March 8, 2008
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Ohio baseball team split a doubleheader with UNC Greensboro Saturday afternoon, winning the first game, 13-10 in 12 innings, and falling, 14-9, in game two at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
The first game turned out to be a 12-inning marathon that lasted four hours and forty-five minutes, before Ohio (4-5) was finally able to bring the winning runs across the plate.
Tied at 10-10 through the first 11 innings, the Bobcats scored three runs in the top of the 12th to come away with the game-one victory. Freshman Adam Gecewich (Strongsville, Ohio) brought the first run of the 12th inning across the plate with a single to left field, followed by back-to-back RBI-singles by sophomore Kris McDonough (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) and junior Chris Klimko (McKeesport, Pa.), giving Ohio the 13-10 lead.
UNC Greensboro (7-3) threatened to come back in the bottom of the inning, but junior right-hander Matt Schlarb (Lexington, Ohio) retired two of the three batters he faced to earn his first save of the season. Schlarb entered the game with one out and runners on first and second. The right-hander struck out the first batter, but then walked the next batter to load the bases and put the winning run at the plate. Schlarb got the batter to ground out, putting an end to UNCG's comeback hopes and the nearly five-hour game.
The teams combined for 35 hits in the game and Ohio had 11 different players record a hit, including four Bobcats with multi-hit games. Senior Matt Stiffler (Bellbrook, Ohio) continued his recent hot streak at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, two RBI and two walks. Klimko collected a season-high in hits, going 4-for-6 with two RBI, and freshman Zach Keen (Beavercreek, Ohio) went 3-for-6 with two runs scored to register a season-high in hits.
Junior right-hander Chris Rigo (Westlake, Ohio) got the start for the Bobcats, going 4.0 innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs and striking out five. Senior right-hander John Angelicchi (Woodmere, Ohio) was effective in relief of Rigo, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs and striking out three.
Junior left-hander Adam Goodpasture (Columbus, Ohio) earned the victory, after going 0.2 innings, retiring two of the four batters he faced. Goodpasture is now 2-1 on the season.
Ohio scored five runs in the third inning to get out to a 5-0 lead. Freshman Robert Maddox III (Euclid, Ohio) and Klimko capped off the inning with back-to-back run producing hits. Maddox III lined a double to left field to score two runs, followed by an RBI-single by Klimko, bringing Maddox III across the plate.
After UNCG scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning, Ohio once again increased its lead to five, by bringing three more runs across the plate in the top of the fourth to take an 8-3 advantage. In the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans again responded, this time scoring four runs to cut the lead to 8-7.
The score remained 8-7 until the eighth inning, when Stiffler knocked a two-run blast over the right field wall for his third home run of the season, giving Ohio a 10-7 lead.
UNCG again fought right back, taking advantage of two Ohio errors in the bottom of the eighth to score three runs, tying the game, and eventually sending it into extra innings.
Game Two: UNC Greensboro 14, Ohio 9
In the second game the Bobcats got out to a 5-0 lead, but the Spartans fought their way back, eventually retaking the lead and going on to win, 14-9.
Maddox III led Ohio in the second game, with two solo-home runs, finishing 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored. Senior Jason Selhorst (Ottawa, Ohio) had a solid night as well, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
Ohio connected on four hits and took advantage of one error to score five runs in the first inning of the second game. Selhorst hit an RBI-single to spark the inning, followed by a triple by Gecewich, the first of his collegiate career, scoring two more runs.
UNCG slowly chipped away at the lead until, and then used a four-run sixth inning to complete the comeback and take an 8-6 lead. The Spartans' Tim Carrier lined a double through the right side, scoring two runs, to get the rally started and knot the score at 6-6, followed by a two-RBI single by Greg Feltes.
Maddox III brought Ohio back to within a run in the seventh inning, blasting a solo-shot over the right center field wall, bringing the score to 8-7.
That was as close as the Bobcats would get, as the Spartans brought three runs across the plate in the seventh inning to go in front 11-7.
Ohio threatened a comeback in the eighth inning, but was only able to score one run. Senior Zach Hartle (Toledo, Ohio) hit an RBI-double to left field to bring the score to 11-8. Then with runners on second and third base with no outs, Stiffler and McDonough were unable to notch any runs, as both struck out. Sophomore Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio) then drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Klimko, who came on as a pinch hitter for sophomore Jeremie Rehak (Pittsburgh, Pa.), then went down swinging, ending the comeback attempt.
UNCG extended the lead to 14-8 with a three-run eighth inning. Maddox III blasted his second home run of the game in the top of the ninth, but that would be Ohio's final run of the game.
Junior left-hander Zach Elmer (Delaware, Ohio) got the start for Ohio, going 5.0 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs and striking out five.
Junior right-hander Joe Stover (Shorewood, Ill.) takes the loss for Ohio. Stover (0-2) went 0.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on two hits and striking out one.
After spending nearly nine hours on the baseball diamond today, the Bobcats and Spartans will play the final game of the series Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
