TicketsKNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Cincinnati baseball team opened the Knoxville Regional with a 11-6 victory vs. No. 2 seed Wake Forest on Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Bearcats will face No. 1 seed Tennessee on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 4 Miami (Ohio) will play an elimination game at noon on Saturday.
"That was a good college baseball game," head coach Jordan Bischel said. "I have so much respect for Coach Walter and Wake Forest, they have been one of the best programs over the last several years. I knew we would have our hands full, these were two teams that take pride in making you earn all 27 outs. Their hitters did a great job of making Nate [Taylor] work, and he battled through it. Our offense also did some really good things. A combination of short game and hitting the ball out of the ballpark got us that big inning. I'm proud of the guys for being ready to go."
Cincinnati got off to a hot start against Wake Forest, scoring twice in the first inning and exploding for six runs in the second to grab an 8-0 lead. The Demon Deacons dug into the lead a bit, hitting three home runs over the next three innings, but UC continued to pile it on and pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to seal the deal.
Freshmen Quinton Coats and Derrick Pitts homered for the Bearcats, as did senior Donovan Ford. Sophomore Nathan Taylor made the start for Cincinnati, striking out seven across six innings. Senior Michael Conte turned in a solid outing out of the bullpen and freshman Adam Buczkowski retired the final four hitters of the game.
Junior Landyn Vidourek, who had not played since May 15, returned to the lineup as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot. He went 2-for-4 with a couple of stolen bases, bringing his total to 39 thefts on the season.
Sophomore Jack Natili reached base three times, recording a base hit and two walks.
// KNOXVILLE REGIONAL TICKET INFORMATION
Due to limited availability, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets through the secondary market on Tennessee's official re-sale marketplace at this link. A limited number of single-session standing room only tickets will be sold to the general public at the Lindsey Nelson Stadium ticket window starting 90 minutes prior to first pitch of each session.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats started off the scoring early with two runs on the top of the second on a base hit from Derrick Pitts. Wake Forest nearly got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning, but an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play ended the rally.
Cincinnati exploded for six runs in the top of the second to go up 8-0. Kerrington Cross and Jack Natili both drove in runs on sacrifice flies, then Quinton Coats and Pitts both hit two-run home runs to the opposite field to blow the game open.
Wake Forest halved the UC lead over the next couple innings, scoring three in the bottom of the second and another in the third to make it 8-4.
Donovan Ford added to the lead with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to put it at 10-4. Another solo shot from Wake made it 10-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
Charlie Niehaus scored the most improbable run of the afternoon in the top of the seventh. After reaching first on a walk, he advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and came all the way around to score after the second baseman's throw sailed into foul territory in left field, giving UC an 11-5 lead. The Demon Deacons' fourth homer of the game was a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh, but Adam Buczkowski shut them down over the final 1.1 frames. The freshman retired all four hitters he faced to clinch the win and push UC onto the winner's bracket.
// KNOXVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Game times and TV designations will be updated as they become available and are always subject to change.
Friday, May 30
Game 1 – No. 3 Cincinnati 11, No. 2 Wake Forest 6
Game 2 – No. 1 Tennessee 9, No. 4 Miami (Ohio) 2
Saturday, May 31
Game 3 – No. 2 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Miami (Ohio), Noon ET (TBD)
Game 4 – No. 3 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Tennessee , 6 p.m. ET (TBD)
Sunday, June 1
Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, Noon ET (TBD)
Game 6 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4, 6 p.m. ET (TBD)
Monday, June 2
Game 7 (if necessary) – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, TBD (TBD)
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Bearcats will face No. 1 seed Tennessee on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 4 Miami (Ohio) will play an elimination game at noon on Saturday.
"That was a good college baseball game," head coach Jordan Bischel said. "I have so much respect for Coach Walter and Wake Forest, they have been one of the best programs over the last several years. I knew we would have our hands full, these were two teams that take pride in making you earn all 27 outs. Their hitters did a great job of making Nate [Taylor] work, and he battled through it. Our offense also did some really good things. A combination of short game and hitting the ball out of the ballpark got us that big inning. I'm proud of the guys for being ready to go."
Cincinnati got off to a hot start against Wake Forest, scoring twice in the first inning and exploding for six runs in the second to grab an 8-0 lead. The Demon Deacons dug into the lead a bit, hitting three home runs over the next three innings, but UC continued to pile it on and pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to seal the deal.
Freshmen Quinton Coats and Derrick Pitts homered for the Bearcats, as did senior Donovan Ford. Sophomore Nathan Taylor made the start for Cincinnati, striking out seven across six innings. Senior Michael Conte turned in a solid outing out of the bullpen and freshman Adam Buczkowski retired the final four hitters of the game.
Junior Landyn Vidourek, who had not played since May 15, returned to the lineup as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot. He went 2-for-4 with a couple of stolen bases, bringing his total to 39 thefts on the season.
Sophomore Jack Natili reached base three times, recording a base hit and two walks.
// KNOXVILLE REGIONAL TICKET INFORMATION
Due to limited availability, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets through the secondary market on Tennessee's official re-sale marketplace at this link. A limited number of single-session standing room only tickets will be sold to the general public at the Lindsey Nelson Stadium ticket window starting 90 minutes prior to first pitch of each session.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats started off the scoring early with two runs on the top of the second on a base hit from Derrick Pitts. Wake Forest nearly got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning, but an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play ended the rally.
Cincinnati exploded for six runs in the top of the second to go up 8-0. Kerrington Cross and Jack Natili both drove in runs on sacrifice flies, then Quinton Coats and Pitts both hit two-run home runs to the opposite field to blow the game open.
Wake Forest halved the UC lead over the next couple innings, scoring three in the bottom of the second and another in the third to make it 8-4.
Donovan Ford added to the lead with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to put it at 10-4. Another solo shot from Wake made it 10-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
Charlie Niehaus scored the most improbable run of the afternoon in the top of the seventh. After reaching first on a walk, he advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and came all the way around to score after the second baseman's throw sailed into foul territory in left field, giving UC an 11-5 lead. The Demon Deacons' fourth homer of the game was a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh, but Adam Buczkowski shut them down over the final 1.1 frames. The freshman retired all four hitters he faced to clinch the win and push UC onto the winner's bracket.
// KNOXVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Game times and TV designations will be updated as they become available and are always subject to change.
Friday, May 30
Game 1 – No. 3 Cincinnati 11, No. 2 Wake Forest 6
Game 2 – No. 1 Tennessee 9, No. 4 Miami (Ohio) 2
Saturday, May 31
Game 3 – No. 2 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Miami (Ohio), Noon ET (TBD)
Game 4 – No. 3 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Tennessee , 6 p.m. ET (TBD)
Sunday, June 1
Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, Noon ET (TBD)
Game 6 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4, 6 p.m. ET (TBD)
Monday, June 2
Game 7 (if necessary) – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6, TBD (TBD)
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.