By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

The UC Clermont Cougars baseball team came up just short in their bid for a United States Collegiate Athletic Association title last week.

Competing against eight other schools in a double-elimination tournament hosted by the College of St. Joseph in Vermont at the college’s field in New York, the Cougars fell to the Saints 14-3 in the championship game.

The road to the title bout was a long one. The third-seeded Cougars squared off against Wright State – Lake Campus in the opening round of the tournament and rolled to a 6-1 victory thanks in large part to a four-run third inning.

In that frame, the Cougars struck for three extra-base hits, including a home run by Jake Murray. After an Anthony Bell single, Ben Seeger doubled him home. Spencer Henn then doubled home Seeger before scoring himself on an RBI base hit by Jacob Beinke.

The bats backed up a solid pitching performance from Kyle Miller, who tossed six innings of six-hit, one-run ball with six strikeouts. He walked four batters, but allowed just the single run in the second inning.

On the second day of tournament action, the Cougars found themselves facing second-seed Rochester. The Warriors tagged Clermont starter Brandon Boyd for four runs in his six innings, though only three of those runs were earned. A trio of pitchers were able to scatter Clermont’s seven hits and allow just two runs to cross the plate, neither of which were earned.

The loss dropped the Cougars to the consolation bracket, where they faced Penn State DuBois. Grant Christman went the distance, limiting the Nittany Lions to just four hits and a walk in the process. Christman also struck out six batters.

Three of Clermont’s runs scored in the first two innings. Murray led off the game with a triple, then scored on a single by Scariato. Bell’s groundout scored Scariato, who had moved to third base on a throwing error by the pitcher.

The Cougars’ third run scored when Kyle Miller crossed the plate after drawing a walk in the second inning. Miller moved to second and third base on two wild pitches before Colt Cordrey walked. An attempted steal of second base allowed Miller to score, though Cordrey was retired.

With the 4-0 win, Clermont advanced to the semifinals of the consolation bracket where they faced Robert Morris – Peoria (IL).

Unlike the team’s previous matches, this bout was a slugfest. The teams combined for 19 hits and runs, but Clermont would advance with an 11-8 victory.

Henn had a monster game at the plate for the Cougars. He picked up three hits in all three of his at-bats and scored three times. One of his hits was a home run, a three-run shot in the second inning that accounted for exactly half of the six RBI Henn picked up in the game.

The Cougars put runs on the board in five of the six innings the team batted in, allowing them to withstand a furious rally in the top of the seventh. The Eagles plated three runs in the top of the seventh inning, but could draw no closer.

A rematch awaited the squad in their next contest. The team once again took to the diamond against Rochester College, who had fallen to the College of St. Joseph in the winner’s bracket.

The match was close throughout the contest, which ended up in extra innings. Clermont struck for a pair of runs in the top of the first on a two-run home run by Bell, but Rochester answered with two runs of their own in the third to tie the game.

The game stayed knotted up until the 10th inning. Beinke opened the frame with a double and scored on a home run by King. Rochester answered, putting runners on second and third with no outs. The Cougars turned a 6-4-3 double-play, which allowed one run to score, but a lineout to first base ended the game.

The victory sent the Cougars to the championship game, where they looked to win the university’s second title since 2013. However, a porous defense let the team down, as the squad committed seven errors in a 14-3 defeat.

Christman started the game and allowed nine runs, but just two were earned. A.J. Sweatland entered in relief and yielded five earned runs on four hits. Ben Seeger had three hits and an RBI for the Cougars, who finish the season at 25-22.