March 5, 2010
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, S.C.-
The Ohio baseball team had a big day offensively, but couldn't overcome six errors in the field before eventually falling to host Furman 11-9 at Latham Stadium Friday afternoon.
Furman improved to 3-6 overall, while Ohio dropped to 1-6.
Paladin right fielder Will Owens went 4-4, with a homer, four RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Furman attack. Second baseman Will Muzika had three hits, while catcher Dylan Cole and shortstop J.B. Jenkins each had two hits and scored a pair of runs.
Ohio center fielder Gauntlett Eldemire led the attack again for the visitors, going 3-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs. Second baseman Bryan Barnes, left fielder Adam Gecewich and catcher Kris McDonough all had two hits apiece. Friday was also Gecewich's debut as he returned from a preseason injury. Barnes and McDonough scored two runs as well.
Furman reliever Kevin Gottlieb (1-1) got the win, allowing just two hits and one run in three innings of work. Ohio starter Bryce Butt dropped to 0-2 on the season, giving up 12 hits and five earned runs over five and two-thirds innings with one strikeout and no walks. Five of Furman's runs that scored were unearned due to Ohio's miscues in the field.
"We swung the bats well, but didn't play good defense and that caught up with us today," said Ohio head coach Joe Carbone. "We were in the game the whole way, but we just still aren't meshing defensively. We're happy to get Gecewich back because we've really missed having him out there during the first two weeks of the season."
Ohio got on the board first when Barnes led off the game with a single to short and came around to score when first baseman Jerod Yakubik reached on Muzika's fielding error.
After two Furman runs in the bottom of the second, the Bobcats tied the game in its half of the third when right fielder Robert Maddox III drove in Barnes with a base hit through the right side. Barnes had another leadoff hit in this inning with a single to center.
The visitors appeared to get control of the game when they piled on four more runs in the fourth frame to go up 6-2. Catcher Sam Mahoney and Gecewich led off the inning with back-to-back homers and Eldemire followed four batters later with a two-run blast to left field, driving in McDonough, who had earlier singled to center.
Furman cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom half of that inning and scored four in the sixth and two in the seventh to take a 10-6 lead.
Ohio pinch hitter Trace Voshell got into the act in the Bobcats' eighth frame with a homer to left field, but Furman came right back with one more in the bottom half to make the score 11-7.
Ohio got the last runs of the game with two tallies in the ninth when McDonough led off with a blast to right center and Eldemire's base hit to left that knocked in pinch hitter Matt Keller, who had earlier doubled down the left field line.
Furman stole four bases during the game, while Muzika was caught stealing once.
The two teams will play the second game of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
