May 1, 2009
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Ohio University baseball team brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but couldn't draw even, as the Bobcats dropped the series opener to Bowling Green, 12-9, in a steady rain Friday at Steller Field.
Ohio (22-17, 13-6 Mid-American Conference) trailed 12-3 after seven frames, but made a late charge, scoring six runs in the final two innings, before the Falcons (21-18, 11-7 MAC) closed out the victory. The Bobcats were out-hit 12-10, but recorded double-digit hits for the 10th-straight game, including four home runs, giving the 'Cats 29 dingers in their last seven contests.
Senior Brandon Besl (Cincinnati, Ohio) extended his hitting streak to a season-long eight games with a 2-for-5 day, including a three-run home run in the ninth inning. Junior Jeremie Rehak (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also tallied a pair of hits, his first multi-hit game of the year, with two RBIs, while clubbing his second home run in as many games (and of the season).
Senior Chris Rigo (Westlake, Ohio) was saddled with the loss and fell to 5-3 on the year, allowing 10 runs, but just five earned, in five and two-thirds innings of work, while striking out five Falcons. Sophomore Brennan Smith (7-3) garnered the win, throwing seven innings and allowing three runs with 10 strikeouts. The rainy weather contributed to sloppy play, as Ohio surrendered five unearned runs on four errors, while BGSU also committed four miscues.
"Rigo wasn't locating well. He was throwing hard, but couldn't seem to locate his pitches," Ohio head coach Joe Carbone said. "As far as the defense, both teams had four errors and we were playing in the rain the whole day. Guys weren't making plays, but it was tough conditions. When it's raining and you're playing baseball, you have to expect errors."
The Falcons struck first, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second, aided by an error and a wild pitch, but Ohio answered with three runs in the top of the third. Sophomore Gauntlett Eldemire (Shaker Heights, Ohio) drilled a solo blast, his 14th homer of the year, to right center and after junior Marc Krauss (Deshler, Ohio) walked, senior Hayden Johnston (Strattanville, Pa.) tagged a two-run round-tripper over the batter's eye in center field for his tenth bomb of the year, including six times in his last seven games, while stretching his hitting streak to a season-long tying 13 games.
Bowling Green made it 6-3 in the fourth, tallying a run on redshirt junior Tyler Elkins' double and scored an unearned run on the Bobcats' second error of the contest. The Falcons then plated three more runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh for a 12-3 cushion, before Ohio mounted a rally.
Rehak's two-run four-bagger in the eighth cut the deficit to seven and Besl's no-out, three-run blast in the final stanza made it a 12-8 contest. After the first out in the ninth, sophomore pinch hitter Trace Voshell (Batavia, Ohio) reached on an error, Adam Gecewich (Strongsville, Ohio), another sophomore pinch hitter, singled, and Rehak loaded the bases with an infield hit. Eldemire drove in his second run of the game on a fielder's choice to make it 12-9 and Krauss came to the plate as the tying run, but struck out looking to thwart Ohio's comeback, as freshman Kacy Dwornik picked up his first save of the year.
"We hung in there and battled back," Carbone said. "We got the tying run to the plate, but couldn't quite get it done. Bowling Green brought in a left-hander (Dwornik) and he made a good pitch (to strike out Krauss). All in all, Bowling Green did a better job than we did today."
The Bobcats and Falcons continue their series Saturday at Steller Field with first pitch set for 1 p.m. ET. Live stats will be available for Saturday's contest via Gametracker on OhioBobcats.com, while the game will also be broadcast on WATH 970 AM in Athens and streamed live on OhioBobcats.com. The "Voice of the Bobcats" Russ Eisenstein will take to the air at 12:45 p.m. ET with pre-game coverage.
Notes: With Eldemire's 14th home run of the year Friday, the sophomore has doubled his freshman home run total of seven and tied his season-long hitting streak of nine ... Rigo moved into sole possession of seventh on Ohio's career pitching appearances list with 60 ... With his three RBIs, Besl now sits in 10th place on Ohio's career RBIs ledger with 138 and ranks eighth in Ohio history with 339 total bases ... The Bobcats now have 67 home runs on the year (in 39 games), surpassing their 2008 season total of 66 round-trippers in 59 games.
