May 8, 2010

ATHENS, Ohio-Center fielder Gauntlett Eldemire went 5-for-5 with three homers, four runs scored and six RBIs to lead the Ohio baseball team to a 17-5 drubbing of visiting Buffalo Saturday at Bob Wren Stadium.

The Bobcats improved to 16-30 overall and 9-11 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Bulls dropped to 20-25 and 6-14 in the league.

In addition to Eldemire’s heroics, first baseman Tyler Backstrom added three RBIs (on three hits), as did right fielder Jerod Yakubik who, along with third baseman Bryan Barnes, also scored three times.

Buffalo second baseman Brad Augustin became the school’s all-time leader in hits with a 3-for-5 effort with two runs scored. First baseman Rob Lawler added a two-run homer to right center, his fifth of the season, in the ninth inning.

Ohio starter Seth Streich (2-4) had a nice outing, limiting the visitors to just one earned run on seven hits in five and two-thirds innings, with one strikeout and two walks. Reliever Ben Trimbur pitched a clean ninth inning, striking out one Bull.

Buffalo starter Pierre Miville-Deschenes (3-6) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

The Bulls tallied the game’s first run, but Ohio responded with eight runs after that. The Bobcats tallied four in the first on a three-run homer to right center by Eldemire and an RBI single through the right side by Tyler Backstrom.

Eldemire and Barnes had solo homers in the third inning and catcher Kris McDonough drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning.

In the fifth inning, Eldemire laced a run-scoring single to left, scoring shortstop Wesley O’Neill, who reached on a single to center.

Buffalo posted a run in the sixth, but Ohio fired back with a six-run explosion in the bottom half of the inning. The first two scored when Backstrom ripped a single back up the middle and Yakubik followed four batters later with a three-run homer to right center. Eldemire’s third dinger of the game then flew out over the center field wall for the final tally of the inning.

Second baseman Zach Keen’s sacrifice fly to left center scored Barnes with Ohio’s 15th run.

Ohio catcher Trace Voshell registered a run-scoring single to left in the eighth and pinch hitter Doug Holmes reached on an infield single, plating left fielder Robert Maddox III with the home team’s final run.

Buffalo put up three runs in the ninth inning to account for the final margin.

Ohio honored its 1960, 1965 and 1970 (College World Series participant) teams in a pregame ceremony on the program’s “Alumni Day”.

The two teams are scheduled to play the final game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m.