BUIES CREEK, N.C. ? The first series of the season is in the books for the Ohio baseball squad as Campbell swept today's doubleheader and the three-game set. Saturday's finals saw the Bobcats fall by scores of 6-4 and 3-1.

Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) and Ben Crabtree (Roxbury, Conn.) combined to go 6-15 and drive in three of Ohio?s five runs in the doubleheader, leading the Bobcat offense, while starting pitchers Dan O?Rourke (Monongahela, Pa.) and Anthony Gressick (Lancaster, Ohio) combined to limit Campbell to four earned runs over eight innings. The individual performances did not prove to be enough, however, as the Bobcats fell to 0-3 on the season.

In contests that were strikingly different from Friday night?s 18-17 shootout, Saturday?s twin bill featured a more traditional balance of offense and pitching. In the first game, Colopy drove in two runs with a single to right during the Ohio half of the sixth, giving the Bobcats the lead at 4-3. That advantage would hold up until the Camels (5-1) plated three runs in the bottom of the eighth off Ohio reliever Yale Silverman (Baton Rouge, La.), sealing the Bobcats? fate.

The Camels struck first with a tally off O?Rourke in the bottom of the first inning, but the scoreboard would remain idle until Ohio broke through in the fourth. Gressick got things going with a single through the left side, followed by hits from teammates Crabtree and Brian White (Frankfort, Ohio) to load the sacks. Ohio?s fourth-straight single, off the bat of Jared Willis (Logan W.Va.), drove home Gressick for the first run. With the bases loaded, Ryan Planck (Canton, Ohio) reached on a fielder?s choice, but Crabtree was thrown out at home. The Bobcats? at-bat ended with Willie Walker (Marysville, Ohio) grounding into a double play.

Ohio plated another run in the top of the fifth to take its first lead of the game. With a Colopy single, followed by a walk to Phil Sabatini (Oakmont, Pa.) and Gressick reaching on an error, Crabtree drew a walk to force home Colopy for the Bobcats? second run. Lemmie Barwick came on in relief of Campbell starter Nate Logan and closed the door on Ohio?s rally, forcing White into a double play to end the scoring threat.

After the Camels answered with two runs in the home half of the fifth to regain the lead, Ohio struck for two runs in the top of the sixth, but it would not be enough. With Bryant Witt (Powell, Ohio) and Walker on, Colopy singled and a throwing error by the Camels allowed both lead runners to score, making it 4-3 Ohio. The subsequent batter, Sabatini, was hit by a pitch with Gressick on deck. The Bobcats? power-hitting DH was eventually retired on an infield fly, ending Ohio?s last scoring chance.

After pitching two scoreless innings, Silverman got in trouble early in the Campbell eighth, allowing three of the first four batters to reach. With the score tied and two runners on, a single by Tim Holt and an errant throw by Ohio pushed home the decisive runs for Campbell.

Colopy finished 2-4 in the contest, driving home two runs. Gressick and Willis also recorded two hits apiece. Campbell had three players tally two hits.

Silverman (0-1) took the loss for the Bobcats in his first appearance of the season while Barwick (2-0) got the decision in relief. O?Rourke pitched five innings for Ohio, allowing two earned runs and limiting Campbell to four hits.

?In game one, we just couldn?t get that last out,? said Bobcat Head Coach Joe Carbone. ?They came up with two big two-out hits. We had the game won, but we just couldn?t get the last out.?

In the first inning of the final match, the Bobcats put the initial run on the scoreboard for the first time in the series. Sabatini singled to lead off the contest followed by another single from Colopy to right field, advancing Sabatini to third. Gressick then flied out to right field, plating Sabatini on the sacrifice. The run, however, would be Ohio?s last.

The Camels answered in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1. With runners on first and third in the Campbell fourth, Bobcat reliever Daniel Weiss (Cincinnati, Ohio) got Justin Phillips to ground into a double play but David Forbes scored from third to provide the Camels with the winning run. Two batters later, Joe Anthonsen singled up the middle to score Jeff Blick for the final margin of 3-1.

Sabatini and Walker each went 2-3 at the plate for Ohio while the Camels had five players in their lineup turn in the same performance.

Ohio?s Gressick took the mound for the first time since 2003 for the Bobcats after having Tommy John surgery. The Ohio hurler/designated hitter threw three innings on a pitch count and allowed two runs on six hits.

?For not having pitched in a year and going out there and pitching three innings and only giving up two runs, we were pleased with him,? Carbone said. ?We had him on a pitch count and we thought he did a good job.?

Weiss (0-1), on in relief for the second game in a row, took the loss for the Bobcats while Campbell?s Joe Waldecker (1-0) threw a complete game to picked up the win after scattering just six hits over the seven inning contest.

?Waldecker did a great job pitching against us,? Carbone said. ?He came in and really pitched us tough because we did swing the bats pretty well this weekend.?

The Campbell series was the first of three road trips to begin the season for Ohio before returning home in mid-March.

?Even though we don?t like losing, we?re a better team right now for coming down here and having played than we would be if we had stayed home and taken batting practice in the batting tunnels for the eighth week in a row,? Carbone said. ?So, we?re farther along in our season, even though we?re 0-3.?

The Bobcats will hit the road again next weekend, traveling to Greenville, S.C., for a three-game set against Furman. First pitch times are set for 3 p.m., on Friday and 1 p.m., for the Saturday and Sunday contests.