TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team overcame a 10-2 deficit to take a late lead on Sunday vs. Utah, but wound up on the losing end of a 13-11 decision at UC Baseball Stadium.
Cincinnati was playing for the series sweep, but will still come away with its first Big 12 series win of the year. The loss puts UC’s record at 19-7 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Utah improved to 13-8 and 3-3 in the Big 12.
The Utes jumped on the Bearcats in the middle innings to take their sizable lead. Cincinnati then scored five in the sixth and four more in the seventh, grabbing the lead on a two-run homer off the bat of sophomore Derrick Pitts. The dramatic comeback was spoiled by a three-run ninth inning by Utah.
Pitts’ home run was his first of the year and one of two homers for UC on Sunday. Freshman Enzo Infelise hit the other, his third of the season. Infelise also walked twice.
Junior Cal Sefcik went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, and sophomore Quinton Coats was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Coats hit a team-best .538 during the weekend series. Sophomore Conlan Daniel drive in two runs and went 2-for-3 at the dish.
Cincinnati visits Xavier on Tuesday before hosting Kansas next weekend in Big 12 action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Utah’s Cameron Gurney hit a three-run home run deep out to right field in the top of the first to put his team on top early.
- Cincinnati plated two in the third to make it a 3-2 game. Conlan Daniel scored on a wild pitch and Enzo Infelise drew a bases-loaded walk.
- Another Utah home run, this one a two-run shot from Bradley Navarro, in the top of the fourth put the score at 5-2.
- The Utes scored two more in the fifth to increase its lead to 7-2, then made it 10-2 with a three-run sixth.
- Cincinnati’s comeback bid began in earnest in the bottom of the sixth. Enzo Infelise opened the frame with a solo homer, then UC scored on a bases-loaded HBP, fielder’s choice, passed ball, and then a one-out single from Quinton Coats.
- Daniel’s sacrifice fly brought in a run in the bottom of the seventh, and Jackson Smith’s unconventional RBI double made it 10-9. Smith hit one off the end of the bat that spun by the third baseman and eked its way into left field.
- The biggest swing to that point for Cincinnati was Derrick Pitts’ two-run home run, his first of the year that gave his team its first lead of the day, 11-10.
- Utah mounted its own comeback in the top of the ninth, scoring three to go up 13-11.
- Christian Mitchelle was plunked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, putting the tying runner at the plate, but Cincinnati couldn’t complete its second comeback of the day.
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