May 13, 2011
Final Stats
Photo Gallery
ATHENS, Ohio-The Akron baseball team celebrated Friday the 13th by hanging that number on host Ohio in a 13-3 win Friday evening at Bob Wren Stadium.
The Zips improved to 14-33 overall and 6-16 in the Mid-American Conference, while Ohio dropped to 23-26 and 7-15 in the league.
Second baseman Sam Watkins had two doubles, a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored for the Zips, while center fielder Drew Turocy added a 3-for-3 effort, which included a three-run homer as well. First baseman Kurt Gamby added a grand slam in the fifth inning, which saw the Zips collect seven tallies on six hits. Ohio shortstop Garrett Black, second baseman Bryan Barnes and left fielder Jensen Painter knocked in runs for the Bobcats.
UA starter Andrew Brown (4-6) went seven innings in the victory, giving up two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Kevin Kumazec kept the Bobcats off the board in the eighth and ninth innings, striking out a batter. Ohio starter Ben Trimbur (4-3) took the loss, giving up three runs six hits with two strikeouts and three walks. The Bobcats used six pitchers in the game, and reliever Shane Henkel finished it in fine fashion by tossing four and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
The two teams traded runs in the first inning, with Watkins' homer coming in the top half and Barnes' RBI single up the middle countering it.
The Zips got two more in the second, but Ohio pulled one back on a sacrifice flyout to right by Black in the bottom of the third.
Turocy's blast to right in the top of the fourth made it a 6-2 game, but Ohio again cut into the lead with an RBI single up the middle by Painter in the bottom half.
Akron put the game away, though, in the top of the seventh as it erupted for seven runs for the game's final margin. The first two runs scored on a throwing error and left fielder Brandon White added an RBI single to left before Gamby came on as a pinch hitter and launched a grand slam to left off Ohio's Sean Kennedy.
The two teams are scheduled to play the second game of the series Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
