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Houston 8, Cincinnati 4
The last game of day one was played between the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars and the eighth seeded Cincinnati Bearcats, who have the tournament's best player and biggest name, Ian Happ. Houston's Kyle Survance was the lone bright spot for the Cougars for the first six innings, managing only two hits, but they finally came alive after that, sparked by nine-hole hitter Ashford Fullmer's big two out, two-run triple that gave the Bearcats the lead that they wouldn't relinquish. Survance finished 3-for-5 with a big home run to right field and the Bearcats held on for 8-4 win.
Corey Julks added a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh for insurance runs, while Aaron Fletcher and Seth Romero combined for five innings of relief of starter David Longville. Romero in particular was impressive, tossing three scoreless and hitless frames while striking out six for his seventh save of the year. Houston is now 40-17 on the season and may be the hottest team in the nation.
Notable Prospects:
Cincinnati
Ian Happ: The first thing that stood out from Happ was his body. I didn't realize just how strong and physical he is. His 6-foot frame is rock solid, but doesn't restrict his athleticism. He busted a 4.10 home-to-first time from the left side on an infield single and a 4.22 time from the right side. Both of his hits (2-for-4) were infield singles, but he just missed on a couple balls, fouling them straight back, which is usually a sign that the batter is right on the ball. The switch-hitting Happ has a nice swing from both sides, but from the left side he looks more fluid and comfortable. With good speed and a very strong hit tool, it's no wonder why Happ will be coming off the board early in the first round of this year's draft.
Houston
Kyle Survance: This was my second look at Survance and he was much better this time. Not only was seeing the ball better he was looking to drive the ball as his swing had more of a purpose. In my last look he was just looking to make contact. It was nice to see him load up and find the barrel on multiple occasions and he's a dangerous bat in the leadoff spot. He sees a good amount of pitches, displaying good pitch-recognition skills. The power he showed was just a cherry on top.
Ian Rice: Rice is fun to watch behind the plate. He shows quick and efficient footwork and a willingness to get aggressive with his arm. His quick feet allow him to drop and block while controlling the ball in front of him. He moves laterally very well too. I had him pop times in the 1.88-1.97 range all game. Rice has strong hands behind the plate as well. His glove is quiet when receiving and allows him to steal some calls for his pitcher. He takes control of the team from behind the plate and communicates with his pitcher very well proving to be a leader on the field.
South Florida 10, Memphis 6
Game 1 of the AAC tournament featured the fourth and fifth seeds of the conference, Memphis and USF. Memphis sent lefty Austin Gunn to the mound to face off against South Florida's Jimmy Herget. Neither pitcher had their best stuff. There were 22 combined hits and 16 total runs, but it was USF who held on for a 10-6 win behind Luke Maglich's big day at the plate. South Florida's right fielder went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a monster three-run home run. Kevin Merrell chipped in three hits and scored three times for the Bulls who now advance to play No. 1 seed Houston on Thursday night.
Notable Prospects:
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