TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball program withstood a ninth-inning UCF rally and won Friday night's series opener, 6-4, at UC Baseball Stadium.
The Knights (17-8, 3-4 Big 12) loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with two outs, but the Bearcats (14-11, 2-5 Big 12) held strong. A ground ball to the right side of the infield looked like it could potentially eke into the outfield and cause trouble, but senior Lauden Brooks made a diving stop and threw the runner out at first to end the game. The emphatic ending was the last of several big plays for Cincinnati on Friday.
Three UC players homered, and sophomore Jack Natili's two-run shot in the fifth inning ended up being the game-winner. Redshirt senior Kerrington Cross hit a solo shot earlier that inning, and senior Donovan Ford hit his second home run of the year in the third.
Few hitters in the country are as hot as Cross at the moment, who notched his fifth straight multi-hit effort. He was 3-for-5 at the plate and also reached via walk and hit by pitch, and his performance brings his season batting average to .446.
Sophomore Nathan Taylor made the start and struck out four through six innings. It was his fifth straight start of at least six innings. Freshman Hudson Johnson pitched 2.2 strong innings in relief, and redshirt senior Brandon Scheurer earned his second save of the year when he recorded the final out.
Game two is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
UCF opened the scoring in the top of the first, scoring a run on an RBI double in to left field that made it 1-0. The Knights added to their led with two more runs in the third that scored on a triple and a fielder's choice to put the Bearcats in a 3-0 hole.
Donovan Ford got UC on the board in the bottom half of the third, launching his second home run of the year over the left field wall. Cincinnati had a chance to tie the game with runners at second and third with two outs, but couldn't bring either home.
Two Cincinnati homers would flip the script in the bottom of the fifth. Kerrington Cross drilled a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left field to make it a 3-2 game, then three batters later Jack Natili hit a two-run home run to the opposite field to give UC a 4-3 lead.
Nathan Taylor's final inning of the night wasn't without adversity, as UCF put runners at the corners with two outs. The sophomore hurler gathered himself to induced a groundout to second base to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth to make it 6-3, with Tommy O'Connor's double and Lauden Brooks' RBI fielder's choice increasing the margin to three.
UCF did not go down quietly in the ninth. A two-out RBI single to left field cut the Bearcats' lead to 6-4, and a walk followed to load the bases. Brandon Scheurer entered the game to try and stop the bleeding and he did just that, with the help of Brooks. A hard-hit grounder to second was gobbled up by a diving Brooks, who made the throw to O'Connor at first base in just enough time to get the out.
// CINCINNATI BASEBALL TICKET INFO
Upcoming Big 12 series at UC Baseball Stadium this season include UCF (March 28-30), Arizona State (April 11-13), Oklahoma State (April 25-27), and Kansas State (May 15-17). Non-conference games at UC Baseball Stadium include midweek contests vs. Xavier (April 15) and Indiana (May 13).
There is still a lot of great baseball left to be played at UC Baseball Stadium this season! To purchase your tickets, visit cpaw.me/Tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX (1-877-228-7849).
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Knights (17-8, 3-4 Big 12) loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with two outs, but the Bearcats (14-11, 2-5 Big 12) held strong. A ground ball to the right side of the infield looked like it could potentially eke into the outfield and cause trouble, but senior Lauden Brooks made a diving stop and threw the runner out at first to end the game. The emphatic ending was the last of several big plays for Cincinnati on Friday.
Three UC players homered, and sophomore Jack Natili's two-run shot in the fifth inning ended up being the game-winner. Redshirt senior Kerrington Cross hit a solo shot earlier that inning, and senior Donovan Ford hit his second home run of the year in the third.
Few hitters in the country are as hot as Cross at the moment, who notched his fifth straight multi-hit effort. He was 3-for-5 at the plate and also reached via walk and hit by pitch, and his performance brings his season batting average to .446.
Sophomore Nathan Taylor made the start and struck out four through six innings. It was his fifth straight start of at least six innings. Freshman Hudson Johnson pitched 2.2 strong innings in relief, and redshirt senior Brandon Scheurer earned his second save of the year when he recorded the final out.
Game two is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
UCF opened the scoring in the top of the first, scoring a run on an RBI double in to left field that made it 1-0. The Knights added to their led with two more runs in the third that scored on a triple and a fielder's choice to put the Bearcats in a 3-0 hole.
Donovan Ford got UC on the board in the bottom half of the third, launching his second home run of the year over the left field wall. Cincinnati had a chance to tie the game with runners at second and third with two outs, but couldn't bring either home.
Two Cincinnati homers would flip the script in the bottom of the fifth. Kerrington Cross drilled a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left field to make it a 3-2 game, then three batters later Jack Natili hit a two-run home run to the opposite field to give UC a 4-3 lead.
Nathan Taylor's final inning of the night wasn't without adversity, as UCF put runners at the corners with two outs. The sophomore hurler gathered himself to induced a groundout to second base to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth to make it 6-3, with Tommy O'Connor's double and Lauden Brooks' RBI fielder's choice increasing the margin to three.
UCF did not go down quietly in the ninth. A two-out RBI single to left field cut the Bearcats' lead to 6-4, and a walk followed to load the bases. Brandon Scheurer entered the game to try and stop the bleeding and he did just that, with the help of Brooks. A hard-hit grounder to second was gobbled up by a diving Brooks, who made the throw to O'Connor at first base in just enough time to get the out.
// CINCINNATI BASEBALL TICKET INFO
Upcoming Big 12 series at UC Baseball Stadium this season include UCF (March 28-30), Arizona State (April 11-13), Oklahoma State (April 25-27), and Kansas State (May 15-17). Non-conference games at UC Baseball Stadium include midweek contests vs. Xavier (April 15) and Indiana (May 13).
There is still a lot of great baseball left to be played at UC Baseball Stadium this season! To purchase your tickets, visit cpaw.me/Tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX (1-877-228-7849).
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.