ATHENS, Ohio ? Tied through five innings, Vanderbilt scored six times in the sixth inning and never let the lead slip away, taking a 13-4 decision over Ohio in the first of a two-game midweek set at Bob Wren Stadium.

Anthony Gressick (Lancaster, Ohio) hit a first inning home run and the Bobcats put runs on the board in three of the first four innings, but the Commodores exploded in the sixth, sending ten hitters to the plate and taking a lead they would never relinquish.

Vanderbilt starter Ryan Mullins (6-1) earned the win, surrendering four runs on eight hits in seven innings of work.

?They?re a good club,? said Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone. ?They exploited any weakness we had and any good pitch we didn?t make they jumped on it.?

After the Commodores went quiet in the first, Ohio quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Gressick jumped all over Mullins? 2-1 offering and deposited it over the wall in right center for his seventh home run of the season and an early Bobcat advantage.

Vanderbilt second baseman Warner Jones led off the second inning with a double and came around to score from third three batters later on a wild pitch. Then, with a runner on and one out, right fielder Matt Zeller homered to right and gave the Commodores their first lead of the contest, 3-1.

It didn?t take long for Ohio to claw back. In the home half, the Bobcats led off the inning with three-straight singles. A Dusty Hammond (Bellefontaine, Ohio) fielder?s choice brought Bryant Witt (Powell, Ohio) to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Mullins nearly hit Witt by a pitch, but the ball skipped to the backstop and brought home two Bobcat base runners to tie the score at three.

In the third, Mike Baxter reached on a hit-by-pitch, stole second and came around to score on a single off the bat of Brian Hernandez to put the Commodores back on top 4-3. One batter later, Carbone went to his bullpen for the first time, calling on sophomore Zeke Isaacs (West Carrollton, Ohio), who induced an inning-ending double play two batters later. Freshman right-hander Andrew Shisila's (Mentor, Ohio)first collegiate start ended after 2 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs on five hits, striking out one and walking none.

The Bobcats went in order in the third, but posted another tally in their next at-bat. A lead-off single by Jon Vondrell (Centerville, Ohio) led to a well-manufactured run for Ohio in the fourth. Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) bunted Vondrell over to second and the next hitter, Brian White (Frankfort, Ohio), went with two strikes and punched one up the middle for an RBI single to tie the game, 4-4.

After a scoreless fifth, Vanderbilt posted a six-spot in the sixth. Back-to-back singles and a wild pitch to the third hitter put a pair of Commodores in scoring position with no outs and left fielder Aaron Garza at the plate. Garza singled through the left side, driving home Vanderbilt?s fifth run of the contest.

After Daniel Weiss (Cincinnati, Ohio) replaced Isaacs on the hill, a sacrifice fly by Matt Zeller plated a sixth run and a groundout by leadoff hitter Alex Feinberg scored one more. With two outs and a man on, a fly ball to left allowed one more run to cross after White?s attempt at a diving catch came up just short, prolonging the inning. Vanderbilt would score twice more in the frame and lead 10-4 as the Bobcats came to bat in the sixth.

?We couldn?t get that last out,? Carbone said. ?It was a ballgame for six innings. If we could?ve gotten that last out maybe we?d have given them a ballgame for nine innings.?

Weiss lasted just two-thirds of an inning before Yale Silverman (Baton Rouge, La.) was inserted to get the final out in the sixth. Silverman kept the Commodores at bay through the seventh and eighth before Brent DeCoster (Westlake, Ohio) pitched the ninth.

DeCoster walked home a run, allowed a second run to cross on a wild pitch and surrendered a third run on a RBI groundout to third in Vanderbilt?s three-run ninth inning. All three runs were unearned.

Isaacs (2-3) took the loss for Ohio, allowing three runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings of work.

White and Vondrell each chipped in two hits for Ohio.

?I thought Brian White went up there and swung the bat well, I thought Vondrell swung the bat well and Gressick gets a home run in the first inning that got us pretty excited,? Carbone said. ?We just fell apart defensively.?

Hernandez paced the Commodore effort with two hits and three RBIs. Jones picked up a pair of hits and scored three times.

The Bobcats and Commodores will clash again tomorrow in Ohio?s home finale at Bob Wren Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Ohio?s Rob Harmon (Villa Hills, Ky.) (3-3) will get the ball for Ohio, while Vanderbilt?s starter is to be determined.