couple runners on base for Kerrington Cross, who drove both of his teammates in on a base hit into left field. Brooks scored easily and O'Connor came home on a Kansas error to make it 2-0.
After plating a pair in the bottom of the first, UC would go on to score at least one in each of the next six innings to expand on its lead. Christian Mitchelle scored on a KU error in the second and hustled out a safety squeeze in the bottom of the third to bring in a run and make the score 4-0. Josh Kross' RBI double in the bottom of the fourth gave UC a 5-0 lead.
Brooks hustled out a two-out infield single in the bottom of the fifth to bring home another run and Alec Jones' two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth gave the Bearcats a 8-0 advantage.
While Cincinnati's bats were building a large lead, Nathan Taylor was shutting down the Kansas hitters inning-after-inning. He didn't allow his first hit until the top of the fourth, but still faced the minimum that inning after inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. The most adversity Taylor faced was in the top of the sixth when KU put runners on second and third with one out, but he got the final two outs to escape unscathed.
Kansas got its lone run in the top of the seventh on a solo homer, but Cincinnati responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to make it 10-1. Brooks scored on a fielder's choice and Jessee singled into center field to score O'Connor to cap the scoring for the Bearcats.
Carson Marsh retired the final six batters of the game to finish the game and wrap up his first career save.
// 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.