Josh Hegemann’s Senior Day Grand Slam Lifts Cincinnati Over No. 12 Oklahoma - University of Cincinnati Athletics (2024)

CINCINNATI –The University of Cincinnati baseball team trailed 6-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth on Friday, but stormed back to defeat No. 12 Oklahoma by a score of 10-6 in the final game of the regular season.

UC scored three in the sixth and seven in the eighth to overcome the deficit, and nobody had a bigger swing than Josh Hegemann. With the score tied at 6-6 and the bases loaded with two outs, Hegemann crushed an 0-1 pitch over the right field wall for a grand slam to give the Bearcats their first lead of the night and of the series. It was Hegemann's first career home run, on the same day that he was honored during the pregame Senior Day ceremony.

The victory, Cincinnati's first against a ranked team this year, brings its record to 31-23 overall and 17-13 in Big 12 play at the end of the regular season. UC also has clinched the No. 5 seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament and will open tournament play against the No. 8 seed on Tuesday, May 21 at 5 PM ET.

The Big 12 Tournament begins next Tuesday, May 21 in Arlington, Texas at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers.

Hegemann's grand slam was Cincinnati's eighth home run of the series, tied for its season-high in a Big 12 series this season with last weekend's trip to BYU. He had two hits on Friday, one of four Bearcats with a multi-hit effort in addition to Kerrington Cross, Lauden Brooks, and Landyn Vidourek.

On the mound, Michael Conte earned the win with 2.2 strong frames out of the bullpen. He had four strikeouts, tying his season-high total, and kept the Bearcats in the game by stifling a potential Sooner rally in the eighth. Carson Marsh pitched a scoreless ninth inning, inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

//HOW IT HAPPENED
Prior to the game, UC honored 14 seniors during its Senior Day ceremony: student manager Grayson Wells, Marc Carney, Kameron Guidry, Cole Harting, Josh Hegemann, Joey Hurth, Ryan Insco, Hunter Jessee, Alec Jones, Seth Logue, Max Palmieri, Dalton Pearson, Alex Shea, and Sean Springer.

Oklahoma scored first on an RBI fielder's choice in the top of the second, then made it 2-0 in the third inning with a solo homer. The Sooners pushed their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back run-scoring hits in the top of the sixth extended OU's lead to 6-0.

Cincinnati got three of those runs back in the bottom half of the sixth. Tommy O'Connor and Landyn Vidourek had back-to-back RBI singles and O'Connor later scored on a groundout to put the score at 6-3.

Michael Conte kept the Sooners off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth, leaving the Bearcats within striking distance.

The first three UC hitters in the bottom of the eighth reached base, and Kerrington Cross drove one of them home to make it 6-4. Josh Kross walked to load the bases and again, then Hunter Jessee's infield single scored Vidourek to put the score at 6-5. With the bases still loaded, Christian Mitchelle was plunked on an 0-1 count to bring in the tying run.

Hegemann then stepped to the plate and, on an 0-1 count and with two outs, drove one out of the ballpark for a grand slam to give Cincinnati its first lead of the weekend and send the crowd into a frenzy.

Carson Marsh entered to pitch the top of the ninth and, after walking the first two batters of the inning, settled in by striking out the next hitter he faced and forcing a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

//FOLLOW THEBEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASEon Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

NOTE:All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at@GoBearcatsBASE.