March 22, 2009

Box Score

ATHENS, Ohio - Sophomore center fielder Gauntlett Eldemire collected two home runs and drove in seven runs to pace an Ohio baseball team that won the rubber match of the series with Central Michigan, 16-6, Sunday afternoon at Bob Wren Stadium. With the win, the Bobcats claimed their first weekend-series victory of the year, after the two squads split the opening two games of the weekend.

The 16 runs were a season high for Ohio (7-10, 2-1 Mid-American Conference), matching the most since the Bobcats scored the same total May 10 of last year in a win over Miami. The 20 hits were also a season best and the most since Ohio had 24 April 22, 2008 against Cincinnati, with the 10-run margin of victory its largest since the same contest with the Bearcats (Ohio won 18-6).

All nine Bobcats registered at least one hit, with seven recording multiple hits, including four with three hits. Eldemire (Shaker Heights, Ohio) had a career day, totaling a career-best seven RBIs on a pair of four-baggers for his first-career multi-homer game. He had three hits on the day and scored three times, extending his hitting streak to nine games and giving him six multi-hit games in his last seven contests since returning from an injury. He now has seven home runs on the year, equaling his total from his freshman campaign.

"He's a guy with a tremendous amount of talent. He's an untapped, great talent," Ohio head coach Joe Carbone said. "We're trying to get him to have a better approach and the fact that he's very coachable makes it easier. We feel when he becomes a better two-strike hitter, he'll be even better and be an outstanding player like Marc Krauss."

Junior third baseman Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio) also had three hits on the day to stretch his hitting streak to 16 games, a new career long, while also driving in three runs. Sophomore left fielder Adam Gecewich (Strongsville, Ohio) registered a career-high three hits on the day, to go along with a pair of RBIs and runs each. Senior right fielder Hayden Johnston (Strattanville, Pa.) was the fourth Bobcat with three hits, giving him five-straight multi-hit games. Junior first baseman Jerod Yakubik (Byesville, Ohio), who had a pair of hits and an RBI, also extended his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games.

Junior starter Rex Ingham (Colorado Springs, Colo.) improved to 3-0 on the mound, winning his second-straight start by going six innings and allowing six runs with a pair of walks and a strikeout. CMU freshman starter Zach Cooper (3-2) took the loss, as he was tagged for 10 runs, nine of which were earned, on nine hits in just 2.2 innings of work.

Neither team scored in the first frame for the first team in the series, as Ohio went down 1-2-3, marking just the second time all series a Bobcat failed to reach base in an inning. The Green & White made up for it in the second however, sending six runs across the plate, capped by Eldemire's three-run bomb to left field.

Central Michigan (9-12, 1-2 MAC) answered with three runs in the third, including the final two on a two-RBI single to right field by redshirt freshman Nate Theunissen. Eldemire then struck again for the 'Cats in the bottom of third with his first-career grand slam, which gave the sophomore three blasts in the series and was Ohio's first bases-loaded homer since Krauss did so May 23 against Eastern Michigan in last year's MAC Tournament.

Sophomore Tom Howard hit a pinch-hit home run in the fifth to make it a 10-4 ball game, CMU's second pinch-hit homer of the series, but Krauss responded by ripping a two-RBI double down the right field line in the home half of the fifth, scoring Eldemire and Gecewich for a 12-4 Bobcat advantage.

Ohio tacked on another run in the sixth when senior catcher Chris Klimko (McKeesport, Pa.) scurried home on an RBI-single by Gecewich. Theunissen, who finished with a CMU-high three hits, answered by belting a two-run shot to left field in the seventh for the Chippewas, giving him 10 RBIs in the series and putting Central Michigan within seven, at 13-6. The 'Cats pushed three more runs across in their final two innings at-bat however, and senior reliever Zach Fairbanks (Martins Ferry, Ohio) closed out the contest for his first-career save in his first relief appearance of 2009, pitching three scoreless innings and conceding just two hits, while fanning three Chippewas.

"I thought our guys came out ready to play today, which is tougher to do after a loss (as Ohio lost yesterday), than a win," Carbone said. "The guys played hard and I thought we got a good performance from Ingham and Fairbanks. Fairbanks came in and did a great job for us to finish off the game."

The Bobcats return to the diamond Tuesday, March 24 when they'll wrap-up their season-long nine-game home stand against Eastern Kentucky, with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. ET at Bob Wren Stadium. Live stats will be available via Gametracker on OhioBobcats.com.