ATHENS, Ohio ? Ohio scored 13 times in a three-inning span, erasing an early deficit and blowing the game wide open as the Bobcats went on to defeat Rio Grande 13-5 Monday in non-conference action at Bob Wren Stadium.

Rio Grande jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the Ohio bats came alive in a big way, posting five runs in the third and four in the fourth and fifth innings to put the game out of reach.

?That?s a good team. They?re very well-coached,? said Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone. ?It was good to get back out and playing baseball.?

Daniel Utts (Circleville, Ohio) came on in relief and held Rio Grande scoreless through the final four innings to earn his second victory of the season, while Ben Crabtree (Roxbury, Conn.) inched closer to becoming Ohio?s all-time leader in hits and RBIs.

Willie Walker (Marysville, Ohio) and Anthony Gressick (Lancaster, Ohio) drove in a pair of runs each, while Phil Sabatini (Oakmont, Pa.) used a triple and a home run to drive in four. Dusty Hammond (Bellefontaine, Ohio) went 4-for-5 at the plate with a run scored.

The Redmen sent six hitters to the plate in the first, but only the leadoff hitter would touch the scoreboard. After Scott Peterman took Daniel Weiss' (Cincinnati, Ohio) 2-1 offering over the wall in left to lead off the frame, Rio Grande threatened again with two on and two out. A single to center nearly plated a second run, but Walker threw a strike to Jason Selhorst (Ottawa, Ohio) at home to cut the runner down and end the inning.

Rio Grande put another run on the board in the second, benefiting from an Ohio miscue. With runners on the corners and one out, Weiss attempted a pickoff at first base. With the runner caught between first and second, first baseman Crabtree?s throw sailed over the shortstop?s head and into left field, allowing a run to score and giving the Redmen a 2-0 advantage.

In the third the Redmen loaded the bases with two away, prompting Carbone to utilize his bullpen for the first time. Right-hander Cody Neyman (Dravosburg, Pa.) was plucked from the pen and came on to retire the first batter he faced, stranding three to end the home half of the third.

After being held to one hit through the first two innings, Ohio batted around and broke through in the third. After two walks and a double, Gressick drew a bases loaded free pass to force home Ohio?s first run. The Redmen then went to the bullpen and gave the ball to Chris Brown with the bases loaded and Crabtree at the plate.

Crabtree hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring another Ohio run. Then Sabatini delivered the biggest blow of the inning. With two on, the right fielder tripled to center and came around to score as the throw from the outfield went through the Rio Grande third baseman and into the Ohio dugout, putting the Bobcats on top 5-2.

The Redmen retaliated in the fourth. A leadoff double and sacrifice bunt put a runner on third with one out. A slow roller to Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) at third allowed that runner to score and cut the deficit to two. One batter later, the deficit shrunk to one when Michael Branon went deep over the wall in center, a solo shot that brought the game to 5-4.

It wouldn?t take long for the Bobcats to answer, though. In the home half of the fourth, Walker led off with a single and came around to score two batters later on a Gressick sacrifice fly. Crabtree followed with a run-scoring double to right center and Sabatini pushed the lead to five with a two-run home run to left field.

The Redmen weren?t finished, though, and the shootout continued into the fifth. A leadoff double and an RBI single pushed across the fifth Rio Grande run. That run would mark the end Neyman?s day, as Carbone would call on Utts to finish the inning. The lefty induced a pair of fly outs and escaped the fifth unharmed.

Following suit, Ohio had an answer in the home half. After Hammond singled and Bryant Witt (Powell, Ohio) was hit by a pitch, Walker doubled off the wall in right center and plated both runs. Walker advanced to third on a Bryan Buck (Hudson, Ohio) sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a wild pitch, making the score 12-5. Ohio tacked on one more with two outs. Gressick singled sharply on a 3-2 pitch, stole second and came home on a Crabtree single to push the lead to eight, where it would stand.

The offense dominated the first half of the game, but Utts (2-0) was the story of the second half. The sophomore cooled the hot Rio Grande bats immediately and stayed effective through the final out. His closing line included 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, scattering three hits and striking out four.

Starter Soloman Alam (4-4) took the loss for the Redmen, allowing four runs on two hits in two innings of work.

Crabtree finished the day with two hits and three runs driven in. The senior now sits 11 hits and five RBIs short of becoming Ohio?s all-time leader with nine games remaining on the schedule.

?Ben just comes out and plays. He loves to play baseball,? Carbone said. ?He doesn?t think about those records, he just goes up there and swings the bat.?

The Bobcats will hit the second leg of a seven-game non-conference run Tuesday. Ohio will travel to Pittsburgh and face the Panthers at Falconi Field at 7 p.m. The Bobcats will give the nod to John Angelicchi (3-0), while Pitt?s starter is to be determined.