GREENVILLE, S.C. - Behind solid pitching and timely hitting, the Ohio baseball squad came out on top of the host Paladins for the second day in a row, registering an 8-1 victory Saturday afternoon.

Bobcat hurler Rob Harmon (Villa Hills, Ky.) held the Furman offense at bay for 5 1/3 innings, allowing only one run on five hits, and reliever Daniel Weiss (Cincinnati, Ohio) closed the door for his first career save with 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball.

For the third-straight game, Phil Sabatini (Oakmont, Pa.) set the table for the Bobcat offense with a leadoff hit. Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) followed with a single down the right field line and Anthony Gressick (Lancaster, Ohio) grounder scored Sabatini for Ohio?s first run. Ben Crabtree (Roxbury, Conn.) then singled up the middle to plate Colopy. Two batters later, with Crabtree on second, Brian White (Frankfort, Ohio) singled to right field and the Bobcat catcher came around for the third and final run of the inning.

Ohio has now scored in the first inning of all three games in which Sabatini has batted in the leadoff slot and reached with a hit.

Harmon allowed just one runner in the first inning and got out of a jam in the second with only one Furman run crossing thanks to a double play engineered by Gressick.

The Bobcats were in complete control from that moment on, both at the plate and in the field. Only five more Furman batters reached base off of the Harmon-Weiss combination, and the Bobcats tacked on runs in the fifth and seventh innings to put the game away.

Ohio sent eight batters to the plate in the fifth, starting with singles from Dusty Hammond (Bellefontaine, Ohio) and Sabatini. A walk to Colopy followed to load the bases, but Gressick was caught looking. The runners wouldn?t be stranded, however, as a fielder?s choice on contact by Crabtree drove home Hammond. Pinch-hitter Matt Stiffler (Bellbrook, Ohio) then singled to right field to plate Colopy and Sabatini for the first RBIs of his career.

The Bobcats were at it again in the seventh inning with Crabtree reaching after being hit by the pitch. Stiffler followed with a walk and then both runners moved up on a Furman wild pitch. White?s pop fly to left field scored Crabtree and a Willie Walker (Marysville, Ohio) double to right center closed out the Ohio scoring with Stiffler crossing home plate.

Colopy finished 3-4 at the plate for the Bobcats while Sabatini went 2-4 with a walk.

Harmon earned his first victory of the season, and second of his career against Furman. His first winning decision as a Bobcat came against the Paladins in 2003.

Furman southpaw Ryan Hudson took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits in four innings of work.

The two teams will close out the three-game set tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m., with Ohio?s Gressick (0-1) taking the mound against Ben Hunter (1-0).