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FINAL: UAB 15 (2-3), Ohio (2-2) 6 - Birmingham, Ala. (Regions Field)

OHIO STARTERS: Manny De Jesus (CF), Ty Black (2B), Mitch Longo (LF), John Adryan (3B), Cody Gaertner (C), Rudy Rott (1B), Tony Giannini (RF), Nate Squires (DH), Tyler Finkler (SS), Gerry Salisbury (P)

UAB STARTERS: Brewer Hicklen (CF), Evan Peterson (3B), Esteban Tresgallo (C), Griffin Gum (RF), Carter Pharis (1B), Riley McCown (LF), Kyle Davis (DH), Adam Smith (SS), Blake Johnson (2B), Ryan Ruggles (P)

THE BASICS
The Ohio baseball team (2-2) could not maintain a two-run lead through three innings, falling to host UAB (2-3), 15-6, on Friday (Feb. 26) in the opening game of a three-game weekend set at Regions Field in Birmingham, Ala.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Blazers outhit the Bobcats, 14-13, and drew 10 walks.
• Junior left fielder Mitch Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
• Redshirt senior catcher Cody Gaertner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Redshirt junior designated hitter Nate Squires (Plain City, Ohio) singled and doubled and drove in two runs.
• Sophomore right fielder Tony Giannini (Carmel, Ind.) went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
• Redshirt sophomore southpaw starting pitcher Gerry Salisbury (Brunswick, Ohio) suffered the loss on the mound. He struck out four and allowed six earned runs on six hits and three walks.
• UAB was led at the plate by freshman first baseman/third baseman Carter Pharis, who went 3-for-4 with a double and a walk and drove in five runs and scored another.
• Redshirt freshman second baseman/shortstop Blake Johnson finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored for the Blazers.
• Redshirt senior catcher Esteban Tresgallo collected two hits and scored two runs for UAB.
• Redshirt junior left-handed reliever Adam Lamar earned the pitching win for the Blazers, fanning two while surrendering two hits in three frames of work.
• The Bobcats grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Longo sent a two-out single through the left side, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored by way of a base hit to left by Gaertner.
• UAB responded by scoring two runs in the home half of the first, but Ohio tallied four runs in the third to take a 5-1 lead. Senior third baseman John Adryan (Delran, N.J.) drew a two-out walk to get things started. Gaertner followed with a base hit through the right side, then freshman first baseman Rudy Rott (Holmen, Wis.) drew a walk to load the bases with Bobcats. That set the table for Giannini to smack a two-run single through the left side. Squires tacked on two more runs courtesy of his two-run double to right.
• Unfortunately for the Bobcats, UAB made it a two-run game by plating a run in the bottom of the third, then scored five runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh to blow the contest open.
• Ohio pushed one final run across in the top of the ninth when junior second baseman Ty Black (Waynesville, Ohio) hit a leadoff double to left and later scored on an RBI base hit by redshirt sophomore Michael Klein (Highlands Ranch, Colo.).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• The Bobcats have tallied 10 or more hits in every game so far in 2016.
• Longo and Gaertner have each recorded two multi-hit games this year.
• Freshman pinch hitter Devon Garcia (Bowling Green, Ohio) and redshirt freshman right-handed reliever Josh Petersen (Deshler, Ohio) made their Bobcat debuts on Friday.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats look to even the series with UAB on Saturday (Feb. 27). First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. Senior right-handed pitcher Jake Miller (Westerville, Ohio) is scheduled to make the start on the mound for Ohio and oppose UAB junior right-handed pitcher Austin Thomas.

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