April 5, 2008
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Ohio baseball team split a doubleheader with Toledo Saturday afternoon, falling 9-4 in game one and routing the Rockets 18-5 in the second game, and senior Matt Stiffler (Bellbrook, Ohio) extended his hitting streak to 21 games, etching his name in the Ohio record book. Stiffler now holds the longest hitting streak in the recorded history of Ohio baseball after hitting safely in both games.
Stiffler singled to right field in the top of the sixth inning of game one to pass former Bobcat Bryant Witt's 19-game hitting streak, and then homered in the first inning of the second game to push his streak to 21 games.
Toledo (8-13, 3-2 MAC) took control of the first game with a four-run fourth inning, capped by a three-run home run by Drew Hoisington. The blast turned a 4-3 Bobcat lead into a 7-4 deficit, and gave Toledo its first lead of the game, one it would not relinquish.
Ohio freshman Zach Keen (Beavercreek, Ohio) and junior Chris Klimko (McKeesport, Pa.) each were perfect at the plate in game one. Keen went 2-for-2 with two walks and Klimko finished 3-for-3. Ohio junior Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI and sophomore Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio) went 2-for-4 with one double.
Ohio (14-12, 6-2 MAC) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, after senior Jason Selhorst (Ottawa, Ohio) singled with two on, and then a throwing error to the plate, allowed both Stiffler and Besl to score, giving Ohio a 2-0 lead. The second Toledo throwing error of the inning allowed Selhorst to come around and score, giving Ohio a 3-0 lead.
Toledo's Jake Oester responded in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run home run to bring the score to 3-2.
The back and fourth battle continued in the top of the third inning, as Besl hit a solo home run over the right field wall, putting Oho in front 4-2. Oester answered in the bottom half of the inning however, with his second home run of the game, a solo-shot, to bring the score to 4-3.
Ohio had its chances in both the top of the fifth and sixth innings, but came up empty both times. The Bobcats had the bases loaded with one out in both innings, but failed to bring any runs across the plate. For the game Ohio left 13 runners on base.
Toledo added another run in the bottom of the sixth inning to take an 8-4 advantage and brought an insurance run across the dish in the seventh inning for the final score of 9-4.
Ohio right-hander Chris Rigo (Westlake, Ohio) had his roughest outing of the season, working three innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits, striking out five, and walking four. Rigo took the loss in game one to drop to 3-2 on the season.
Senior left-hander Matt Smith (Centre Hall, Pa.) was solid on the hill in 4.0 innings in relief of Rigo. Smith allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits, to go with one strikeout.
Second Game: Ohio 18, Toledo 5
Ohio routed Toledo, 18-5, in the second game behind an offensive outburst by the Bobcat bats and a stellar outing by starter Zach Elmer (Delaware, Ohio).
Ohio totaled a season-high 18 runs on a season-high 19 hits, including scoring 10 runs in the top of the eighth inning, to cruise past the Rockets.
The left-handed Elmer was just as impressive on the mound, going 6.0 innings, giving up just one earned run on two hits and striking out six to earn the victory and improve to 3-1 on the season. Elmer held Toledo hitless threw the first five innings.
Stiffler led off the second game with a home run to extend his hit streak and then ended any chances of a Toledo comeback in the top of the eighth inning with a two-run home run, his fifth of the season.
Stiffler finished the game 3-for-5 with the two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. Krauss went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, and Besl was 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Toledo tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom half of the first inning, but the Rockets would never take the lead.
Ohio senior Zach Hartle (Toledo, Ohio) hit a two-out single through the left side, scoring Keen and freshman Trace Voshell (Batavia, Ohio) to put Ohio in front 3-1.
Voshell finished the day 3-for-6 with two RBI and one run scored, while Hartle went 2-for-6 with three RBI and one run scored.
Besl hit his second home run of the day and of the season with two outs in the top of the fourth inning, a three-run blast, giving Ohio a commanding 6-1 advantage.
Another two-out base hit by Voshell in the seventh inning scored two more runs for the Bobcats to lift the margin to 8-1.
Toledo scored two runs in the bottom half of the seventh, before Ohio junior left-hander Mike Babin (Medina, Ohio) was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Hoisington to end the threat.
The Bobcats ended any thought of a comeback by scoring 10 runs on 10 hits in the top of the eighth inning to take a dominating 18-3 advantage. The Bobcats sent 16 batters to the plate in the inning, which was highlighted by a two-run home run by Stiffler and a two-run home run by Hartle.
The Bobcats and Rockets conclude their three-game series Sunday at 1 p.m. Brian Boesch will have the call on WXTQ Power 105 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.
