TicketsDURHAM, N.C. – The Cincinnati baseball team dropped game two of its series at No. 11 Duke on Saturday, falling by a score of 6-5 in 12 innings.
The decisive final game of the series is set for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
A four-run fifth inning gave Duke a 5-2 lead, but the Bearcats responded in their next turn at the plate, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth. Both bullpens kept the game tied into extra innings until Duke's Wallace Clark ended the game with a one-out, walk-off homer in the 12th inning. At 12 innings, Saturday's game was the longest for the Bearcats since a 12-inning result last season at Kansas State
Six different pitchers saw time on the mound for Cincinnati, and three turned in scoreless appearances in relief. Redshirt senior Max Bergmann, freshman Adam Buczkowski, and senior Michael Conte all kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard. Bergman (2.0 IP) and Buczkowski (3.1 IP) did so for multiple innings).
At the plate, senior Kerrington Cross hit his second home run of the young season, and senior Donovan Ford went 3-for-4 with a triple. Redshirt senior Kory Klingenbeck got the start behind the dish and went 1-for-3, logging the first triple of his career.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
Kerrington Cross led off the game with a home run, socking the first pitch of the night to right field for his second homer in as many games. Duke tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out single through the right side that scored the runner from third easily.
Cross drove in another run in the top of the fifth to make it a 2-1 game, but the Blue Devils responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 5-2. Duke scored three of the four runs with two outs and batted around to take its largest lead of the night.
The Bearcats did not stay down for long, tying the game with three runs in the top of the sixth, all three of which came with two outs. Donovan Ford's base hit into left field scored Dawson Hokuf, then Lauden Brooks' pinch-hit, two-run double scored Ford and Luke Sefcik easily to tie the game at 5-5.
Max Bergman kept Duke off the scoreboard in the sixth, and Adam Buczkowski entered in the seventh to get UC out of a jam. He would go on to pitch the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings and Michael Conte tossed a 1-2-3 11th frame. The Bearcats loaded the bases in the 10th inning, but could not bring in the go-ahead run.
Duke ended the game with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th to even the series.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The decisive final game of the series is set for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
A four-run fifth inning gave Duke a 5-2 lead, but the Bearcats responded in their next turn at the plate, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth. Both bullpens kept the game tied into extra innings until Duke's Wallace Clark ended the game with a one-out, walk-off homer in the 12th inning. At 12 innings, Saturday's game was the longest for the Bearcats since a 12-inning result last season at Kansas State
Six different pitchers saw time on the mound for Cincinnati, and three turned in scoreless appearances in relief. Redshirt senior Max Bergmann, freshman Adam Buczkowski, and senior Michael Conte all kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard. Bergman (2.0 IP) and Buczkowski (3.1 IP) did so for multiple innings).
At the plate, senior Kerrington Cross hit his second home run of the young season, and senior Donovan Ford went 3-for-4 with a triple. Redshirt senior Kory Klingenbeck got the start behind the dish and went 1-for-3, logging the first triple of his career.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
Kerrington Cross led off the game with a home run, socking the first pitch of the night to right field for his second homer in as many games. Duke tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out single through the right side that scored the runner from third easily.
Cross drove in another run in the top of the fifth to make it a 2-1 game, but the Blue Devils responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 5-2. Duke scored three of the four runs with two outs and batted around to take its largest lead of the night.
The Bearcats did not stay down for long, tying the game with three runs in the top of the sixth, all three of which came with two outs. Donovan Ford's base hit into left field scored Dawson Hokuf, then Lauden Brooks' pinch-hit, two-run double scored Ford and Luke Sefcik easily to tie the game at 5-5.
Max Bergman kept Duke off the scoreboard in the sixth, and Adam Buczkowski entered in the seventh to get UC out of a jam. He would go on to pitch the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings and Michael Conte tossed a 1-2-3 11th frame. The Bearcats loaded the bases in the 10th inning, but could not bring in the go-ahead run.
Duke ended the game with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th to even the series.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.