By Katy Korstange, Sports Editor
The Cincinnati Reds hosted Xavier Night at Great American Ballpark last Friday. The Reds beat the Detroit Tigers 9-8 in a walk-off after a rain delay in the sixth inning.
Xavier’s Office of Student Involvement (OSI) sponsored tickets for Xavier students to attend Friday’s game.
“My hope for students who attend this event is that they are tapped into the rich and cool experiences in Cincinnati.” Assistant Director of Student Involvement at Xavier Alecia Conway, said.
The first pitch of the game was thrown by Byron Larkin, a former Xavier Men’s Basketball player. Larkin is the most decorated player in Xavier history and the first player to have his number retired.
Sister Rose Ann Fleming was chosen as the honorary team captain because of her commitment to the success of Xavier’s athletes. The national anthem was sung by a mother daughter duo who were also Xavier Alumni.
The Xavier dance team performed during the fourth inning.
The Reds went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning. The Tigers had a five-run lead until Matt McLain hit a home run towards center field. Dane Myers was already on base for the Reds and also scored a point, making the score 5-2.
In the sixth inning, Nathaniel Lowe hit a home run towards center field, bringing the score to 5-3. Just after this, the game was put on a rain delay.
After the rain delay, the Reds were able to score another two runs in the seventh inning. Exactly like earlier in the game, McLain hit a home run towards center field which brought Meyers home to score. The score became 5-5.
Then, De La Cruz scored on an error, putting the Reds in the lead for the first time that night. Lowe made it to second base after two errors by the Tigers. Tyler Stephenson hit a double to the left, allowing Lowe to score again for the Reds. The Reds led the Tigers 7-5.
In the eighth inning, Detroit made their comeback. Spencer Torkelson hit a home run to the left. Shortly after, Kerry Carpenter hit a home run to the right which brought in Colt Keith. The Tigers now led 7-8.
In the ninth inning, Cincinnati had a chance for a walk-off. They managed to keep Detroit from scoring in the top of the ninth inning. When they switched to offense, Lowe hit a home run to right field and brought in Spencer Steer, who was already on base. The Reds won against the Tigers 9-8.
Students will have more opportunities to go to Reds games and other events around Cincinnati next year because of their new partnership with Xavier.
OSI brought students to the game, thanks to the new partnership between Xavier and The Reds.
“OSI has always taken students off campus for our Xplore Cincy Series, and we will continue to do so in the Fall. Students can stay up to date with our programming on @involvedatxu on Instagram,” Conway said.
The partnership between Xavier and the Cincinnati Reds was announced on Jan 12th of this year and will open up a lot of new opportunities and potential experiences for Xavier students and staff.
“This partnership is a grand slam for the Musketeer and Reds families, and for the entire greater Cincinnati community,” Xavier University president Colleen Hanycz said.
The excitement of Xavier Night highlighted the growing connection between the university and the baseball team. With more events and opportunities on the horizon, students can expect even more ways to engage with the city beyond campus.