MORGANTOWN, W.Va. ? A five-run ninth inning rally, highlighted by a grand slam by Anthony Gressick (Lancaster, Ohio), capped a game of scoring runs from both sides as the Bobcats escaped West Virginia with an 11-10 decision Wednesday night at Hawley Field. The victory secured Ohio its ninth-straight non-conference win and 13th overall win in the last 16 outings.

Gressick, who finished 3-for-5 on the night, took Mountaineer reliever Todd Dunham over the center field wall with one out in the ninth to regain what was once a six-run lead.

Ohio (18-14-1) scored the game?s first six runs, but the Mountaineers (19-23) countered with the next 10, including an eight-run seventh, and took a four-run advantage to the final frame before Gressick?s heroics.

The Bobcats? scoring began with Gressick as well as he singled to center field to get things started in the Ohio second. After Jon Vondrell (Centerville, Ohio) grounded out and Dusty Hammond (Bellefontaine, Ohio) singled to left, the Bobcats? third hit of the inning from Brian White (Frankfort, Ohio) brought Gressick home for the game?s first tally.

Phil Sabatini (Oakmont, Pa.) added to the lead in the third frame with his third home run of the season. Following a Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) single, Sabatini took a pitch over the left field wall for a 3-0 Ohio advantage.

Three more runs crossed home plate in the fourth inning for Ohio as it built a 6-0 lead. One out walks to White and Bryant Witt (Powell, Ohio) got the Bobcats in business and a Bryan Buck (Hudson, Ohio) fly out moved White over to third. Colopy followed with a bunt single that scored the lead runner and moved all the way to third on an error by WVU third baseman Justin Jenkins, which also allowed Witt to cross. Sabatini?s third RBI of the game came one batter later as he dropped down a bunt to bring home Colopy from third for a 6-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Ohio pitchers John Angelicchi (Woodmere, Ohio) and Zeke Isaacs (West Carrollton, Ohio) combined to hold the Mountaineer offense scoreless through the first six innings, but WVU hammered a trio of Bobcat relievers in an eight-run seventh frame as the home team stormed back to take the lead.

Bobcat reliever Daniel Weiss (Cincinnati, Ohio) retired the first WVU batter after the seventh inning stretch, but yielded three-consecutive singles ? the third of which to put the Mountaineers? first run on the board ? and got the hook. David Moyer (Meadville, Pa.) took the mound and fared no better as he allowed an RBI single and a grand slam to Lee Fritz which dramatically tied the affair at 6-6. Daniel Utts (Circleville, Ohio) then came on in relief of Moyer and surrendered a single and a two-run homer to Kyle Matuszek for the first WVU lead of the evening at 8-6. After getting the second out of the frame, Utts then yielded to Yale Silverman (Baton Rouge, La.), who got the Bobcats out of the inning by drawing a Mountaineer fly out to right.

After the Bobcats went in order in the top of the eighth, WVU added two more runs in the bottom half to extend to a 10-6 advantage. After Silverman gave up a leadoff single, the right-hander struck out the next batter but Jenkins jacked the Mountaineer?s third home run of the night over the center field wall to make it a 10-0 scoring run.

Witt, pinch hitter Jared Willis (Logan W.Va.), and Colopy all drew walks to start Ohio?s rally in the ninth inning. Ben Crabtree (Roxbury, Conn.) then singled to right to score Witt and trim the deficit to 10-7. Gressick took care of the rest of the three-run hole as he cleared the bases with his shot to center off of Dunham, the third WVU pitcher of the inning. The Bobcats placed two more runners on base before their at-bat ended, but neither scored.

In WVU?s final at-bat, Matuszek singled to center field and advanced to second on a passed ball, but was doubled off the bag at second by center fielder Willie Walker to close out the final Mountaineer threat.

Silverman (1-3) earned his first win of the season in relief. The senior allowed two runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Colopy (2-for-3) and Sabatini (2-for-4) were the only other Bobcat hitters to record multiple hits besides Gressick.

Angelicchi and Isaacs combined to throw 5 2/3 scoreless innings of three-hit ball and five strikeouts.

Dunham (0-2) took the loss for the Mountaineers, who were paced offensively by Matuszek?s 3-for-4 performance.

Ohio has not lost a game outside the Mid-American Conference since falling in 12 innings by a final of 8-7 at James Madison on March 22.

The Bobcats will rejoin MAC action this weekend when they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to take on West Division leader Western Michigan. The three-game set is schedule to open at 3 p.m., Friday.