TicketsCINCINNATI – The bats shined in game one and the arms stole the show in game two of Friday's doubleheader sweep for the University of Cincinnati baseball team against Canisius.
UC won game one, 13-5, before blanking the Golden Griffins in game two by a score of 7-0. The shutout in game two was the second of the year for Cincinnati.
The Bearcats saw several excellent performances at the plate on Friday. Redshirt senior Kerrington Cross was remarkable in game one, going 3-for-3 and reaching base in all six of his plate appearances. He scored three times, bested only by redshirt freshman Charlie Niehaus who scored four times. Cross and Niehaus were two of five players to have multi-hit efforts in the first game, and all nine of Cincinnati's starters had at least one hit. Senior Tommy O'Connor and junior Landyn Vidourek led the charge with three RBI, while senior Donovan Ford and junior Cal Sefcik both drove in two runs apiece.
The 15 hits in game one were one shy of UC's season-high total and the 13 runs scored were second-most in a game this season as well.
On the mound in game one, sophomore Carson Marsh earned the win and freshman Ty Barnett struck out three while tossing scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. Senior Michael Conte also had notable day, striking out four in 1.2 shutout frames.
Game two was scoreless until Cincinnati put up four runs in the bottom of the fifth. It would go on to score two more in the sixth and another in the eighth, while the pitching staff kept the Golden Griffins off the scoreboard until the very end.
Senior Adam Mrakitsch struck out seven through 4.2 scoreless in his best start of the year. Freshman Adam Buczkowski was outstanding, striking out five in 3.2 innings of work to earn the win, and redshirt senior Brandon Scheurer finished the game in the ninth. Cross, Cal Sefcik, and junior Christian Mitchelle all logged two hits in the second game.
Saturday's game will begin at 2:00 p.m.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
Cincinnati struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. Landyn Viduorek singled in the first run of the game and then, after stealing second base, he scored easily on Dawson Hokuf's RBI double. The UC lead increased to 4-0 with two more runs in the bottom of the second on a Donovan Ford RBI single and a Tommy O'Connor sac fly.
Canisius got on the board in the top of the third with a three-run inning to trim the Bearcats' lead to 4-3. A solo homer was followed by a two-out, two run double.
Jack Natili's RBI base hit up the middle in the bottom of the fifth made it 5-3, but the Golden Griffins tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth. The Bearcats regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning and would go on to put up crooked numbers in the sixth and seventh. After loading the bases with no outs, O'Connor and Vidourek drove in runs on back-to-back sac flies to make it 7-5. Cal Sefcik's two-run single into left field upped the lead to 9-5.
The Bearcats continued to pour it on in the seventh, scoring three runs to go up 12-5. A Tommy O'Connor RBI double kicked off the scoring before two runs scored on what should have been a routine ground ball. The grounder to first was fielded cleanly, though Kerrington Cross scored easily. The first baseman tried to nail Cross at the plate, but his errant throw sailed away and allowed O'Connor to score from second.
The final run of the day scored on a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth from Donovan Ford. Ty Barnett, who entered the game in the eighth inning, pitched a scoreless ninth to cap things off in game one.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
The second game was scoreless through the first four-and-a-half innings, but the start of the game could've gone very differently. Landyn Vidourek and Jack Natili drew two-out walks and Kory Klingenbeck was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but all three were left on base when the inning ended.
Charlie Niehaus broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI triple to bring in the game's first run. Cal Sefcik singled to open the inning, notching the first of what would be five consecutive hits for the Bearcats. Niehaus tripled, then Derrick Pitts and Kerrington Cross singled, and finally Tommy O'Connor doubled into the gap in left center field. When the dust settled, UC led 3-0. Cross scored on Natili's sac fly two batters later to make it 4-0.
Adam Buczkowski had entered the game in the top of the fifth and stranded a couple Canisius runners, then pitched scoreless innings in the sixth, seventh, and eighth.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati scored two more runs in the sixth and one in the eighth to increase its lead to 7-0.
Buczkowski worked himself into a bit of a jam in the top of the ninth, but Brandon Scheurer entered the game with the bases loaded and one out and proceeded to retired both hitters he faced to preserve the shutout.
// SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Still need your tickets for the 2025 season? Starting at just $75 for adults and $50 for youth, seniors & military, it's the perfect time to lock in your seats for year two of the Jordan Bischel era in Cincinnati. To purchase your season tickets, visit cpaw.me/SeasonTickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX (1-877-228-7849).
NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on X/Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
UC won game one, 13-5, before blanking the Golden Griffins in game two by a score of 7-0. The shutout in game two was the second of the year for Cincinnati.
The Bearcats saw several excellent performances at the plate on Friday. Redshirt senior Kerrington Cross was remarkable in game one, going 3-for-3 and reaching base in all six of his plate appearances. He scored three times, bested only by redshirt freshman Charlie Niehaus who scored four times. Cross and Niehaus were two of five players to have multi-hit efforts in the first game, and all nine of Cincinnati's starters had at least one hit. Senior Tommy O'Connor and junior Landyn Vidourek led the charge with three RBI, while senior Donovan Ford and junior Cal Sefcik both drove in two runs apiece.
The 15 hits in game one were one shy of UC's season-high total and the 13 runs scored were second-most in a game this season as well.
On the mound in game one, sophomore Carson Marsh earned the win and freshman Ty Barnett struck out three while tossing scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. Senior Michael Conte also had notable day, striking out four in 1.2 shutout frames.
Game two was scoreless until Cincinnati put up four runs in the bottom of the fifth. It would go on to score two more in the sixth and another in the eighth, while the pitching staff kept the Golden Griffins off the scoreboard until the very end.
Senior Adam Mrakitsch struck out seven through 4.2 scoreless in his best start of the year. Freshman Adam Buczkowski was outstanding, striking out five in 3.2 innings of work to earn the win, and redshirt senior Brandon Scheurer finished the game in the ninth. Cross, Cal Sefcik, and junior Christian Mitchelle all logged two hits in the second game.
Saturday's game will begin at 2:00 p.m.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
Cincinnati struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. Landyn Viduorek singled in the first run of the game and then, after stealing second base, he scored easily on Dawson Hokuf's RBI double. The UC lead increased to 4-0 with two more runs in the bottom of the second on a Donovan Ford RBI single and a Tommy O'Connor sac fly.
Canisius got on the board in the top of the third with a three-run inning to trim the Bearcats' lead to 4-3. A solo homer was followed by a two-out, two run double.
Jack Natili's RBI base hit up the middle in the bottom of the fifth made it 5-3, but the Golden Griffins tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth. The Bearcats regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning and would go on to put up crooked numbers in the sixth and seventh. After loading the bases with no outs, O'Connor and Vidourek drove in runs on back-to-back sac flies to make it 7-5. Cal Sefcik's two-run single into left field upped the lead to 9-5.
The Bearcats continued to pour it on in the seventh, scoring three runs to go up 12-5. A Tommy O'Connor RBI double kicked off the scoring before two runs scored on what should have been a routine ground ball. The grounder to first was fielded cleanly, though Kerrington Cross scored easily. The first baseman tried to nail Cross at the plate, but his errant throw sailed away and allowed O'Connor to score from second.
The final run of the day scored on a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth from Donovan Ford. Ty Barnett, who entered the game in the eighth inning, pitched a scoreless ninth to cap things off in game one.
// HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
The second game was scoreless through the first four-and-a-half innings, but the start of the game could've gone very differently. Landyn Vidourek and Jack Natili drew two-out walks and Kory Klingenbeck was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but all three were left on base when the inning ended.
Charlie Niehaus broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI triple to bring in the game's first run. Cal Sefcik singled to open the inning, notching the first of what would be five consecutive hits for the Bearcats. Niehaus tripled, then Derrick Pitts and Kerrington Cross singled, and finally Tommy O'Connor doubled into the gap in left center field. When the dust settled, UC led 3-0. Cross scored on Natili's sac fly two batters later to make it 4-0.
Adam Buczkowski had entered the game in the top of the fifth and stranded a couple Canisius runners, then pitched scoreless innings in the sixth, seventh, and eighth.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati scored two more runs in the sixth and one in the eighth to increase its lead to 7-0.
Buczkowski worked himself into a bit of a jam in the top of the ninth, but Brandon Scheurer entered the game with the bases loaded and one out and proceeded to retired both hitters he faced to preserve the shutout.
// SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Still need your tickets for the 2025 season? Starting at just $75 for adults and $50 for youth, seniors & military, it's the perfect time to lock in your seats for year two of the Jordan Bischel era in Cincinnati. To purchase your season tickets, visit cpaw.me/SeasonTickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX (1-877-228-7849).
NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on X/Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.