Feb. 24, 2006
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Ohio baseball team was unable to overcome strong opposing pitching and a host of its own errors in a 9-1 season-opening defeat Friday afternoon at Western Kentucky.
WKU hurler Liam Shanahan (1-1) held Ohio scoreless for 6 2-3 innings and limited the Bobcats to just four hits in seven strong frames to secure the Hilltoppers (1-3) their first victory of the season.
While they were able to string little together at the plate, the Bobcat defense committed five errors that led to just as many unearned runs and provided little support for an otherwise admirable season-opening pitching performance.
"We didn't do a good job defensively and it took us out of the game early on," Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone said.
The Hilltoppers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, tallying three in the first. The first of four hits on the day for Jordan Newton gave WKU a quick 2-0 lead as the junior took Bobcat starter Derek Witt (0-1) off the left center field wall. Newton then scored WKU's its third run of the frame, coming home from third on a RBI groundout.
After yielding the three-spot in the first, Witt held the Hilltopper bats at bay through the next four innings before things got a little rocky in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and a runner on second, WKU's Scotty Colt singled to left and the lead runner held at third, but Bobcat left fielder Matt Stiffler bobbled the ball, allowing the Hilltoppers' fourth run to cross.
After an intentional walk to setup a double play situation, Carbone then went to the bullpen and called on Zeke Isaacs, but the right-handed reliever got even less defensive help than his predecessor. The Bobcats committed two more errors in the frame and allowed just as many WKU base runners to cross home plate as it took a commanding 6-0 lead.
Offensively, the Bobcats managed just two hits on Shanahan over the course of the first six innings before Jon Vondrell's two-out double in the top of seventh started Ohio's only run-generating sequence of the day. Jason Selhorst then followed with an infield hit to give the Bobcats a first-and-third situation and Shanahan committed a balk with Willie Walker at the plate. Vondrell was awarded home plate for Ohio's first run of the season.
Any momentum the Bobcats might have gained by the run was lost in WKU's next at-bat as the hosts added three more scores - partially aided by Ohio's fifth error of the afternoon - to push ahead 9-1.
Witt went in the books with 5 1-3 innings of work. He was charged with six runs allowed - only one earned however - and surrendered five hits.
"I thought (Derek) Witt pitched well today," Carbone said. "He got his pitch count up in the sixth so we took him out."
Isaacs and Dan Weiss each pitched 1 1-3 innings in relief for Ohio and were not charged with any runs on just four hits allowed.
Shanahan registered six strikeouts in his second start of the season and didn't surrender a walk for WKU.
In addition to Vondrell's and Selhorst's hits, Anthony Gressick and Dusty Hammond also tallied singles for Ohio's four hits on the day.
"We just didn't do anything offensively to get anything going," Carbone said. "We just didn't play well ... we didn't deserve to win today."
Newton finished 4-for-4 at the plate for WKU and drove home three runs.
The Bobcats and Hilltoppers will be back at in the second of a three-game set tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. EST. John Angelicchi will take the mound for Ohio against WKU southpaw Zack Duncan.
