The University of Cincinnati baseball team has taken a series from a ranked team for the second consecutive weekend as the Bearcats won two out of three games against No. 12 West Virginia April 24-26 at UC Baseball Stadium.
The Sunday, April 26, come-from-behind 7-5 victory put UC at 29-17 on the season. That’s just four wins away from last year’s win total of 33 when UC head coach Jordan Bischel led the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
The Bearcats moved to 10-11 in Big 12 play and 5-2 on the year against ranked teams. Last weekend (April 17-19), UC won two of three games against No. 21 UCF. This marks the program’s highest-ranked series win since defeating the No. 6 Knights in 2015. West Virginia (28-12, 13-8 Big 12) had only lost consecutive games once this season.
“I’m awfully proud of our guys,” Bischel said. “It was obviously a tough 13-inning loss in Game 1, and it’s two weeks in a row playing a ranked team, but to lose the first game and battle back to win the series, I couldn’t be more proud of our guys and the depth of our team showing up. When we’re short on the mound, a guy like Brenden Garula could step in, and we trusted him to do the job.
“And the bigger thing than all of it was the (UC) band out here, the fans out here, the atmosphere. That’s what it’s all about. We want to make the city of Cincinnati proud. We want to make the university proud, and the fan support was awesome today.”
Mason High product Brenden Garula entered in the eighth with a three-run deficit and got back-to-back strikeouts. After an infield single (where Jackson Smith saved a run with his dive up the middle), a groundout ended the threat with the bases loaded.
In the eighth inning, UC got five straight singles from the 2-6 hitters, beginning with Ryan Tyranski extending his hit streak to 14 games. With runners on second and third and the game tied, an errant throw by West Virginia’s catcher on a pickoff attempt hit Conlan Daniel on his way back to the base, allowing him to score and Enzo Infelise to advance to third. Christian Mitchelle then singled him in for the 7-5 lead.
Garula needed only seven pitches, helped by a first-pitch lineout and a bunt to start the ninth, to seal the deal. It was his first win of the season.
Notable numbers for Cincinnati Bearcats
In addition to Tyranski’s 14-game hitting streak, Jackson Smith has now been hit by a pitch 21 times, tying a record set by former major leaguer and James P. Kelly Athletic Hall of Famer Josh Harrison for No. 2 on the all-time list.
Freshman Infelise has reached base safely in 28 straight games.
Cincinnati Bearcats pitching line vs. No. 12 WVU
Freshman Connor Blue made his seventh start (13th appearance) and went 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned). Dominic Mauro threw the next 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs. After short stints by Dillon Schueler and Brendin Oliver, Garula threw two scoreless frames, allowing one hit and striking out two for the win. After missing last season due to injury, it was Garula’s first win since March 2024.
Cincinnati Bearcats baseball with key road swing
The Bearcats return to action Friday at Houston to begin a seven-game road trip. It is their first week this year without a midweek game. They play the Cougars May 1-3, followed by one game at Oral Roberts in Tulsa May 5, then have a weekend at Kansas State May 8-10.
The final home series of the season is May 14-16 vs. Texas Tech. After that, it’s the Big 12 Baseball Championship, May 19-23 in Surprise, Arizona, the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats baseball takes series against No. 12 West Virginia
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
