University of Cincinnati Bearcats infielder Quinton Coats (25) celebrates a home run during an NCAA baseball game against the University of California San Diego Tritons on March 6, 2026, at the UC Baseball Stadium in Cincinnati.
Robbie Taylor | Staff Photographer
The University of Cincinnati (UC) Bearcats defeated the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Tritons 9-5 in the first game of a four-game home series on March 5, 2026.
A rainy afternoon turned into evening in Cincinnati, setting the stage for a high-scoring shootout between the two teams. The Bearcats and Tritons combined for 14 runs, with UC scoring nine.
The first two innings were quiet, with only two hits total, both by the Bearcats. Each team managed just a single score, and UCSD’s pitching limited further damage.
Offense finally picked up in the third inning. UCSD graduate student outfielder Nick Costello launched a home run deep into right field for the Tritons. The next three batters struck out, leaving UCSD ahead 1-0 going into the bottom of the third.
The Bearcats responded with three runs on two hits. With runners on first and second following a walk and a wild pitch, second-year infielder Jackson Smith tripled, driving in a run. Quinton Coats followed with a home run, bringing in two more Bearcats and giving UC a 3-1 lead.
UCSD tied the game in the fourth with a single followed by a home run. The Bearcats were held scoreless through the inning, entering the fifth tied at 3-3.
A strong fifth inning saw three straight Tritons retired. The Bearcats then put together a rally. Two players reached base via a hit by pitch and a single. Coats returned to the plate and hit his second home run of the game, bringing in three runners and restoring a three-run UC lead.
In the sixth, UCSD was again held scoreless, while the Bearcats added another run on an RBI from second-year outfielder Derrick Pitts.
The Tritons cut the lead to two in the seventh on two bases-loaded walks, but the Bearcats responded immediately with four hits, scoring two runs to extend the lead. UCSD struck out three batters in the eighth, and the Bearcats did not score in the bottom half.
Entering the ninth with a four-run lead, the Bearcats closed out the game as UCSD failed to record a hit, ending on a strikeout looking.
The Bearcats continue the series against the Tritons in a doubleheader on Friday, March 6, and conclude the series Sunday, March 8.