Feb. 22, 2009

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C.-The Ohio baseball squad put up 10 runs in Sunday's first six innings against Army and held off the Black Knights behind stellar pitching to pick up a 10-4 win on the campus of Davidson College. Ohio improved to 1-3 with the win, while Army dropped to 1-2.

"The first win is always the toughest," said Ohio head coach Joe Carbone. "The first two games, we didn't play very well but today we played a good game."

Junior first baseman Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio), sophomore designated hitter Robert Maddox III (Euclid, Ohio) and senior right fielder Hayden Johnston (Strattanville, Pa.) all posted three hits and two runs for Ohio, while senior third baseman Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio) and freshman shortstop Bobby Martin (Crystal Lake, Ill.) drove in a pair of runs. Army was led by two hits apiece for shortstop Clint Moore, designated hitter Joey Hinshaw and left fielder Kyle Fleming.

"Johnston's been swinging the bat well," Carbone said. "He's originally an infielder who is playing in the outfield for us. He's a good athlete and we need his bat."

Ohio senior hurler Kevin Mementowski (Parma, Ohio) moved to 1-1 on the season by tossing six shutout innings, allowing just four hits with one strikeout and no walks. Junior Bryce Butt (Omaha, Neb.) picked up his first save as a Bobcat, tossing three effective innings in relief. He allowed one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Army's Kyle Brueggermann (0-1) suffered the loss, yielding four runs on six hits in four innings with two strikeouts and one walk.

"Mementowski and Butt came in and did a great job," said Carbone. "Anytime you come in with the bases loaded and no outs and give up just one run, you've done a heck of a job."

After a first inning run by Army, the Bobcats evened the score in the bottom of the second when Maddox III scored on sophomore second baseman Zach Keen's (Beavercreek, Ohio) RBI-groundout to second.

From that point, Ohio ripped off its final nine runs with two in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth. Martin's two-RBI single up the middle plated the fourth-inning tallies, while Johnston's two-run blast to right center in the fifth made the score 5-1. The dinger was his second on the season.

After Keen scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch, Krauss laced a two-run single through the right side. Besl, the next man up, had the big shot of the frame with a two-run shot to left center to cap the Bobcat scoring.

Army answered with three runs (two unearned) in its half of the eighth inning for the game's final runs.

Ohio also stole four bases off Black Knight pitching throughout the course of the game.

The Bobcats will back in action Friday at Furman for a four game series.