May 6, 2006
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio co-captain Antony Gressick tossed a complete game seven-hitter and moved into a tie for eighth place on the school's career hit list with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate to lead the Bobcats to a 5-2 victory over Akron Saturday evening in Bob Wren Stadium.
Gressick recorded the first nine-inning complete game of the year for the Bobcats in his seventh start. The senior right-hander struck out nine batters and walked just two while surrendering seven hits to the Zips, who racked up 15 in Friday's series opener in a 14-4 victory.
Gressick also had a run-scoring single in the first inning, another single in the third and drew an intentional walk with a runner on third in the eighth. His two hits in the game put him at 211 for his career which ties him with Jeff Rook for eighth on Ohio's all-time list.
"I thought he did a great job tonight," Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone said. "He pitched a great game, went 2-for-3 and knocked in a run. He does it all. He's an outstanding college baseball player."
Although Friday's series opener provide a bevy of runs in the early innings, the tallies were hard to come by Saturday night.
The Zips threatened immediately, getting each of its first three batters on to load the bases. Gressick was able to work out of the jam, however, as he got three-straight outs on an infield pop-up, a strikeout and a fielder's choice to hold Akron scoreless.
Just like Friday, the Bobcats were the first to get on the board with a run in their first at-bat. Matt Stiffler led off with an infield single and Dusty Hammond followed with single that ricocheted off the pitcher's glove and resulted in no play for the defense. The third-straight single for Ohio came off the bat of Gressick, which scored Stiffler from second for a 1-0 Bobcat advantage.
After Gressick held the Zips off the board in the second, Akron was able to knot the game at 1-1 on a solo shot over the right field wall by Scott Gunn to lead off the third inning. That would be the last run the Zips would get off Gressick until the ninth.
The Bobcats wasted little time getting that one-run lead back. Hammond led off the home half of the third with a single to left and Gressick following with a single to center. After Willie Walker bounced into a double play which moved Hammond to third, Kirk Payne rapped a double to left center to plate Hammond for a 2-1 Ohio advantage.
Both Gressick and Akron starter Frank Turocy settled in to keep the offenses off the scoreboard in the middle innings. Gressick allowed just three Akron batters to reach base in the fourth through seventh innings and struck out four-straight hitters at one point. Turocy experience similar success in his first collegiate start until the bottom of the seventh, when Ohio pushed two more runs home.
Hayden Johnston led off the seventh with a double just out of reach of Akron's diving center fielder and Stiffler followed with a RBI single to center. Stiffler moved to second on the throw back to the infield when nobody received it. A sacrifice bunt by Hammond then put Stiffler on third and, after Akron intentionally walked Gressick, a Walker groundout brought Stiffler home for a 4-1 lead.
Gressick retired the side in the top of the eighth and the Bobcat bats went back to work in the bottom half as Bryant Witt doubled down the left field line to lead things off. Brandon Besl sacrificed Witt to third and he scored one batter later on a deep fly to left off the bat of Chris Klimko to provide Ohio with a four-run cushion.
Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone sent Gressick out for the ninth and the Zips quickly got the first two runners on with a single and an error by Witt at short. A fielder's choice moved the lead runner to third and he scored on a groundout by the next batter, but Gressick got his third-career complete game with a strikeout to end it.
Gressick, Hammond, Johnston and Stiffler each finished with two hits to lead the Bobcat offense while five-different players registered RBIs. Witt extended his team-season-best hitting streak to 18 games and Walker moved his to 17.
Turocy (0-5) took the loss for Akron in his first after allowing four runs - three earned - on 10 hits in 6 1-3 innings. Pat Watt pitched 1 2-3 innings in relief and allowed one run on one hit.
Gunn and Brian Kimutis were the only two Zips to register two hits.
Ohio and Akron will close out the weekend set with a rubber game tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. Yale Silverman (2-2) will get his first weekend start of the year for Ohio against a yet-to-be-determined Akron hurler.
