MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dalton Fowler was a man on a mission on the mound as he led the Tigers to a 6-2 win over Cincinnati on Friday.
Fowler threw 13 strikeouts and pitched 7 scoreless innings. He only allowed 2 hits and walked one batter beating out Bearcats pitcher Chase Hopewell who was pulled in the fifth inning. The 13 strikeouts was a career high and the one walk allowed a season's best.
It was a pitchers duel until that fifth inning. Hopewell had pitched four scoreless innings before Anthony Hansen hit a two run single to center field. Jake Curtis made a masterful dodge of the Bearcats catcher at the plate to add the second run.
The play went under a lengthy video review by the umpire officials before they confirmed the call at the plate as safe.
The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs before Hopewell's evening ended. Will Spears hit another single to centerfield off Zach Segal that scored two more runs and gave Memphis a 4-0 lead.
Memphis added two more runs in the sixth inning off a RBI triple from Cameron Benson and Hansen tallied his third RBI of the day off a sacrifice fly that scored Benson.
Cincinnati avoided being shutout when Ryan Nicholson hit a homerun in the ninth inning that also drove in a run and cut into the Tigers lead 6-2.
Memphis evened their weekend series with Cincinnati. The final game will be Saturday afternoon at FedEx Park Avron Fogelman Field at 1:00 p.m.