Tigers fall in series opener against Cincinnati

Friday, May 10

Memphis, Tenn.

1 p.m.

University of Memphis

25-23, 8-10

Cincinnati

23-26, 12-10

Cincinnati

Memphis

Photo by: Steve Roberts, WKU Athletics

May 10, 2019 | Baseball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After enduring a four-hour, 20-minute rain delay, Memphis baseball dropped a 7-4 contest to open its series against Cincinnati Friday night at FedExPark.

The Bearcats found early offense with six runs through the first two innings. The Tigers plated four runs in the seventh and eighth, but the late rally fell short as Cincinnati claimed the series opener.

Nick Vaage posted a 3-for-3 day at the dish and plated a run. Jason Santana also collected a multiple-hit effort, going 2-for-2 and driving in a run.

On the mound, Hunter Smith was tagged with the loss. James Muse and Grayson Kemp tossed a scoreless inning each late in the game to help keep the Tigers within striking distance.

After the Bearcats posted two runs in the first inning and four in the second, Smith found a groove on the mound. The senior allowed only three runners to reach base over the next five frames, including facing the minimum in the third, fourth and sixth.

The Tigers offered a rally in the seventh inning with three runs. After a wild pitch plated the first Memphis score, a groundout by Cale Hennemann plated a run followed by an RBI single from Santana to cut the deficit.

As has been the theme with the season, weather played a factor in the series. Play was halted for four hours and 20 minutes as the teams waited for the rain to pass. Despite the lengthy break, play was resumed with nine outs remaining in the contest.

Memphis pushed one more run across in the eighth inning off the bat of Kyle Ouellette, but that would be as close as the Tigers could reach as Cincinnati sealed the win.

Senior Day highlights the second game of the series. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. with the Senior Day ceremony slated to begin at 1:30 p.m.