It was a good and bad week for the city of Cincinnati, as the Reds struggled, going 3-4 this week. FCC drew a game they needed to win against Toronto 1-1. However, the Bearcats and Xavier are loading up their squads for next hoops season. There is another big week in store for Cincy, so let’s start with a recap of last week.
Last Week’s Recap
Bengals: No signings, continued draft prep. Taking hard looks at Ohio State, including Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles. Jeremiyah Love, a Notre Dame RB came in for a visit. The Bengals also announced their 2026 offseason workout schedule.
FCC: The Garys had a game they really needed to win against Toronto this past Saturday. This game was incredibly dry for around 70 minutes, until Kevin Denkey received back-to-back yellow cards within two minutes of each other. He was given a red card and sent off; this made it the 4th straight match consisting of an FCC player being sent off. It looked as if we were headed towards a 0-0 draw, until Toronto scored off an own-goal by Gilberto Flores. FCC looked like they were done, missing a player. However, Kenji Mboma Dem subbed in during the 88th minute. During extra time, Dem was able to punch in a game-tying goal off of assists from Ayoub Jabbari and Samuel Gidi. All three came off the bench and brought the juice needed to force a draw. FCC wanted a win here, but they ended up narrowly avoiding defeat in a thrilling final ten minutes.
Reds: The Reds had a rough week, going 3-4. Here is a recap of each game.
Game 10/162 | Reds beat Marlins 2-0 | 4/6/2026 | LoanDepot Park
The Reds started out the week well, with an all-around great pitching performance. The Reds pitching staff only let up three hits all day, behind a flawless performance from Brandon Williamson. The Reds’ runs were put up through a Sal Stewart RBI single and a Tyler Stephenson home run.
Game 11/162 | Reds beat Marlins 6-3 | 4/7/2026 | LoanDepot Park
This game was a thriller. The Marlins took a 2-0 lead in the 4th inning off of two ground-out RBIs. The score remained 2-0 till the 9th, when the Reds tied it up off of a sac-fly by Sal Stewart, and Elly De La Cruz scored off a wild pitch. In the 10th, the Reds put up four runs to take a 6-2 lead. The Reds put in Graham Ashcraft to close it out, allowing a run and getting the save.
Game 12/162 | Marlins beat Reds 7-4 | 4/8/2026 | LoanDepot Park
The Reds started hot, putting up two runs in the 1st inning off of a fielding error and an Eugenio Suarez double. However, it was a rough outing for Brady Singer, allowing six runs in 2.2 innings. The Reds were never able to recover, despite Sal Stewart’s two-run home run in the 5th.
Game 13/162 | Marlins beat Reds 8-1 | 4/9/2026 | LoanDepot Park
Cincy’s starting pitching was rough again here, with Rhett Lowder allowing five runs in 5.1 innings. They were not able to recover. The lone positive was a solo shot by Sal Stewart, who has had a great start to his season.
Game 14/162 | Angels beat Reds 10-2 | 4/10/2026 | Great American Ballpark
This was another ugly game for the Redlegs. Chase Burns let up five runs in 5.1 innings, and the starting pitching has been rough this week. Once again, the Angels scored early and the Reds never recovered.
Game 15/162 | Reds beat Angels 7-3 | 4/11/2026 | Great American Ballpark
All credit goes to the Reds bullpen and offense. Brandon Williamson allowed three runs and only went four innings deep. The bullpen was flawless, allowing zero runs and only two hits in five innings. The offense put up four runs in the 1st inning due to a fielding error and a base clearing double by Nathaniel Lowe. This was the Reds best performance of the week.
Game 16/162 | Angels beat Reds 9-6 | 4/12/2026 | Great American Ballpark
The score does not properly reflect how this game went. The Angels put up seven runs on Andrew Abbott in 3 innings and added another later on to go up 8-0. Jose Soriano had a flawless performance, going seven innings while allowing zero runs and only two hits. The Reds attempted to rally late behind Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz, but it wasn’t enough.
Overall, it was not a great week for the Reds. The starting rotation is supposed to be a strong suit for Cincy, and they greatly struggled this week. They desperately need Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo back. As for offense, it was very on-and-off this week. Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz have been amazing this year, and they must keep it up to keep the Reds afloat.
Xavier:
What a week it was! Xavier landed several huge commitments.
- Tru Washington, a versatile defensive minded wing
- Ruben Dominguez, a sharpshooter from Texas A&M
- Mike Nwoko, a bruising big man who has proven himself at LSU
This is in addition to Gabriel Pozzato confirming he will return as well as preferred walk-on Kason Westphal announcing his return.
That puts X’s roster in a good spot overall, but missing a point guard at this time. The name who has been linked with X is Chance Westry, with current reports being that the recruitment is in a good spot overall, but nothing is done yet.
Xavier will need to add some depth in the frontcourt, and likely a high upside guy from the mid-major ranks, expect 2 more additions.
Cincinnati:
The Bearcats have been equally as busy, bringing in some key guys for their new look roster!
- Tyler Tejada comes in from Towson after some really solid performances the past 2 years, including being the 2024-25 CAA Player of the year.
- Riley Allenspach, a big man who has shown steady growth from Samford and now up to George Mason. I expect him to translate to the Big 12 well.
- Myles Colvin, a wing who can score in droves. He started his career at Purdue before playing last year at Wake Forest.
The Bearcats currently have multiple guys on/planned to be on campus, and are heavily involved with some big names. Tylen Riley is currently on campus as of Tuesday night, but has other visits scheduled after. UC will try to make those other visits not happen. Rowan Brumbaugh was on campus this weekend. I am skeptical about him and feel like this is moving away from UC. Elijah Perryman and Adlan Elamin both arrived on campus Sunday. Both are trending towards UC. Eric Mahaffey was on campus over the weekend, and I like the Bearcats spot on the RS freshman from Akron. Eric is from Moeller, FYI. Andrew McKeever is in Cincinnati for his official visit as of Tuesday night. This is a new name that popped up on my radar this afternoon. I don’t have more information at this time.
NKU:
NKU lost an assistant coach this week, with RJ Evans, he took the head coaching spot at American International College (Division II) this week, and NKU will now have an open spot on the roster. As I hear names, I’ll provide updates!
For recruiting, NKU seems to be playing this offseason extremely close to the vest. Last year I had a more steady flow of information, however, haven’t heard much by way of recruits outside of one official visitor.
- Will Shortt, a 6’8″ forward from Niagara was on campus on Monday. Sources confirmed the usual, the visit went well, however, there haven’t been any other updates and it is now just wait and see.
The Norse have been linked on twitter (x) to a handful of different players, however, I haven’t gotten any updates on progress, and those were mainly long lists of “teams who made contact”. I would expect to see some guys from lower levels moving up, as we did last year.
Miami (OH):
The Redhawks have a monumental task this year, replacing Byers, Elmer, Perry, Suder, and Woolfolk.
They’ve already landed two recruits, Stevie Elam (Milwaukee, 11/5/1, 35% from deep), and Preston Copeland (Ball State, 5/4/0, 1 steal, 1 block. 63% from the field).
They will have two freshman coming in, both are unranked per 247 (Anthony Fresh and Alan Horton).
This Week’s Preview
Bengals: Continued NFL Draft preparations and potential free agency news.
FCC: Cincy is in desperate need of three points, as they face off with the Chicago Fire, who are second in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. Chicago is an excellent defensive team, having only allowed five goals this year. FCC will have to get the offensive front moving if they want to win. They must also focus on playing physical with purpose; as they have lost a player to a red card four games in a row. That cannot happen against an elite team; they will punish you for it. As for the defensive side of things, they must slow down Hugo Cuypers. If he even plays, despite a head injury and his availability is uncertain. He hasn’t played since March 21st. However, he has four goals in his four starts. Cuypers will be an X-Factor and FCC fans should be hoping he will sit out this one.
Reds: The Reds were off Monday, but they have two important series this week. Let’s jump in!
San Francisco Giants @ Cincinnati Reds | 4/14-4/16 | Great American Ballpark
This is a pivotal series for the Reds, as they attempt to remain in contention for the top spot in the NL Central. They currently sit in second place, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The starting pitching must have solid performances, as last week showed what happens when they don’t. The rotation is lined up to be Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder, and Chase Burns. The Giants have been struggling greatly, starting their season 6-10. This is a series the Reds should win. Honestly, I would love to see a sweep here. The Giants have only put up 51 runs through 16 games, while allowing 72.
Series Goal: Sweep
Cincinnati Reds @ Minnesota Twins | 4/17-4/19 | Target Field
This is a big series for the Reds, as the Twins lead the AL Central at 10-7. They are red hot, having won seven of their last eight games. The Reds will have to stop this hot streak. As stated multiple times, the starting rotation has to be on point here. The current arrangement is Brandon Williamson, Andrew Abbott, and Brady Singer. The Twins are a scary team on offense, putting up a whopping 92 runs so far this year. This puts them at fifth in the MLB. If they can get to the staff early, the Reds are in serious trouble. As for Minnesota’s pitching, they do have some struggles, allowing 77 so far this year. Cincinnati must take advantage of this to combat the Twin’s high-flying offense.
Series Goal: 2 Wins
Local Hoops teams: All of the local teams will have big visits and ever flowing movement as the portal continues to swirl. Make sure you follow us on X (@BracketNKY, @SSM_CL, @MuskieMix) for all of the latest coverage!
It’s a bounce back week for the city of Cincinnati, as the Reds look to rebound and FCC looks to stop their recent skid. As for the college squads, the offseason is in full swing and you can get all the updates you need here at Sansom Sports Media. Be sure to check back next week!
