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Pitching and defense wins in baseball, and Wednesday night the Miami (OH) University Redhawks pitched its way to a win over the University of Cincinnati Bearcats at Mckie Field in Oxford, Ohio.
UC could not get anything going offensively as Redhawks pitcher Chris Niro dominated the Bearcats, allowing only two hits.
The Bearcats played sloppy defense throughout the game, as they committed four errors, which led to two unearned runs for the Redhawks.
MU got a run on the board in the first after an error by freshmen first basemen Kevin Johnson loaded the bases. It led to an RBI groundout by Redhawks Designated hitter Eric Darlage.
In the third inning, a passed ball by UC sophomore catcher Dustin Alvey led to a run by MU's Brandon Hillier, putting the Redhawks up 2-0.
The Bearcats had two errors in the inning. One by sophomore shortstop Adam Yeager on a wild throw to first, and junior pitcher John Baird threw a pickoff attempt off the mark, but the Bearcats escaped the inning without any further damage.
Another error in the fourth inning cost UC. A fielding error by junior third baseman Josh Harrison led to Miami scoring another unearned run.
The Redhawks scored another run in that inning on a fielder's choice, making the score 4-0 in favor of the Redhawks.
Miami's pitching dominated the Bearcats. UC did not get a runner on base after the sixth inning.
Freshman second baseman Jamel Scott hit a triple in the third inning, but UC could not bring in the runner as junior centerfielder Tony Campana struck out looking to end the inning.
Yeager hit a single in the sixth inning, and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but again, UC could not knock home a runner in scoring position, as Harrison grounded out to the shortstop.
The hits by Scott and Yaeger rounded out the hitting for the Bearcats.
Due to the four errors, and the passed ball, the UC pitchers could not get into a groove.
Head coach Brian Cleary used seven pitchers and none lasted longer than two innings, with sophomore pitcher Jake Geglein, being credited with the loss despite allowing only one unearned run in his one inning of work.
The Bearcats fall to 27-26, and have lost eight of their last nine games against the Redhawks.
UC hopes to revive their offensive and defensive as they return to Marge Schott Stadium Thursday to battle Big East rival, the University of Louisville.
The Bearcats stand in the eigth and final spot for the Big East Tournament. UC leads the University of Connecticut and West Virginia University by one game.
The Cardinals have already clinched a berth in the conference tournament and stand in fourth place.
The pitching matchup on Thursday is scheduled to feature UC sophomore Michael Hill going up against Louisville's Zach Pitts.
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