UCF, Houston and South Florida picked up midweek wins in American Athletic Conference baseball action.

Monday, March 28
Xavier 6, Cincinnati 5 - Box Score
MASON, Ohio -- The University of Cincinnati baseball team fell to the Xavier Musketeers, 6-5, Monday night at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio.

Sophomore pitcher Max Bergmann (0-2) came out of the bullpen for Cincinnati (9-13) and took the loss. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Chase Hopewell was a bright spot for the Bearcats, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing one shutout inning, allowing one hit, with no walks and two strikeouts.

In addition to his three hits, redshirt sophomore infielder Max Palmieri had a double to lead the Bearcats. Redshirt sophomore infielder Ryan Nicholson furnished a standout performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Redshirt senior infielder Jake Hansen also helped out for Cincinnati, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.

Tuesday, March 29
UCF 13, Florida Atlantic 1 - Box Score
South Florida 13, Bethune-Cookman 2 - Box Score
Houston 13, Prairie View A&M 1 - Box Score
NC State 2, East Carolina 0 - Box Score
Mississippi State 10, Memphis 4 - Box Score
New Orleans 14, Tulane 6 - Box Score

UCF 13, Florida Atlantic 1 - Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF Baseball (15-10) sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs on six hits in the second inning, to defeat the FAU Owls (16-10) 13-1 on Tuesday evening. The 13 runs mark the eighth time this season that the Knights have scored double digits, improving to 8-0 when that total is reached. 
 
UCF opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, scoring nine runs to set the tone for the rest of the night. Lex Boedicker broke the scoreless tie, singling to right field to score Tom Josten. Ben McCabe followed that up with a single to right to score Michael Brooks, doubling the lead to 2-0. Cole Russo returned to the lineup, singling to right, to drive in Boedicker to triple the Knights lead.
 
Alex Freeland cleared the bases later in the inning with a double of the wall in left center. He scored a trio of runs to push the lead to 6-0, before Noah Orlando flew out to right field to score Freeland. Lex Boedicker drove in two more RBIs on the inning, doubling to score Brooks and Josten, extending the lead to 9-0.

South Florida 13, Bethune-Cookman 2 - Box Score
TAMPA (March 29, 2022) – The University of South Florida Bulls (18-7) recorded their eighth multi-homer game of the season and got strong work from nine different pitchers on Tuesday night in a 13-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman (10-14). South Florida will enter American Athletic Conference play this weekend riding a six-game winning streak and possession the best record in the league.

The Bulls have won nine of their last 10 games and are 11-2 over their last 13. Tuesday's triumph marked the fifth time this season USF has hit at least three home runs in a game.

Bethune-Cookman scored first in the ballgame with a run in the top of the first, only to see South Florida answer with four runs in the bottom of the frame.

Jackson Mayo (St. Johns) connected on the first big fly of the night in the third inning, a solo shot for his fifth of the year, and Daniel Cantu (Jacksonville) followed two batters later with a two-run homer. Cantu finished the game with a career-high four RBI.

Houston 13, Prairie View A&M 1 - Box Score
HOUSTON – Houston Baseball produced a season-high 19 hits, including eight extra-base hits en route to a 13-1 victory against Prairie View on Tuesday night from Sanders Field at Schroeder Park.
 
The Cougars (17-8) overcome a one-run deficit with three runs in the fourth inning. Designated hitter Anthony Tulimero collected his first home run of the season, putting Houston up for good.
 
Houston improved to 7-0 during the midweek, outscoring opponents 66-22. The victory was Houston's sixth in its last seven games and marked the eighth time this season the Cougars have scored double-digit runs. 
 
Houston exploded for eight runs in the eighth inning highlighted by Ryan Hernandez's fourth homer of the season which traveled 416 feet. The Cougars produced eight hits in the frame.
 
Samuel Benjamin registered a two-run double and Dylan Post drove in another with an RBI-triple. Ian McMillan provided the final damage courtesy of an RBI-single. McMillan was one of three Cougars with three hits, joining Malachi Lott and Hernandez.

NC State 2, East Carolina 0 - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. – J.T. Jarrett tallied a pair of hits and plated two runs lifting No. 22 NC State to a 2-0 win over East Carolina Tuesday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Wolfpack improved to 16-8 on the season, while the Pirates dropped to 14-12.
 
The Wolfpack jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning thanks to Jarrett's sac bunt. Dominic Pilolli led off with a double down the right field line and took third on a Mayhue wild pitch. Jarrett plated his 11th run of the season on a sac bunt towards the first base side of the rubber pushing across Pilolli.
 
Garrett Payne (3-0) earned the win tossing 2.2 scoreless frames allowing two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Chris Villaman notched his fourth save of the year working a perfect ninth inning with one punch out. NC State also used Canaan Silver (3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) and Baker Nelson (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) in relief bridging the gap from Payne to Villaman.
 
C.J. Mayhue (2-1) got the loss in his first collegiate start for the Pirates after allowing one run (earned) on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts over three innings. On a staff night, ECU used three arms out of the bullpen with outings from Danny Beal (0.1 IP, 3 Hs, 1 R, 1 K), Trey Yesavage (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks) and Carter Spivey (4.2 IP, 2 Hs, 2 BBs, 4 Ks).

Mississippi State 10, Memphis 4 - Box Score
The Memphis Tigers (12-9) battled through Tuesday's matchup with rival Mississippi State (16-10) and held a 4-0 lead through five innings, but a six-run sixth frame for the Bulldogs proved to be too much, as the Tigers fell 10-4 in front of 4,525 fans at AutoZone Park.

JT Durham (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs in 1.1 innings. Mikey Tepper (1-0) earned the win after throwing a scoreless sixth when the Bulldgos took the lead.

New Orleans 14, Tulane 6 - Box Score
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University baseball team (16-9-1) fell 12-5 to No.11 The University of New Orleans (14-9) on Tuesday night inside Maestri Field.

Tulane was outhit 14-7 and didn't help themselves in the field, committing six errors. The last time a Tulane Baseball team had a six-error game was versus Pepperdine in 2004. The Green Wave defense has struggled for a large portion of the season, committing a total of 29 errors so far.

Wednesday, March 30
Kansas 14, Wichita State 2 - Box Score
Xavier 10, Cincinnati 6 - Box Score

Kansas 14, Wichita State 2 - Box Score
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas scored 11 runs from the fifth through the seventh innings, turning a 3-1 game into a 14-2 victory over Wichita State on Wednesday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark.

Making his first collegiate start, freshman Jace Miner (0-1) was tagged for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Maui Ahuna drove in a run with a groundout, and two batters later Jack Hammond slammed a two-run homer to left-center for a 3-0 Kansas lead. Miner settled in afterwards, keeping the Jayhawks off the board through the fourth, facing the minimum over the course of the next three innings.

Sawyre Thornhill got the Shockers (11-13) on the board in the top of the third, slicing a two-out RBI double to the gap in left-center to score Brock Rodden and trim the deficit to 3-1.

The Jayhawks (9-14) stretched the lead to five with a three-run fifth inning. Tavian Josenberger singled home one run, Payton Allen added a run-scoring groundout, and Nolan Metcalf capped the inning with an RBI single to make it 6-1.

Xavier 10, Cincinnati 6 - Box Score
CINCINNATI -- Redshirt junior Paul Komistek collected three hits, but the Cincinnati Bearcats fell to the Xavier Musketeers, 10-6, Wednesday in the first round of the 12th annual Joe Nuxhall Classic.

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Ben Vore (0-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Cincinnati (9-14). Redshirt sophomore pitcher Alex Shea was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going three shutout innings while allowing one hit, walking one and striking out five.

In addition to his three hits, Komistek had a home run and three RBIs to lead the Bearcats. Redshirt sophomore infielder Ryan Nicholson put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Redshirt sophomore catcher Cam Scheler also contributed for Cincinnati, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.