March 22, 2008
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Ohio baseball team brought nine runs across the plate in the top of the ninth inning to turn a 4-2 lead into a 13-2 route of Central Michigan Saturday afternoon in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams at Theunissen Stadium. Ohio (7-8, 1-0 MAC) has now won three straight games for the first time this season, while the loss is only the 10th-home loss for Central Michigan (5-12, 0-1 MAC) at Theunissen Stadium since the 2002 season.
"Central Michigan has a great team and a great program, things just kind of fell in place for us today," said Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone.
Ohio scored a run in the first inning, and then a two-run home run by senior Zach Hartle (Toledo, Ohio) sparked a three-run third inning, lifting the Bobcats in front 4-0. Junior right-hander Chris Rigo (Westlake, Ohio) kept the Chippewas guessing throughout, maintaining the four-run lead until the bottom of the seventh, when the Chippewa batters were finally able to get to him, scoring two runs.
The Bobcats ended any chances of a comeback in the ninth inning, however, scoring nine runs on six hits to put the game away.
Ohio totaled 16 hits in the game and had four players post multi-hit games. Freshman Robert Maddox III (Euclid, Ohio) was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Hartle went 3-for-6, with his second home run of the season, two RBI and two runs scored, and junior Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio) went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored on the day. Senior Matt Stiffler (Deshler, Ohio) finished 2-for-5 on the day to stretch his hitting streak to 10 games.
"We've been trying to get the guys to be more aggressive at the plate and I think today we were able to do that," said Carbone. "We were able to do some things today that we haven't done all year."
Rigo (2-1) earned his second victory of the season for the Bobcats, after going 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and striking out three.
Ohio senior right-hander John Angelicchi (Woodmere, Ohio) threw 2.0 innings in relief, allowing just one hit and no runs while striking out one to earn his second save of the season.
The Bobcat pitchers combined to allow just six hits in the game.
The Bobcats and Chippewas continue their series Sunday at 1 p.m. Brian Boesch will have the call on 970 AM WATH radio in Athens.
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Wes Liles is the baseball contact in the Ohio media relations office. He can be reached via email at liles@ohio.edu.
