MT. PLEASANT, S.C. --- Bradley Dixon (Greenwood, S.C.) drove in two runs with a double in the fifth, and Carter Love (Charlotte, N.C.) pitched into the sixth, as the College of Charleston baseball team dropped a narrow 5-4 decision to the University of Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon.
 
Cincinnati (2-3) plated five runs on nine hits – including five extra-base hits – as College of Charleston (3-3) scored four times on eight hits. Luke Manzo (Marietta, Ga.) paced the Cougars with a 2-for-4 day, while Dixon drove in two runs and Danny Wondrack (Wall, N.J.) launched his second home run of the season.
 
Love tossed five and one-third innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. Jakob Frishmuth (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) surrendered one run on three hits in one and one-third frames to take the loss; Christian Shiver (Monroe, Ga.) and Austin George (Mooresville, N.C.) combined for two and one-third scoreless innings at the back end of the outing.
 
Jace Mercer and R.J. Thompson each collected two hits for Cincinnati, as four different Bearcats drove in at least one run. Thompson drove in two, while Ryan Noda and Eric Santiago both hit solo home runs.
 
J.T. Perez got the start and lasted five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out six. A.J. Kullman tossed four scoreless frames in relief to pick up the win.
 
Charleston drew first blood in the bottom of the second, taking an early 1-0 advantage when Wondrack put a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left-center for a leadoff homer. The Bearcats would answer with two in the top of the third. After Noda led off with a solo shot to left center, Bumpass doubled to the gap in left to score Mercer and give the Bearcats a 2-1 lead.
 
The College countered with a three-run fifth to reclaim the lead at 4-2. After three straight singles loaded the bases, the Cougars knotted the score at 2-2 on Erven Roper's (Easley, S.C.) RBI groundout to second that scored Clay Hunt (Fort Mill, S.C.) from third. Dixon followed with a clutch hit in the next at-bat, when he bounced a 0-1 pitch past the bag at third for a two-run double to put the Cougars back on top, 4-2.
 
The first two batters would reach in the sixth for Cincinnati to put runners at first and second with no outs for Cole Murphy. After Murphy dropped down a sac bunt to move the runners to second and third, Thompson line a 1-0 pitch down the right field line for a two-run double to knot the score at 4-4. Santiago followed in the seventh with a solo home run over the ivy in left to put the Bearcats ahead, 5-4.
 
Charleston would threaten in the ninth, when pinch-hitter Riley Knudsen (Cabot, Ark.) sent a 1-1 pitch through the ride side for a two-out single. Kullman quickly settled down by forcing a ground out to short to seal the one-run win.
 
The Cougars and Bearcats will meet in the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point. Sunday's game will pit CofC sophomore Evan Sisk (Chester, S.C.) against Cincinnati junior David Orndorff. First pitch is slated for 1:00 pm.