Bearcat Sports Page

Senior Beach Brooks has been Mr. Clutch over the last 8 days, delivering his 2nd walk off hit in the last 4 games in this Sunday’s 9th inning finale.  Just 4 games earlier Brooks knocked a pinch-hit single up the middle to cap a 7-run 9th inning comeback, which gave the bearcat’s the victory over Purdue in the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge.

Junior Mikel Huston went 4-for-4

This time, senior Jimmy Jacquot’s triple set the plate for Brooks’ sacrifice fly to right center that scored Jacquot to win the game.  The Bearcat’s 3rd inning was highlighted by 3 separate RBI singles by sophomore T.J. Jones, senior Kevin Johnson and sophomore Cory Hough, which gave Cincinnati an early 5-2 lead after 3-innings.

YSU’s Joe Iacobucci tied the score in the 7th wit a RBI single but junior Brian Sand was able to pitch himself out of trouble.  UC answered by regaining the lead in the 8th inning on a Mikel Huston double, leaving the Cardiac Cats clinging to a 1-run lead at 6-5.  Iacobucci tied the game at 6-6 with a 2-out solo shot in the top half of the 9th inning, giving the penguins daylight until Jacquot’s triple set the stage for a Beach Brooks sacrifice fly.

The walk off gave senior Andrew Burkett his first win of the season and he was supported offensively by Mikel Huston’s perfect 4-for-4 performance, with 4 singles and an RBI.

LeMoyne come to Marge Schott Stadium this Wednesday, March 10th at 4pm, as UC continues an 11-game homestretch.

a 9-run 6th inning, lead by Freshman Logan Jackson’s grand slam, lifted the Bearcats to their fourth win of the season with a 15-5 routing of Youngstown State in UC’s home opener.  Senior Dan Jensen started the game and gave up 4 runs in his 2 innings of work before Brian Garman and Brian Sand came on in relief.

Freshman Logan Jackson

Following Jackson’s grand slam, YSU sent out reliever Alex Oles, who loaded the bases on 3 batters before being pulled in favor of Kevin McCullon.  McCullon fell victim to ongoing fielding errors and a Chris Peter’s fly out that scored Mikel Huston.  T.J. Jones scored Jamel Scott on a single, closing the 6th inning with 9-runs on 5-hits and a throwing error, which brought the score up to 9-5.

UC added 6 more runs over the next 2 innings for a final of 15-5.  Logan Jackson finished 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and Mikel Huston went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI.

Cincinnati continued their first 3-game home series on Saturday as senior Tyler smith took the mound at Marge Schott Stadium going 7 innings, and allowing only 2 earned runs on 3-hits, but a 3-run home run by Youngstown State’s Anthony Porter in the 8th was just enough to spoil Smith’s first victory.  The loss tied the series at 1-1, and kissing sister’s with the penguins broke the Bearcat’s 3-game winning streak.

Senior Jimmy Jacquot’s solo home run in the 2nd inning put the Cats on the board, and Sophomore T.J. Jones ripped a single, scoring junior Mikel Huston in the 3rd.  The penguins tied the game at 2-2 in the 5th but Jones, also with 2-stolen bases on the day, scored thanks to a Logan Jackson sacrifice fly in the 6th inning, which recaptured the lead at 3-2 until Porter’s game winning home run in the 8th for YSU.

UC puts their 4-4 record on the line at the conclusion of their home opening series Sunday afternoon at Marge Schott Stadium.

UC closed the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge with a big win over our neighbors from up north with a final score of 12-4.  Improving their record to 3-3 on the year, the Bearcats defeated their highest ranked team since beating the 11th Ranked TCU Horned Frogs, back in April 2004 with the same score ironically12-4.  Columbus native Thomas Gentile started the game for the Cats allowing 4 runs on 4 innings, but with an 8-4 lead in the 5th inning would be all Junior Brian Sand needed to secure his first win.  Sand pitched 5 innings of no-hit baseball and was supported by the Bearcat’s season high 14 hits.

Brian Sand Earns 1st Team on All Tournament Team

OSU’s second basemen  muffed Sophomore Cory Hough’s pop fly to put UC on top 2-0 in the first.  The Cats went up 5-0 after the second inning thanks to back-to-back 1-run infield singles by Junior Chris Peters and Sophomore T.J. Jones, followed by a sacrifice fly by Senior Kevin Johnson.  T.J. Jones delivered a 2-run double with runners on the corners in the 4th.  Freshman Logan Jackson scored Jones on a pinch-hit double, bringing the lead to 8-2 after 4 innings.  the Cats continued to run up the score in the 5th with Senior jimmy Jacquot’s RBI single, before adding 3 more runs in the 6th inning, bringing the score to its peak at 12-4.

Brian Sand’s 5-scoreless innings of relief earned him 1st team on the All Tournament Team for the 2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge.  sophomore T.J. Jones received 2nd team honors as the Bearcats leading offense presence, going 6 for 13 (.462 avg.) with 5 RBI’s over the weekend.

The BIG EAST won the conference challenge 17-13 after losing to the Big Ten 15-9 last year.

The Bearcats host their first home series of the year against Youngstown State at Marge Schott Stadium Friday March 5th through 7th beginning at 4pm Friday.

The Bearcats fell in extra innings to Penn State University 5-4 in their opening game of the 2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge.  A 9th inning rally by the Nittany Lions tied the game, but Cincinnati failed to capitalize with bases loaded in the 10th inning eventually falling to a 2 out bloop single in the 12th.  Junior Dan Jensen earned a no decision going 6 innings, allowing only 4 hits and and 1 earned run, turning in his second quality start of the season.

Senior Beach Brooks' walk off single seals comeback win.

The Bearcat offense was lead by sophomore T.J. Jones’ 3 hit performance, and sophomore Kiley Jones’ game high 3-RBI’s coming on a pinch-hit 3-run blast to left field in the 8th inning, which gave UC the lead 4-2, until Penn State’s Steve Snyder tied the game on a 2 out triple in the 9th.

Following their heartbreaking loss to Penn State on Friday, the Bearcats game against Purdue was delayed three and a half hours, pushing back the standard 1pm Saturday game to 4:30pm. Their second game proved to beworth the wait, despite trailing 6-0 going into the bottom of the 9th.  The Cats found themselves in the middle of a 7-run comeback, improving UC’s record to 2-3 on the season.

Purdue’s starter, Matt Morgan, held the Bearcat’s Bats to 4 hits and 9 strikeouts in 3 innings of work, but his bullpen could not deliver, walking 5 batters and giving up all 7 of UC’s runs in the 9th inning.  Sophomore T.J. Jones began the rally with a 2-run single with 1 out after a Boilermaker throwing error scored senior Nick Johnson 2 batters earlier, which brought the 9th inning deficit to 6-3.  Purdue walked sophomore Cory Hough to walk-in a run, putting the winning run on first base.  After a pitching change, Senior Kevin Johnson tied the game with a 2 run single.  Senior Beach Brooks sealed the comeback victory with a pinch-hit walk off single to center field after an 11- pitch battle.  Cincy finishes the 2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge against No.13 Ohio State University at the Naimoli Complex Sunday February 28th at 1pm.

The Bearcats hoped to continue their opening day success, but they could not get the offense on track.  The sequel to Friday’s 11-hit performance was a total of 8 hits over the next two games, without putting a single run on the board. “We got some good swings on the ball today, but we just couldn’t get anything going” said Head Coach Brian Cleary following UC’s 3-0 loss to Florida Atlantic in the second game of the three game series.

Senior Beach Brooks

The Owl’s Mike Gipson held the Cats to just 2 hits, on 7 innings of work, to pick up his team’s first win of the season.  Senior captain, Tyler Smith, gave up 3 earned runs in the first 2 innings which was all Gipson needed.  The Bearcat’s bullpen shutout the Owl offense the entire game following the second inning, but with only 3 hits, the Cats could not get close enough.  Senior Jamel Scott and Junior Chris Peters both had singles, while Junior Justin Riddle had a double.

Freshman Chris McElroy took the mound on Sunday’s conclusion to the series, but he would have similar early game struggles as Tyler Smith the previous day.  A 2-run home run by the Owls in the first inning ultimately set the tone for the Bearcat’s 9-0 defeat at the hands of FAU.  For the second time in two days the Bearcat’s bats were scoreless held to 5 singles by Senior Jamel Scott, Sophomore T.J. Jones, Junior Chris Peters, Senior Beach Brooks and Junior Justin Riddle.

The Bearcats have a 4 day break before returning to Florida Feb. 26-28 for the 2010 Big Ten/Big East Challenge.  The team begins the 3 day tournament Friday the 26th at 1:00p.m. against Penn State before facing Purdue on Saturday, and closing the competition with Ohio State on Sunday.  All the games are at 1:00 pm

Cincinnati opened up its season Friday Feb. 19 with a 5-3 victory over Florida Atlantic behind the 5 innings of 1-run-pitching by Junior Dan Jensen.  In his first career start, Jensen struck out 4, allowing only 3 hits.  The UC bullpen, backed by Senior Brian Garman and Junior Brian Sand, combined for 3 innings of shut out baseball, not allowing a single hit.  Senior Andrew Burkett extinguished the Owls 9th inning rally with the bases loaded to earn the save.

The Bearcat’s bats produced 11 hits, including 2-hit performances by Senior Kevin Johnson and Sophomore Cory Hough, who both had solo home runs on opening day.  Freshman Logan Jackson also turned in a 2-hit game in his first appearance in Red and Black.

Sophomore Cory Hough

Johnson’s home run with 2 outs in the second inning put the Bearcats on top, but FAU answered by tying the game at 1-1 in the fourth.  Cincinnati recaptured the lead in the fifth inning on an Owl throwing error, scoring Johnson with no outs, and an RBI ground out two batters later by Sophomore T.J. Jones, provided some breathing room at 3-1. In the eighth inning, Senior Jimmy Jacquot’s RBI  single and Cory Hough’s home run provided enough insurance to secure the 5-3 victory.

Head Coach Brian Cleary described the win saying “We got a great start from Dan [Jensen] and we had some timely hitting.”  With inclement weather and a lack of quality indoor facilities the Bearcats baseball team executed well without much on-field preparation.

photo from gobearcats.com