CINCINNATI, Ohio - If what has become a trend for most of the season, the Cincinnati Steam earn a come-form-behind victory Wednesday night at Max McLeary Field beating the Southern Ohio Copperheads 9-7.

The win extends Cincinnati’s (21-7) lead over Southern Ohio (18-9) in the GLSCL South Division to 2 and 1/2 games. The Steam have now won nine out its last ten games.

Southern Ohio took a 6-3 into the seventh inning when the “Kardiac Kids” scored four runs taking over the lead 7-6.

Jake Kates (High Point/Lakota West HS) singled to drive in Will Vogelgesang (Miami University/McNicholas HS) who had doubled to left field. Kates advanced to second base when Griffin Bernardo (Central Florida) reached on an error.

Eddie Pursinger (Dayton/Anderson HS) was at the plate when Kates took off to steal third base. Pursinger grounded out to second base and Kates never broke stride scoring all the way from second base on the routine ground ball.

The next batter was Marshall Gei (University of Kentucky) and he sent a bomb over the 40-foot fence in right field that landed halfway across the football field for a two-run home run.

Cincinnati scored a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning on an RBI double by Kates and a run scoring single by Bernardo.

Southern Ohio rallied in the ninth inning scoring a run but Jared Flueck (Olney Central/Colerain HS) came in to slam the door. Flueck struck out MVP candidate Blaine Crim to end the game on the way to earning his second save in as many games against the Copperheads. Flueck now has five saves this season tying him with Kates for the team lead.

Mitchell Morris (Eastern Kentucky/Rising Sun HS) went two-plus innings out of the bullpen earning his second win of the season.

Bernardo had three hits including two doubles and Kates contributed three hits and three run batted in to help lead the offensive charge.

The Steam embarks on a two-game road series against the GLSCL North Division co-leading Lima Locos starting on Thursday.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm at Simmons Field and Jonathan Brus (Dayton/St. Xavier HS) will get the start for the Steam.

ABOUT THE CINCINNATI STEAM: The Cincinnati Steam has earned a spot in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League playoffs in 10 of its 12 seasons of existence. Three times the Steam has played in the GLSCL championship round including winning the title in both 2008 and 2009.

ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES SUMMER COLLEGIATE LEAGUE: The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate, which is entering its 30th season, is a wood-bat league that is certified by the NCAA and is partially funded by Major League Baseball. The league boasts several players that have earned service time in major league baseball including six former Steam players.