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FINAL: Ohio 17 (32-19, 17-10 MAC), Miami 5 (13-39, 11-16 MAC) - Oxford, Ohio (Stanley G. McKie Field at Joseph P. Hayden Jr. Park)

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

MIAMI STARTERS: Ryan Elble (1B), Jake Romano (CF), Matt Honchel (RF), Adam Yacek (3B), Max Andresen (DH), Jacob Wolf (LF), Scott Slappey (SS), Kendall Johnson (1B), Tommy Ricciardi (C), Ryan Powers (P)

THE BASICS
The Ohio baseball team (32-19, 17-10 MAC) closed out the 2015 regular season with an emphatic 17-5 blowout of Mid-American Conference East Division archrival Miami (13-39, 11-6 MAC) in the 'Battle of the Bricks' rubber match on Saturday (May 16) at Stanley G. McKie Field at Joseph P. Hayden Jr. Park.

The Bobcats bounced back from a 7-6 setback to the RedHawks on Friday (May 15). Ohio opened the series with a 9-6 win on Thursday (May 14).

Ohio's 32 regular season victories marked the program's most since winning 33 in 2003. The Bobcats' 17 conference wins mark the program's most since capturing 18 in 2000. The Bobcats recorded five MAC series victories in nine tries this year.

The Bobcats clinched the No. 3 seed in the 2015 MAC Championship and will battle No. 6-seeded Bowling Green on Wednesday (May 20) at 9:30 a.m. ET at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. Ohio returns to the MAC Championship for the first time since 2012.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Bobcats overcame a two hour and twenty minute rain delay to defeat the RedHawks.
- Ohio pounded out a season-high 17 runs 16 hits. Six Bobcats tallied multi-hit efforts.
- Senior Jake Madsen (Cincinnati, Ohio) went 3-for-5 with his team-leading 15th double of the season, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored.
- Senior Tyler Wells (Lexington, Ky.) doubled for the 11th time this year, tripled for the second time, plated three runs and scored another.
- Junior Manny De Jesus (Caguas, Puerto Rico) singled and collected his ninth double of the year in addition to scoring four runs and driving home another.
- Redshirt junior catcher Cody Gaertner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) posted his 12th double of the season to go along with a single, two RBI and a run scored.
- Sophomores Mitch Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) and Ty Black (Waynesville, Ohio) each posted two singles, with Longo plating three runs and scoring two more and Black drawing two walks and scoring two runs.
Senior right-handed relief pitcher Logan Cozart (New Philadelphia, Ohio) threw 1.1 scoreless innings, fanning two while walking two. He picked up the victory on the mound to improve to 6-1 on the year.
- Redshirt senior southpaw starting pitcher Evan Geist (Roswell, Ga.) fanned three over four innings while allowing three earned runs on four hits and three walks.
- Sophomore righty Jake Rudnicki (Toledo, Ohio) and sophomore right-hander Christian Botter (Toronto, Ontario) each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Rudnicki fanned three while giving up a hit and a walk. Botter struck out one while allowing one walk.
- Miami senior right-handed starting pitcher Ryan Powers gave up eight runs -- four of them earned -- on 10 hits and two walks over four innings, falling to 5-9 on the season.
- Senior Soctt Slappey accounted for two of the RedHawks' seven hits, posting his ninth double of the year while driving in a run and scoring two more.
- Ohio seized a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when De Jesus sent a leadoff double down the right field line, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by redshirt senior Garrett Black (Lima, Ohio) and scored by way of an RBI ground out to first by Longo.
- The Bobcats extended their advantage to 5-0 with four runs in the second. Ty Black hit a one-out single and moved to second on a Miami throwing error at short by Slappey. Black scored on another throwing error by Slappey that allowed senior Tirey Burch (Santa Claus, Ind.) to reach safely. De Jesus followed by drawing a walk, and the Bobcats loaded the bases on an infield single to short by Garrett Black. Burch and De Jesus scored on a Miami fielding error at second by senior Ryan Elble that permitted Longo to reach safely. Madsen drove in Garrett Black with an RBI infield single to first.
- Miami made it a 5-2 game by plating two in the home half of the second, as senior Max Andresen drew a leadoff walk to set the table for a two-run home run by junior Jacob Wolf -- his fourth round tripper of the year.
- Ohio made it an 8-2 affair courtesy of three runs in the fourth. De Jesus coaxed a leadoff walk, then stole second and scored one out later on an RBI base hit back up the middle by Longo. Longo then scored on a a double to left center by Madsen, who then advanced to third on a ground out to first by Gaertner and scored on a triple to right center by Wells.
- The RedHawks got a run back in the home half of the fourth when Slappey sent a one-out single through the left side and later scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Elble.
- The Bobcats blew the game open with a nine-run seventh inning. Junior John Adryan (Delran, N.J.) and Ty Black drew back-to-back walks to get thing started. Freshman Tony Giannini (Carmel, Ind.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. De Jesus drew a walk to bump home Adryan. Garrett Black drew another walk to bring in Ty Black. Giannini scored on an RBI infield single by Longo. Madsen then coaxed a walk to bring in De Jesus. A double down the right field line by Gaertner brought around Garrett Black and Longo. Wells then doubled to left to score Madsen and Gaertner. Wells then advanced to third on a balk and scored Ohio's 17th and final run on a sacrifice fly to center by Adryan.
- Miami managed to get two runs back in the bottom of the ninth as redshirt sophomore Adam Yacek drew a leadoff walk and scored two outs later on an RBI double to left center Slappey, who then scored the RedHawks' fifth and final run on an RBI single back up the middle by senior Kendall Johnson. Ohio senior right-handed pitcher Jeremy Cronk (North Plans, Ore.) got junior Tommy Ricciardi to fly out to right to end the game and the regular season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Ohio has won 17 of its last 25 games -- including 13 of its last 18.
- The Bobcats took a series from the RedHawks for the first time since 2011 in Athens and won a series in Oxford for the first time since 2009.
- Saturday's game represented Ohio's largest margin of victory over Miami since a 19-6 win in 2009.
- Ohio finished with double-digit hits for the 25th time in 2015 -- including the squad's eighth contest with at least 15 hits.
- The Bobcats plated nine runs in an inning for the third time this year.
- Madsen tallied his 17th multi-hit game of the year -- including his seventh with at least three hits. He recorded his ninth multi-RBI contest of the season -- including his sixth with at least three RBI.
- Longo recorded his team-leading 22nd multi-hit game and 11th contest with multiple RBI -- including his fifth with at least three RBI. He's hit safely in six straight contests.
- Wells tallied his 16th multi-hit game and ninth with multiple RBI -- including his fourth with at least three RBI. He's reached base safely in 10 straight games.
- De Jesus posted his 18th multi-hit game while Ty Black recorded his 12th. De Jesus has hit safely in six straight games. Black has reached base safely in nine straight games.
- Garrett Black has hit safely in a team-high 10 straight games and has reached base safely in a team-high 13 straight games.
- The Bobcats are 2-1 all-time against Bowling Green in the MAC Championship -- including 1-1 in MAC Championship openers. The two squads met twice in 2008, with the Falcons prevailing, 5-4, in the first round. Ohio bounced back with a 7-3 elimination game victory.

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