Cincinnati fell 10-6 to Tennessee on Saturday night in their second game of the Knoxville Regional, setting up a must-win game against Wake Forest tomorrow at noon ET.
Tennessee’s offense was led by Gavin Kilen, who went 4-for-6, and Dean Curley, who hit a home run and drove in four runs. For Cincinnati, Coats went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Kerrington Cross had a 2-for-2 night, including a double.
Cincinnati starter Kellen O’Connor ran into early trouble, walking two batters and giving up a two-run single to Curley in the first. A diving catch by center fielder Derrick Pitts saved multiple runs and kept Tennessee’s lead at 2-0.
O’Connor settled in during the second, but Cincinnati’s offense remained quiet, going down in order.
Curley stayed locked in, hammering a solo homer to center in the third to make it 3-0. Cincinnati responded in the bottom of the inning—Donovan Ford and Cross worked back-to-back walks off Tennessee pitcher Marcus Phillips, setting up Jack Natilli’s RBI single to right. Cal Sefcik followed with a sac fly that brought Cross home, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
After the game, head coach Jordan Bischel reflected on his team’s performance, saying, “We had a few free passes that bit us, but some of that credit goes to them.”
A misplayed pop-up in the fourth allowed another Tennessee run to score, and the Bearcats once again went down in order. O’Connor bounced back in the fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing a two-run double to Andrew Fischer before being pulled for Adam Buczkowski, who struggled with command and walked two straight batters, forcing in another run.
Brandon Scheurer came in next but gave up a sac fly, pushing Tennessee’s lead to 8-2. Bischel said, “Big innings decided a lot of these games. Yesterday, we got one in our favor. Tonight, Tennessee did in the fourth and sixth—they turned a tight game into something with breathing room.”
Christian Mitchell provided a spark in the seventh, crushing a solo homer to left. Tennessee pulled Phillips for AJ Russell, who threw a passed ball before Manny Marin’s RBI single made it 10-4.
On what he’s seen from Marcus Phillips, Bischel remarked, “Big dude that throws hard and still lands a lot of strikes and has a good slider. We knew he’d be tough—those originals that project as top-five picks in the draft. I give him a lot of credit. He’s worked really, really hard.”
Cincinnati kept fighting, scoring two runs in the ninth and forcing Tennessee to bring in Brandon Arvidson. He shut the door by striking out pinch-hitter Kory Killingbeck to secure Tennessee’s 10-6 win.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s elimination game against Wake Forest, Bischel emphasized the team’s focus, saying, “We competed but didn’t play our best baseball. Tomorrow’s mindset won’t change—Kerrington’s played over 100 games for us, every one like it’s an elimination game.”
Cincinnati will take on Wake Forest tomorrow at 12:00 PM ET, with the winner advancing to face Tennessee later that evening at 6:00 PM ET.
