The Cincinnati Bearcats got off to a strong start in the Knoxville Regional, knocking off Wake Forest 11-6 with timely hitting up-and-down the lineup and strong pitching from all three arms. Cincinnati jumped out early and kept control, never letting Wake Forest climb all the way back.
Cincinnati’s offense was led by standout performances from Derrick Pitts and Donovan Ford. Pitts finished 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, while Ford went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.
“Just a good college baseball game,” Bischel said after the win. “I have so much respect for Coach Walter and Wake Forest. They’re one of the premier programs in the country, so we knew we’d have our hands full.”
After Landyn Vidourek and Kerrington Cross were quickly retired to start the game, Cincinnati stayed patient, drawing three straight walks against Wake Forest’s ace, Blake Morningstar. Down 0-2 in the count, Derrick Pitts battled back and found a hole between shortstop and third base, bringing in two runs to give UC an early 2-0 lead.
Cincinnati’s Nathan Taylor ran into early trouble in the bottom of the first, issuing back-to-back walks to start the inning. But he quickly settled in, forcing two grounders that turned into all three outs, escaping the jam without allowing a run.
Cincinnati stayed in Blake Morningstar’s head, getting two runners on to start the second and forcing a balk. They kept piling on with sacrifice flies from Natili and Cross, scoring Ford and Niehaus. Another balk moved Ford and Niehaus up before Vidourek drew a walk, capping off a six-run inning.
“That six-run inning was the difference,” Bischel said. “We did some good things offensively pressuring them, taking quality at-bats, and mixing short game with power.”
Then, Quinton Coats crushed a two-run homer to right-center off the scoreboard, bringing in Vidourek.
Moments later, Pitts launched another two-run shot, scoring Sefcik.
Wake Forest didn’t go away, answering with three runs in the bottom of the second. Wentz crushed a homer, Hawke chipped in a sac fly, and Houston lined an RBI single, keeping the Demon Deacons in the fight.
Wake Forest kept chipping away, as Dalton Wentz launched his second homer of the game to start the bottom of the third, cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 8-4.
Wake Forest’s Blake Morningstar was later yanked from the game after Donovan Ford crushed a two-run homer in the fifth. Luke Schmolke took to the mound as Wake tried to stop the bleeding.
Wake Forest’s Jack Winnay opened the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer to left-center, cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 10-5 as the Demon Deacons kept chipping away.
Classic Bischel Ball struck again in the top of the seventh, as Charlie Niehaus baited a pick-off attempt to first that Rhys Bowie overthrew. Chaos followed when Wake Forest’s first baseman tried to recover but sailed a throw past the shortstop, allowing Niehaus to dive home for the run, extending UC’s lead to 11-5.
When asked about “Bischel Ball,” the head coach laughed off the label. “I don’t know what that means,” he said. “To me, it means our guys have worked their butts off to play a style of baseball with an identity. It takes preparation to pressure in the run game, execute the short game, hit the ball out of the park, take your walks, and attack the zone.”
Cincinnati’s right-handed reliever Michael Conte entered the game in the top of the seventh, but Marek Houston— a projected first-round pick— took him deep for a solo home run, trimming the lead to 11-6.
In the bottom of the eighth, Cincinnati reliever Michael Conte exited the game, and side-armer Adam Buczkowski took over, closing out the final stretch.
Cincinnati later secured the 11-6 victory, led by ace Nathan Taylor, who delivered six full innings with seven strikeouts. The Bearcats put on a power display with homers from Derrick Pitts, Quinton Coats, and Donovan Ford, while Wake Forest answered with two home runs from Dalton Wentz and solo shots from Jack Winnay and Marek Houston.
Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter admitted Cincinnati took advantage of mistakes, saying, “I knew coming into this if you gave Cincinnati a lot of free stuff, they could score some runs. That’s what happened.”
While Wake Forest walked runners, Cincinnati still earned its runs, delivering key hits and keeping pressure on the Demon Deacons.
Bischel praised his squad’s toughness, especially Taylor. “He was at 59 pitches after a 40-pitch inning. He could’ve been done in two and a third, but he battled through six. Against that offense, that’s pretty darn good.”
It was also great for Cincinnati to only use two pitchers out of the bullpen, as Taylor went six innings.
Cincinnati will face Miami (OH) or Tennessee tomorrow at 6:00 PM ET, depending on tonight’s outcome.
Left-hander Kellen O’Connor will likely start tomorrow.
