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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Home runs in the second, third and fourth innings gave Cincinnati an insurmountable lead that the Bearcats turned into a 14-10 win against the Morehead State baseball Wednesday night at Allen Field.
Despite the early Cincinnati lead, Morehead State tried to rally late, scoring four eighth-inning runs, but the rally fell just short.
Sophomore Cody Gibson started the mid-week contest for the Eagles and blew through the first inning, allowing a lead-off single before sitting down the next three batters, two on swinging strikeouts. Gibson tossed four innings and allowed nine earned runs, all on home runs to Bearcat batters, and struck out six. He took the loss, his fifth of the season.
MSU gave Gibson a lead to work with in the bottom of the first. Center fielder Andrew Deeds brought home catcher Taylor Davis on a line-drive double off the right field screen and Michael Fear scored Deeds from second with a shot up the middle. The Eagles picked up another run in the third when Travis Redmon recorded an RBI single that scored Deeds, who reached on a single.
Deeds' third-inning run were sandwiched among second-inning UC homers by Justin Riddell and Nic Spence, a third-sinning shot by Riddell and a fourth-inning home run by Justin Glass.
After their home run barrage, the Bearcats (14-12) held a 9-3 lead heading into the bottom half of the fourth. Davis zeroed in on a fastball by Cincinnati starter Thomas Gentile and sent it over the left center field wall, bringing Luke Bainer and Austin Haney home on the three-run shot, cutting the Bearcat advantage in half.
Cincinnati drove in three more runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 12-6, pushing the runs across with three hits and an MSU error.
The Eagles rallied for four runs in the eighth inning. The rally began with a lead-off walk to Travis Redmon and was followed by consecutive hits by Eric Bainer, Austin Haney and pinch hitter Nick Duff. Haney's single drove in Redmon and Duff's single pushed Eric Bainer home. Davis took a bases-loaded walk that scored Haney and Deeds drove in the fourth run, a sizzling single that plated Duff.
The Bearcats hit added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth on three hits and then quashed the Eagle rally by setting down MSU in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Center fielder Andrew Deeds went 4-for-5, with three singles and a double for MSU (5-23) driving in two runs. Taylor Davis had three RBI for MSU UC first baseman Spence went 4-for-5 for the Bearcats. He drove in four runs and hit a home run, in the second inning. Glass joined Spence by dirving in four runs.
Reliever Zach Isler earned the win for Cincinnati and Matt Ring earned the save, his first of the season.
MSU baseball faces Eastern Illinois this weekend in an Ohio Valley Conference match-up. The series begins with a doubleheader Saturday at Allen Field beginning at 1 p.m. and will wrap Sunday with a scheduled 1 p.m. first pitch.
