Cincinnati Baseball: Bearcats to face elimination in rematch against Tulane

Cincinnati will have a chance to keep their season alive on Friday afternoon against Tulane in the AAC Tournament with first pitch set for 1:00 PM on ESPN+ at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. The Bearcats took down 5-seed Tulane in the first round on Tuesday morning before falling to top seed East Carolina yesterday. Alex Shea is expected to start on the mound with an opportunity to eliminate Tulane and advance to the semifinals.

Cincinnati Baseball: Bearcats to face elimination in rematch against Tulane

During the regular season, Cincinnati went 2-1 against Tulane but all three games were decided by one run. In the first round matchup a couple days ago, the Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the 8-1 win. Griffin Merritt had a dominant performance at the plate, finishing 3/4 with two home runs and five RBI, while starting pitcher Beau Keathley was in command from the onset and went onto throw a complete game.

The Bearcats couldn’t find any rhythm in the second round loss to East Carolina as the pitching staff struggled to throw strikes and limit baserunners. Shea must avoid a similar disaster and allow himself to settle in. The sophomore left hander most recently started at Ohio State on May 17, giving up just one run and three hits in four innings, before getting pulled in a 5-3 loss. He finished the season with 21 strikeouts and 19 hits allowed in 78 plate appearances.

Shea went 0-3 in four starts as a sophomore.

Tulane already staved off elimination yesterday as freshman right fielder Teo Banks had a day to remember with two hits and four RBI in a 9-6 win over 8-seed South Florida. Cincinnati has to keep him under control and take advantage of an inconsistent lineup behind the plate. The Bearcats are 9-1 in their last 10 meetings against Tulane but the stakes are certainly a lot higher as both teams hope to keep their season alive.