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FINAL: Ohio 6 (25-15, 10-7 MAC), Akron 1 (19-21, 9-8 MAC) - Athens, Ohio (Bob Wren Stadium)

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

AKRON STARTERS: Mason Mamarella (CF), Daulton Mosbarger (DH), Joey Havrilak (RF), Brian Lees (C), Kris Simonton (LF), Billy Salem (3B), Gerrad Rohan (1B), Dom Iero (SS), Alex Dirienzo (2B), JT Brubaker (P)

THE BASICS
Junior right-handed starting pitcher Connor Sitz (Westerville, Ohio) threw five strong innings while the bats pounded out 13 hits to power the Ohio baseball team (25-15, 10-7 MAC) to a 6-1 win over Mid-American Conference East Division rival Akron (19-21, 9-8 MAC) on Saturday (April 25) at Bob Wren Stadium.

The Bobcats took the weekend series from the Zips. Ohio won the series opener, 1-0, on Friday (April 24) courtesy of a one-out, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning by senior Tyler Wells (Lexington, Ky.).

Ohio recorded its third MAC series win of the season and second straight. The Bobcats' 25 wins thus far in 2015 match the program's win total from the previous two seasons combined.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sitz scattered three hits and a walk over five frames while giving one earned run. He picked up his first pitching victory in MAC play and improved to 5-1 overall on the year.
- Senior southpaw Spencer Sapp (Jasper, Ind.) and sophomore righty Tom Colletti (Wheaton, Ill.) combined to toss the final four innings, with Colletti fanning two over 3.2 innings while giving up one hit and two walks. He picked up his second save of the season.
- Ohio's three pitchers combined to limit the Zips to just four hits.
- The top four hitters in Ohio's lineup produced multi-hit games, with redshirt senior Garrett Black (Lima, Ohio) leading the way with a 3-for-4 effort that included a walk, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base.
- Senior Jake Madsen (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with two singles to tie Ben Crabtree (2002-05) for the most career hits in program history with 269. He scored a run and drove in another.
- Junior Manny De Jesus (Caguas, P.R.) went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
- Sophomore Mitch Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) produced a 2-for-4 effort that included an RBI and a run scored.
- Redshirt senior Joey Havrilak accounted for two of Akron's four hits.
- Junior right-handed starting pitcher JT Brubaker was tagged with the pitching defeat for the Zips, falling to 4-4 on the season. He surrendered five runs -- three of which were earned -- on seven hits and two walks while posting one strikeout.
- Sophomore righty Josh Davis threw the final three frames for Akron, giving up one earned run on six hits and a walk. He fanned two.
- The Zips grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when redshirt freshman Mason Mamarella led off the contest by drawing a walk, advanced to third one out later on a single to center by Havrilak and then scored on an RBI fielder's choice that put sophomore Brian Lees on.
- The Bobcats struck back in the home half of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Garrett Black drew a one-out walk, moved to third on a base hit through the right side by Longo and then tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Madsen to tie the contest at one-all. Ohio took the lead when Longo scored on an RBI single to left by redshirt junior Cody Gaertner (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
- Ohio increased its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second when junior John Adryan (Delran, N.J.) sent a leadoff single through the right side, advanced to second and third on wild pitches and then scored by way of a two-out RBI single to right center by Garrett Black.
- The Bobcats made it a three-run affair in the bottom of the third. Madsen reached on a throwing error by Brubaker, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a throwing error at short by Akron sophomore Dom Iero that put Adryan on base.
- The Zips threatened in the top of the fifth as Iero and freshman Alex Dirienzo led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Sitz got Mamarella to line out to Garrett Black at short, though, who then fired over to first to get Dirienzo for a big double play. Sitz then got junior Daulton Mosbarger to ground out to first to put an end to the top of the fifth and extinguish the threat of an Akron rally.
- The Bobcats tacked on insurance runs in both the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, Adryan reached second base on a dropped fly ball in left by Akron junior Kris Simonton with two outs, then scored on an RBI single through the left side by sophomore Ty Black (Waynesville, Ohio). The sixth inning saw De Jesus leg out a leadoff infield single to second, move up to third on a base hit to left by Garrett Black and then score Ohio's sixth and final run when Longo served up a sacrifice fly to center.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ohio has won 11 of its last 14 -- including eight of its last 11 MAC games.
- The Bobcats pounded out at least 10 hits for the 20th time in 2015.
- Longo posted his team-leading 17th multi-hit game of the season.
- Madsen recorded his 16th multi-hit game of the year. He's reached base safely in a team-high 13 straight games.
- Garrett Black achieved his ninth multi-hit effort of the season and third with at least three hits.
- De Jesus has a team-high nine-game hitting streak going. He tallied his 13th multi-hit game of the year.

UP NEXT
Ohio takes aim at its second sweep of a MAC East Division rival in 2015 when it battles Akron in the Sunday (April 26) series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Sophomore right-hander Jake Rudnicki (Toledo, Ohio) is expected to start on the mound for the Bobcats and oppose junior righty Jon Pusateri of the Zips.

Fans are invited to run the bases following Sunday's contest. The Bobcats will also host a free clinic for baseball players ages 6-13 following game.

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