TicketsCINCINNATI – Coming off the thrill of its 8-0 win at No. 9 Auburn on Tuesday, the University of Cincinnati baseball team is heading to Birmingham for a four-game series at UAB.
Game one on Thursday and game two on Friday are both set for 3:00 p.m. starts, while game three on Saturday and game four on Sunday will both begin at 2:00. All four games at UAB will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Cincinnati is coming off its ninth ranked win of the Jordan Bischel era. It was a 2-0 ballgame entering the top of the eighth before UC scored six over the final two innings to make it 8-0, which held as the final.
Once again, the Bearcats’ brand of baseball did some heavy lifting. UC had four stolen bases and three bunt hits, with Jackson Smith accounting for three of those plays himself. He stole two bases, and eventually scored both times, and added a bunt hit as well. Derrick Pitts laid down a bunt single in the ninth inning and redshirt junior Luke Sefcik had a pinch-hit bunt single the previous inning.
The pitching staff had an outstanding night as well. Dillon Schueler made the start and struck out four in his two innings of work. Brendan Garula followed and punched out two in two scoreless frames, then Dominic Mauro tossed two scoreless innings as well. Carson Marsh earned the win by pitching an outstanding seventh and eighth, then redshirt Pineiro finished things off in the ninth.
Below are a few notes about the win:
- It’s the highest-ranked opponent UC has beaten since a 13-12 win vs. No. 5 Louisville in 2021.
- The win is also tied for the highest-ranked opponent Cincinnati has ever defeated on the road, matching an 11-10 win at No. 9 Houston in 2002.
- The win was also Cincinnati’s first against an SEC team since a 2-1 victory at No. 25 Tennessee on March 10, 2017.
- The last time UC shut out a ranked opponent was 2018, a 1-0 win vs. No. 24 UConn.
- Cincinnati's win was the first of several upsets in midweek action on Feb. 17. Other unranked teams to win against ranked opponents included: College of Charleston beating No. 6 Coastal Carolina (4-3); UT Arlington beating No. 7 TCU (11-8); and Morehead State beating No. 18 Kentucky (8-6).
HISTORY OF UC VS. UAB
The Bearcats and Blazers have faced off 58 times in their history, the bulk of which came when both were members of Conference USA. From 1992-2005 the two teams played every year except for 2002. The last time they met was in 2005 for a three-game series in Birmingham, which UAB won 2-1. One of the most offensively productive games in program history came against UAB in 1993, a 26-8 win that set the school record for most runs scored in a game.
ABOUT UAB
UAB is 2-2 entering play this weekend and is coming off a 15-3 triumph at North Alabama on Tuesday. The Blazers opened their season with an upset victory of their own, winning 9-7 in 10 innings at No. 13 Florida before dropping games two and three. Right-handed pitcher Riley Miller was named American Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday, pitching the final three innings of the win vs. the Gators.
NEXT UP
UC’s home opener is set for Tuesday, Feb. 24 vs. Bowling Green at 4:00 p.m. That will kick off a 10-game homestand that will feature games vs. Austin Peay (Feb. 27-March 1), Western Kentucky (March 3), UC San Diego (March 5-8), and Evansville (March 10).
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest news and updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.