April 16, 2008
Box Score
NILES, Ohio - The Ohio baseball team broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run third inning and never looked back on its way to a 14-6 victory against Youngstown State Wednesday afternoon at Eastwood Field. The Bobcats improve to 18-16 with the victory and have now won three straight games. Youngstown State drops to 13-21 on the year.
The Bobcats' offense continued its recent tear, blasting 20 hits to give Ohio its 11th-straight game with double-digit hits and its sixth-consecutive game with double-digit runs.
Nine Bobcats recorded hits in the game, including three each from junior Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio), sophomore Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio), and freshmen Robert Maddox III (Euclid, Ohio) and Trace Voshell (Batavia, Ohio). Besl totaled three RBI and three runs scored, while Voshell matched Besl's RBI total and added two runs on the day. Of Ohio's 20 hits, Maddox III's double, his 11th of the season, was the only extra-base hit for the Bobcats.
Junior right hander Joe Stover (Shorewood, Ill.) earned his first victory of the season, after working 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and striking out two. Stover is now 1-3 on the season.
In the top of the third inning with two outs, Ohio brought four unearned runs across the plate to take control of the game. Maddox III got the scoring started with an RBI-double, followed by back-to-back RBI-singles by freshman Zach Keen (Beavercreek, Ohio) and Voshell. With the bases loaded junior Hayden Johnston (Strattanville, Pa.) was then hit by a pitch to bring the fourth run of the inning across the dish, giving Ohio a 6-2 lead.
Keen's RBI-single extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
The Bobcats continued to build on to their lead with another unearned run in the fourth inning, before Besl and Voshell connected on a pair of two-RBI singles in the fifth inning to blow the game open and give Ohio an 11-2 edge.
Youngstown State finally responded with Erich Diedrich's two-run home run in the bottom half of the fifth inning and then two more runs in the seventh inning, but the large lead proved to be too much for the Penguins to overcome.
Ohio added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning, off an RBI-single by Maddox III, and a double steal, which allowed Rehak to steal home for the final score of 14-6.
Junior right-hander Matt Schlarb (Lexington, Ohio) came on in relief for the Bobcats in the bottom of the seventh inning and held the Penguin's hitless through the final 2.1 innings. Schlarb allowed just two base runners, both of whom reached on walks.
Also posting multi-hit games for the Bobcats were senior Matt Stiffler (2-for-4), freshman Tyler Chadwell (2-for-5) and sophomore Jeremie Rehak (2-for-2).
Ohio will look to remain atop the Mid-American Conference East Division standings this weekend when the team travels to Akron for a three-game set with the Zips.
----------------------------
Wes Liles is the baseball contact in the Ohio media relations office. He can be reached via email at liles@ohio.edu.
