TicketsJACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The University of Cincinnati baseball team clinched its season-opening series at Jacksonville State with a 6-5 win on Saturday.
Sophomores Quinton Coats and Jackson Smith homered in the win, and fellow sophomore Adam Buczkowski escaped a precarious situation in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win. Jax State had runners on second and third with two outs in the final frame, but Buczkowski struck out the Gamecocks’ cleanup hitter to end the ballgame.
Buczkowski earned the save for his efforts, the first save of his career.
Coats’ solo homer in the sixth inning was the first of the year for UC, and also broke a 2-2 tie. Smith then entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh and ripped a three-run home run to right field to extend the lead to 6-2.
Jax State did not go down without a fight, scoring three in the bottom of the eighth and putting runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth.
Coats was the lone Bearcat to have a multi-hit effort on Saturday, going 2-for-4. Sophomore outfielder Conlan Daniel stole two bases and scored twice, and junior Jack Natili reached base twice and drove in a run as well.
Redshirt senior Logan Knight made his Cincinnati debut, going six innings while striking out three. Sophomore left-hander Brennan Eager also debuted, throwing 1.2 frames out of the bullpen.
Freshman outfielder Joe DuSell started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk. After entering the game as a defensive replacement on Friday, he started his second-ever college game on Saturday.
The Bearcats and Gamecocks will wrap things up on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Jack Natili’s RBI single in the top of the first gave UC an early 1-0 lead. Charlie Niehaus reached on a single, advanced to second on Luke Sefcik’s sacrifice bunt, then scored on Natili’s knock.
- Quinton Coats extended the lead to 2-0 with a two-out RBI single in the third.
- Jax State tied the game at 2-2 with a couple runs in the bottom of the third.
- Coats broke the tie in the top of the sixth with a solo homer, then Jackson Smith made it 6-2 in the seventh with a three-run, pinch hit home run.
- A two-out, bases-clearing double brought in three runs for the Gamecocks in the bottom of the eighth. They had loaded the bases with three walks, then Jaxon Pate brought them all home with a double to left field that made it 6-5.
- Jax State had runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Adam Buczkowski ended the game with a strikeout to clinch the series.
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