FINAL: Xavier 9 (8-16), Ohio 5 (12-9) - Athens, Ohio (Bob Wren Stadium)

OHIO STARTERS: Manny De Jesus (CF), Garrett Black (SS), Mitch Longo (RF), Jake Madsen (1B), Cody Gaertner (DH), Ty Black (3B), Tyler Wells (LF), Kyle Dean (C), David Hamlett (2B), Jake Rudnicki (P)

XAVIER STARTERS: Nate Soria (C), Joe Forney (1B), Brian Bruening (RF), Andre Jernigan (SS), Ethan Schmidt (3B), Derek Hasenbeck (DH), Patrick Jones (LF), Selby Chidemo (2B), David Morton (CF), Eric Stiene (P)

THE BASICS

Despite receiving a three-hit performance from junior Manny De Jesus (Caguas, P.R.), the Ohio baseball team (12-9) dropped its 2015 home-opener to Xavier (8-16), 9-5, on Tuesday (March 24) at Bob Wren Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

- De Jesus went 3-for-5 with a run scored to lead the Bobcats.
- Senior Tyler Wells (Lexington, Ky.) went 2-for-5 and launched a two-run homer.
- Redshirt senior David Hamlett (Stockton, Calif.) finished with two singles and a run scored.

- Sophomore right-handed starting pitcher Jake Rudnicki (Toledo, Ohio) lasted 3.2 innings after allowing six earned runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out one batter. He suffered the pitching defeat and fell to 1-2 on the season.

- Ohio's bullpen pitched a combined 5.1 innings, allowing three runs -- only one of which was earned -- while permitting five hits, three walks and retiring five Musketeers via the strikeout.

- Freshman righty Logan Jacik (Omaha, Ne.) pitched pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and fanning two while walking one batter.

- Freshman Nate Soria led the Xavier offensive attack, hitting 3-for-5 with three runs scored -- including a three-run home run.

- Junior Andre Jernigan also collected three hits and homered for Xavier.
- Senior Joe Forney, senior Brian Bruening and senior Derek Hasenbeck all collected two hits for the Musketeers. Bruening doubled and drove in two runs while Hasenbeck also doubled.
- Senior right-handed reliever Zach Johnson picked up the pitching victory for Xavier, fanning three while giving up an unearned run on two hits. He improved to 1-1 on the year.
- Senior righty Eric Stiene started on the bump for the Musketeers, giving up two earned runs on five hits and a walk over four frames. He struck out two.
- Xavier opened up the scoring in the top of the first inning as Soria led off the contest with a single to center, stole second and scored one out later by way of a base hit to right by Bruening.
- The Musketeers added to their lead in the second. Hasenbeck stroked a leadoff double to right center, and senior Selby Chidemo followed with a walk one out later. That set the table for three-run homer to left by Soria to increase the Musketeers' lead to 4-0.
- Xavier added two more in the top of the fourth inning. Soria and Forney hit back-to-back one-out singles to left, with Soria tagging up and scoring on a sacrifice fly to left by Bruening and Forney scoring on a base hit by Jernigan.
- The Bobcats pulled within four runs in the bottom of the fourth as a leadoff base hit to center by redshirt junior Cody Gaertner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) set the stage for a two-run blast byWells over the left field fence.
- The Musketeers made it a six-run ballgame again in the fifth. Hasenbeck coaxed a leadoff walk and later scored on a balk, and redshirt senior Patrick Jones reached on an Ohio error and later scored on a wild pitch.
- Ohio trimmed Xavier's lead to five with a run in the home half of the fifth as sophomore Mitch Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a single to left by senior Jake Madsen (Cincinnati, Ohio), advanced to third on a fielder's choice that put Gaertner on and then tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by sophomore Ty Black (Waynesville, Ohio).
- Xavier plated its ninth and final run in the sixth when Jernigan smashed a one-out solo shot over the left field wall.
- Ohio put another run on the board in the sixth when senior second baseman David Hamlet (Stockton, Ca.) smacked a leadoff single back up the middle, advanced to second on a base hit through the right side by De Jesus and third on a walk by redshirt senior Garrett Black (Lima, Ohio) and then scored on an RBI groundout to first base by Longo.
- The Bobcats made it a four-run contest in the eighth when De Jesus beat out an infield single to second, moved to second on a Xavier fielding error that put Garrett Black on, advanced to third on a fielder's choice that put Longo on and then scored on a wild pitch.
- Gaertner drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth for Ohio, but Xavier freshman southpaw Zac Lowther proceded to retire the next three batters to end the game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- The Bobcats produced double-digit hits for the 13th time in 2015.
- De Jesus produced his eighth multi-hit game of the season and fourth with at least three hits.
- Hamlett recorded his first multi-hit game as a Bobcat.
- Wells tallied his ninth multi-hit game of the year for Ohio. His team-leading fourth dinger of the season puts him one away from matching his season career high of five set as a freshman in 2012.

QUOTABLE

Third-Year Head Coach Rob Smith:

- "We did some good things in certain spots. I thought Logan Jacik, a freshman, did a good job pitching there at the end, lasting three innings or so. But, we've got to get off to better starts. You know, that's been an issue for us all year, really. We're fortunate enough to have the record that we have because our offense has picked us up in some spots and our bullpen has picked us up in some spots. But, we've got to get more quality starts."

UP NEXT

Ohio remains at Bob Wren Stadium, playing host to Marshall (7-15) on Wednesday (March 25) in a non-conference midweek game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

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