The University of Cincinnati baseball team wrapped up their eight-game road trip with a nail-biting 8-6 victory over UAB, showing resilience and grit to split the series and improve their record to 5-3.
After dropping the first two games, the Bearcats clawed back with wins on Saturday and Sunday. The final game was a thriller, with sophomore Adam Buczkowski stepping up in a tense ninth inning. With two outs and UAB threatening, Buczkowski delivered a clutch strikeout to secure the win.
Cincinnati's pitchers were ice-cold under pressure, particularly when UAB had two outs. The Blazers went 0-for-7 in these situations on Sunday, missing key scoring chances in the late innings.
Redshirt senior Joel Pineiro was once again in fine form, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out three. After a bumpy start, Pineiro found his groove, retiring eight consecutive batters.
Offensively, junior Jack Natili led the charge with a 3-for-5 performance. Sophomore Derrick Pitts and redshirt freshman Ryan Tyranski also contributed significantly, with Tyranski notching two doubles and scoring three times-both career highs. Redshirt junior Luke Sefcik and freshman Jackson Reardon combined to drive in five runs.
Throughout the series, sophomore Quinton Coats was a standout, hitting .353 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Pitts was on fire as well, hitting .471 to lead the Bearcats.
Looking ahead, Cincinnati is set to host Bowling Green in their home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 24. This game kicks off a 10-game homestand featuring matchups against Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, UC San Diego, and Evansville.
How It Happened
Cincinnati wasted no time, causing chaos on the basepaths in the first inning. A double steal led to a throwing error, allowing Conlan Daniel to score the first run.
UAB quickly responded, tying it up with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. But the Bearcats regained the lead in the second thanks to an RBI fielder’s choice from Jackson Reardon.
The Blazers leveled the score again in the second, but a slick double play, sparked by Luke Sefcik, kept further damage at bay.
Cincinnati pulled ahead in the fourth with two RBI groundouts, making it 4-2. UAB closed the gap with an RBI double, but Pineiro's pitching kept Cincinnati in control.
The Bearcats broke it open in the fifth, scoring three runs to extend their lead to 7-3. Reardon and Sefcik were pivotal, with Sefcik's two-run single providing a cushion.
Christian Mitchelle added another run in the seventh, but UAB wasn’t done, scoring in the bottom of the inning and threatening with the bases loaded. Carson Marsh came in to squash the rally with a quick out.
UAB made it interesting in the eighth with a solo homer and an RBI single to cut the deficit to two. Marsh steadied the ship, closing out the inning.
In the ninth, with the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate, Buczkowski entered and sealed the victory with a strikeout, capping off a thrilling game and a hard-fought series split.