No. 25 Cincinnati opened its four-game series at UNLV with a 6-0 victory on Friday night.

The story in game one was the pitching, which hurled the Bearcats' first shutout of the season. Redshirt senior Kellen O'Connor, sophomore Carson Marsh, redshirt junior Joel Pineiro, and redshirt senior Max Bergmann combined to blank the Rebels and allow just three combined hits.

O'Connor struck out five in 3.1 innings of work, while Marsh earned the win with 1.2 scoreless frames. Pineiro registered four punchouts while pitching three scoreless innings, and Bergmann finished the game in the ninth.

The Cincinnati offense excelled as well, scattering nine hits and applying constant pressure on the Rebels' pitchers. Redshirt senior Kory Klingenbeck and sophomore Cal Sefcik both homered on Friday, the first of the year for Klingenbeck and the second in as many games for Sefcik. Klingenbeck was one of two Bearcats with at least two hits, the other being redshirt freshman Charlie Niehaus.

Cincinnati logged four stolen bases and is now 14-for-15 on stolen base attempts this year. Niehaus, redshirt senior Donovan Ford, senior Tommy O'Connor, and junior Landyn Vidourek all recorded thefts on the basepaths on Friday night.

Redshirt senior Dawson Hokuf reached base three times three separate ways after going 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and an HBP.

Game two is set for 9:05 p.m. on Saturday night.

// HOW IT HAPPENED
Cincinnati did a terrific job taxing the pitcher in the first inning, as five of the six batters to come to the plate worked full counts. That resulted in three walks that loaded the bases, and a passed ball with two outs allowed Kerrington Cross to score easily and give UC an early lead.

The Bearcats kept it up in the top of the second, scoring two to make it 3-0. Charlie Niehaus drove in a run with an infield single then later scored on Cross' RBI fielder's choice.

Meanwhile, Kellen O'Connor shut down the Rebels' bats in his 3.1 innings of work. The left-hander struck out five and walked just one and allowed just two balls out of the infield. Carson Marsh relieved O'Connor and was just as effective, striking out two in 1.2 shutout innings.

Kory Klingenbeck extended the lead to 4-0 with a solo shot in the top of the sixth, blasting a two-out pitch over the fence in right field. An inning later, Cal Sefcik ripped a solo homer to left-center field to make it 5-0. Klingenbeck drove in another run in the top of the eighth to put the score at 6-0, his single into center field allowed Landyn Vidourek to score easily.

Joel Pineiro picked up where Marsh left off and continued to flummox the UNLV hitters, and Max Bergmann pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the deal.