TicketsARLINGTON, TEXAS – The University of Cincinnati baseball team mounted a ninth-inning comeback against UCF to send the game into extras, but ultimately lost 6-5 in 11 innings in its first game at the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Texas.
The No. 5 seed Bearcats will face No. 3 seed Texas on Wednesday at 5 PM ET in an elimination game. Texas lost to No. 10 seed Texas Tech, 6-4, in the nightcap of Tuesday's action at Globe Life Field. Wednesday's game will be the first-ever meeting between UC and the Longhorns.
Cincinnati fell behind early and trailed 5-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth against the Knights before roaring back to tie the game. Kerrington Cross walked and Lauden Brooks singled to put runners at the corners then Hunter Jessee walked to load the bases with two outs. Christian Mitchelle poked a single through the left side that scored Cross to make it a 5-3 game, then Hegemann tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run single that scored Brooks and pinch runner Dalton Pearson. Hegemann beat out a ground ball to shortstop and Pearson scored from second, sliding into home just ahead of the tag.
In extra innings, neither team scored in the 10th inning to keep the game at 5-5. UCF's Danny Neri broke the tie with a home run in the top of the 11th, his third homer of the game, to make it 6-5. UC couldn't push another run across in the bottom of the 11th.
Mitchelle was 3-for-6 on the night with a couple RBI and a stolen base, and Max Palmieri had a pair of doubles and an RBI. Brooks reached base three times, drawing a walk and notching a pair of hits.
Nathan Taylor made the start and struck out a couple in 1.1 innings of work. Seth Logue relieved him and threw 4.2 innings of one-run ball. Griffin Hugus had one of his longest outings of the season, striking out five in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
UCF opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first. After putting runners at second and third, a fly ball into center field brought in the first run of the game on a sac fly to make it 1-0. Things didn't get much better in the top of the second as UCF's Danny Neri led off the inning with a home run to put UC in a 2-0 hole. The Knights added another run in the third to increase its lead to three.
Landyn Vidourek drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the third to reach as the Bearcats' first baserunner of the game, but after stealing second base he ended the inning there. Hunter Jessee got UC into the hit column in the bottom of the fourth with a single into left field and would later score on Christian Mitchelle's double for the Bearcats' first run of the game.
Neri hit his second home run of the game in the top of the seventh to make it a 5-1 game, but Max Palmieri's RBI double in the eighth cut the deficit to 5-2.
UC's ninth-inning rally started with a nine-pitch at-bat from Kerrington Cross that ended with a walk, and Brooks followed that with a single that sent Cross to third. Jessee one-upped Cross with a 10-pitch walk to load the bases, and Mitchelle drove in the first run of the inning on a single to put the score at 5-3.
Down to his last strike, Josh Hegemann hit a ground ball to shortstop and beat out the throw at first, and as he crossed the bag Dalton Pearson was headed home and slid in safely as the tying run.
UCF loaded the bases in the top of the 10th, but Griffin Hugus escaped unscathed to keep the game tied at 5-5. The tie was broken in the top of the 11th on Neri's third home run of the game that put the score at 6-5. Brooks led off the bottom of the 11th with a base hit to put the tying run on base, but he would go no further as the next three Bearcats were sent down in order.
// 2024 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 21
Game 1 – No. 7 Kansas 2, No. 6 Kansas State 1
Game 2 – No. 9 TCU 5, No. 4 West Virginia 2
Game 3 – No. 8 UCF 6, No. 5 Cincinnati 5 (11 innings)
Game 4 – No. 10 Texas Tech 6, No. 3 Texas 4
Wednesday, May 22
Game 5 – No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Kansas State – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 6 – No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 TCU – 12:30 p.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 7 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 3 Texas – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 8 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Texas Tech – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Thursday, May 23
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 6 Winner vs. No. 7 Kansas – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. No. 8 UCF – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Friday, May 24
Game 13 – Game 10 Loser vs. Game 9 Winner – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 14 – Game 10 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner (semifinal) – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 15 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 16 – Game 12 Winner vs. Game 15 Winner (semifinal) -7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Saturday, May 25
Game 17 – Championship Game – 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET – ESPNU
// 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 No. 5 seed Bearcats will face No. 3 seed Texas on Wednesday at 5 PM ET in an elimination game. Texas lost to No. 10 seed Texas Tech, 6-4, in the nightcap of Tuesday's action at Globe Life Field. Wednesday's game will be the first-ever meeting between UC and the Longhorns.
Cincinnati fell behind early and trailed 5-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth against the Knights before roaring back to tie the game. Kerrington Cross walked and Lauden Brooks singled to put runners at the corners then Hunter Jessee walked to load the bases with two outs. Christian Mitchelle poked a single through the left side that scored Cross to make it a 5-3 game, then Hegemann tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run single that scored Brooks and pinch runner Dalton Pearson. Hegemann beat out a ground ball to shortstop and Pearson scored from second, sliding into home just ahead of the tag.
In extra innings, neither team scored in the 10th inning to keep the game at 5-5. UCF's Danny Neri broke the tie with a home run in the top of the 11th, his third homer of the game, to make it 6-5. UC couldn't push another run across in the bottom of the 11th.
Mitchelle was 3-for-6 on the night with a couple RBI and a stolen base, and Max Palmieri had a pair of doubles and an RBI. Brooks reached base three times, drawing a walk and notching a pair of hits.
Nathan Taylor made the start and struck out a couple in 1.1 innings of work. Seth Logue relieved him and threw 4.2 innings of one-run ball. Griffin Hugus had one of his longest outings of the season, striking out five in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
UCF opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first. After putting runners at second and third, a fly ball into center field brought in the first run of the game on a sac fly to make it 1-0. Things didn't get much better in the top of the second as UCF's Danny Neri led off the inning with a home run to put UC in a 2-0 hole. The Knights added another run in the third to increase its lead to three.
Landyn Vidourek drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the third to reach as the Bearcats' first baserunner of the game, but after stealing second base he ended the inning there. Hunter Jessee got UC into the hit column in the bottom of the fourth with a single into left field and would later score on Christian Mitchelle's double for the Bearcats' first run of the game.
Neri hit his second home run of the game in the top of the seventh to make it a 5-1 game, but Max Palmieri's RBI double in the eighth cut the deficit to 5-2.
UC's ninth-inning rally started with a nine-pitch at-bat from Kerrington Cross that ended with a walk, and Brooks followed that with a single that sent Cross to third. Jessee one-upped Cross with a 10-pitch walk to load the bases, and Mitchelle drove in the first run of the inning on a single to put the score at 5-3.
Down to his last strike, Josh Hegemann hit a ground ball to shortstop and beat out the throw at first, and as he crossed the bag Dalton Pearson was headed home and slid in safely as the tying run.
UCF loaded the bases in the top of the 10th, but Griffin Hugus escaped unscathed to keep the game tied at 5-5. The tie was broken in the top of the 11th on Neri's third home run of the game that put the score at 6-5. Brooks led off the bottom of the 11th with a base hit to put the tying run on base, but he would go no further as the next three Bearcats were sent down in order.
// 2024 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 21
Game 1 – No. 7 Kansas 2, No. 6 Kansas State 1
Game 2 – No. 9 TCU 5, No. 4 West Virginia 2
Game 3 – No. 8 UCF 6, No. 5 Cincinnati 5 (11 innings)
Game 4 – No. 10 Texas Tech 6, No. 3 Texas 4
Wednesday, May 22
Game 5 – No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Kansas State – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 6 – No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 TCU – 12:30 p.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 7 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 3 Texas – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 8 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Texas Tech – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Thursday, May 23
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 6 Winner vs. No. 7 Kansas – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. No. 8 UCF – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Friday, May 24
Game 13 – Game 10 Loser vs. Game 9 Winner – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 14 – Game 10 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner (semifinal) – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 15 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 16 – Game 12 Winner vs. Game 15 Winner (semifinal) -7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Saturday, May 25
Game 17 – Championship Game – 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET – ESPNU
// 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.