TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team played its first exhibition game of the fall on Sunday, winning 12-6 at Purdue.
The Bearcats and Boilermakers played 16 innings and were tied at 1-1 after seven. UC exploded for seven runs in the top of the eighth to take a commanding lead and didn’t look back.
Twenty-eight different players saw time on Sunday, including 12 pitchers. Zach Robinson, a senior right-handed pitcher, threw the first two innings. Freshmen Harrison Pollina and Beckett Doane and Monroe Community College transfer Connor Osier each threw two innings apiece as well. Doane led all players with four strikeouts, and all four pitchers who threw multiple innings combined to allow zero walks.
At the plate Luke Kosko and Ryan Morel both hit home runs for the Bearcats. Morel is a freshman from West Nyack, N.Y. and Kosko is a sophomore who was named the MVP of the Northwoods League last month. Jackson Smith, who led UC with 40 walks last season, drew three free passes against Purdue pitching. Derrick Pitts, Charlie Niehaus, and freshman Dylan Fairchile all had two hits apiece.
Cincinnati will face Kentucky at Prasco Park in Mason next Sunday before hosting Dayton (Saturday, Oct. 10) and Xavier (Saturday, Oct. 17) at UC Baseball Stadium. First pitch for the game at Prasco is set for noon, and the other two games will begin at 2:00 p.m.