TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team hosted No. 12 Oklahoma in a doubleheader on Thursday and dropped both games to the Sooners. OU won game one 14-6 before taking the second game, 12-8.
Big innings proved to be Cincinnati's (30-23, 16-13 Big 12) downfall in both contests. Oklahoma (34-17, 23-6 Big 12) used an eight-run seventh inning in game one to pull away and scored seven runs in the first inning of game two. The Bearcats applied offensive pressure constantly in both games, but not enough to overcome the two big innings.
UC still remains in fifth place in the Big 12 standings following Kansas' loss to Texas, which keeps the Jayhawks (29-19, 15-13 Big 12) a half-game back of the Bearcats.
Cincinnati combined to hit seven home runs across both games on Thursday. Josh Kross hit three, Kerrington Cross hit two, and both Christian Mitchelle and Landyn Vidourek hit one apiece.
Kross now has 19 home runs on the year, which leads the Big 12 and puts him in a tie for third place all-time in school history. Griffin Merritt (2022) and Kevin Youkilis (2000) both previously hit 19 home runs in a season, and Mike Spina owns the top spot (23, 2009) and second place (21, 2008) on the all-time list. Kross hit two home runs in the first game and homered again in game two.
Cross became the sixth Bearcat with a multi-homer game this year and hit two homers in a game for the second time in his career. He was 3-for-5 with a couple home runs and three RBI in the second game of Thursday's twin bill.
The final game of the series, and final game of the regular season, is set for 5 PM on Friday. Prior to the game, UC will honor its seniors during its Senior Day presentation.
// HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1
Oklahoma got the scoring started with a sac fly in the top of the first. After the leadoff hitter reached on a triple, he scored easily on a fly ball to left field to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead.
Cincinnati tied it up with a run in the third to make it 1-1. With runners at second and third, Kerrington Cross sent a ball deep to left field for a sac fly that scored Max Palmieri easily. Oklahoma's Michael Snyder responded with a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth to put the score at 2-1.
Christian Mitchelle's homer in the bottom of the fourth tied the game at 2-2, but the Sooners struck with a four-run sixth inning to retake the lead. Their lead ballooned with an eight-run seventh inning that put UC in a 14-3 hole. Landyn Vidourek smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh and Kross hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth, but it was too little too late as Oklahoma would take the first game by a score of 14-6.
// HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2
Game two saw more of the same from the Sooners, who scored seven runs in the top of the first inning to take a sizable lead before UC stepped into the batter's box.
The Bearcats didn't go down without a fight though, as Kerrington Cross led off the bottom of the first with a home run to get his team on the board. Hunter Jessee drove in a run in the bottom of the second on an RBI double, and Cross homered again in the bottom of the third to put the score at 7-3. OU got one of those runs back in the fourth, making it 8-3, but two RBI singles for the Bearcats in the bottom half of the fourth put them within three, 8-5.
Oklahoma scored again in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 9-5 before Josh Kross provided perhaps the biggest swing of the night. With runners on first and second, Kross demolished a 2-1 pitch to right field for a three-run home run to put Cincinnati within a run, 9-8.
Unfortunately the one-run deficit grew to four again in the top of the eighth when Oklahoma's Jaxon Willits responded with a three-run home run of his own. That put the score at 12-8, which would hold as the final.
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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.
Big innings proved to be Cincinnati's (30-23, 16-13 Big 12) downfall in both contests. Oklahoma (34-17, 23-6 Big 12) used an eight-run seventh inning in game one to pull away and scored seven runs in the first inning of game two. The Bearcats applied offensive pressure constantly in both games, but not enough to overcome the two big innings.
UC still remains in fifth place in the Big 12 standings following Kansas' loss to Texas, which keeps the Jayhawks (29-19, 15-13 Big 12) a half-game back of the Bearcats.
Cincinnati combined to hit seven home runs across both games on Thursday. Josh Kross hit three, Kerrington Cross hit two, and both Christian Mitchelle and Landyn Vidourek hit one apiece.
Kross now has 19 home runs on the year, which leads the Big 12 and puts him in a tie for third place all-time in school history. Griffin Merritt (2022) and Kevin Youkilis (2000) both previously hit 19 home runs in a season, and Mike Spina owns the top spot (23, 2009) and second place (21, 2008) on the all-time list. Kross hit two home runs in the first game and homered again in game two.
Cross became the sixth Bearcat with a multi-homer game this year and hit two homers in a game for the second time in his career. He was 3-for-5 with a couple home runs and three RBI in the second game of Thursday's twin bill.
The final game of the series, and final game of the regular season, is set for 5 PM on Friday. Prior to the game, UC will honor its seniors during its Senior Day presentation.
// HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1
Oklahoma got the scoring started with a sac fly in the top of the first. After the leadoff hitter reached on a triple, he scored easily on a fly ball to left field to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead.
Cincinnati tied it up with a run in the third to make it 1-1. With runners at second and third, Kerrington Cross sent a ball deep to left field for a sac fly that scored Max Palmieri easily. Oklahoma's Michael Snyder responded with a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth to put the score at 2-1.
Christian Mitchelle's homer in the bottom of the fourth tied the game at 2-2, but the Sooners struck with a four-run sixth inning to retake the lead. Their lead ballooned with an eight-run seventh inning that put UC in a 14-3 hole. Landyn Vidourek smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh and Kross hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth, but it was too little too late as Oklahoma would take the first game by a score of 14-6.
// HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2
Game two saw more of the same from the Sooners, who scored seven runs in the top of the first inning to take a sizable lead before UC stepped into the batter's box.
The Bearcats didn't go down without a fight though, as Kerrington Cross led off the bottom of the first with a home run to get his team on the board. Hunter Jessee drove in a run in the bottom of the second on an RBI double, and Cross homered again in the bottom of the third to put the score at 7-3. OU got one of those runs back in the fourth, making it 8-3, but two RBI singles for the Bearcats in the bottom half of the fourth put them within three, 8-5.
Oklahoma scored again in the top of the sixth to extend its lead to 9-5 before Josh Kross provided perhaps the biggest swing of the night. With runners on first and second, Kross demolished a 2-1 pitch to right field for a three-run home run to put Cincinnati within a run, 9-8.
Unfortunately the one-run deficit grew to four again in the top of the eighth when Oklahoma's Jaxon Willits responded with a three-run home run of his own. That put the score at 12-8, which would hold as the final.
// 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.