April 15, 2008
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio baseball team tallied 21 hits and 17 runs in defeating Big East conference member Pittsburgh, 17-9, on Tuesday night at Bob Wren Stadium.
The Bobcats improved to 17-16 on the season while Pitt fell to 10-21 after the loss. Junior right-hander Kurt Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio) came into the game in relief and earned the victory, his first of the year. Smith pitched 1.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and one base on balls.
Pitt starter Kevin Dooley took the loss for the Panthers, surrendering nine runs, seven earned, on eight hits and four walks in three innings. The freshman left-hander faced 23 batters and struck out two.
Junior Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio) recorded a Bobcat season-high five hits to go along with four RBI and three runs. His season average climbed from .368 to .398 after his five-hit performance.
On a night when every Ohio player notched a hit but sophomore right fielder Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio), who had his 15-game hitting streak snapped. However, the sophomore reached base four times on three walks and one fielding error in his six plate appearances to score three runs for the game.
Now the Bobcat with the longest active hitting streak is freshman infielder Zach Keen (Beavercreek, Ohio), who has a hit in 10 straight games after recording a pair of singles against the Panthers.
Junior Chris Klimko (McKeesport, Pa.) had four hits and two RBI while freshman Gauntlett Eldemire (Shaker Heights, Ohio) and senior Matt Stiffler (Bellbrook, Ohio) homered for the Bobcats. It was Stiffler's team-best eighth four-bagger of the season. Eldemire also had a triple in his first at-bat of the game, his first of the year. Junior Hayden Johnston (Strattanville, Pa.), the designated hitter against Pitt, had three hits to go along with three runs while freshman Robert Maddox III (Euclid, Ohio) also picked up three hits with two RBI and one run scored.
Once again Ohio started off strong, scoring eight runs in the first two innings and continued to drive the ball all around the field, scoring at least one run in every inning but the seventh.
The Ohio offense has now scored 10 or more runs in nine of the last eight games and surpassed 15 runs three times in the that stretch. The Bobcats have homered 16 times in that span with Stiffler recording five of those.
Zach Fairbanks (Martins Ferry, Ohio) started on the mound against the Panthers and gave up three runs on six hits in 2.2 innings. The junior lefty walked two and struck out three of the 16 batters he faced.
Senior right-hander John Angelicchi (Woodmere, Ohio) closed out the game for the Bobcats, working the final 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit and no earned runs while striking out two.
Pitt's Sean Conley had a team-high three RBI on three hits and also tallied two runs. The Panthers recorded 13 hits in the contest and were charged with two errors. The Bobcats picked up one error.
Ohio returns to action on Wednesday with an afternoon game at Youngstown State. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Bobcats will play their fifth MAC series this weekend at Akron.
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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.
