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Box Score Game One (PDF) | Box Score Game Two (PDF)

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio baseball team (19-13) took both games of a Friday (April 23) doubleheader from Purdue Fort Wayne (9-20) at Bob Wren Stadium, rolling to a 12-2 victory in seven innings in game one and prevailing in a 5-2 triumph in nine innings in game two.

Game One: Ohio 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 (seven innings)

Junior southpaw starting pitcher Joe Rock (Aliquippa, Pa.) dazzled in his ninth start of the season, striking out 14 Purdue Fort Wayne batters over seven frames while giving up just two earned runs on six hits and one walk. He earned the victory on the mound in his third complete-game effort of the year, improving to 7-1.

Rock got plenty of help from his teammates as the Bobcats pounded out 12 runs on 12 hits. Senior designated hitter Aaron Levy (Cincinnati, Ohio led the way with a 3-for-4 performance that included a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Junior catcher Mason Minzey (Grand Blanc, Mich.) finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored while redshirt junior right fielder Spencer Harbert (Middletown, Del.) went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Ohio jumped out to an 8-0 lead after two innings and never looked. The bulk of the damage was done in the second, with Ohio plating seven runs. The inning was highlighted by a two-RBI single by graduate student first baseman Harry Witwer-Dukes (Monmouth, Ore.), an RBI double by senior left fielder Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio) and a two-run home run by Minzey.

The Bobcats tacked on three more runs to their total in the fifth, with Levy delivering an RBI double and Harbert smacking a two-run home run. Ohio's 12th and final run came in the sixth by way of an RBI single by Levy.

Game Two: Ohio 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 (nine innings)

The Mastodons jumped out to quick lead thanks to a two-run home run in the top of the first, but the Bobcats ultimately battled back and came up with a win.

Senior center fielder Isaiah Peterson (Lincoln, Neb.) got Ohio on the board courtesy of a solo home run to right to lead off the bottom of the first. The Bobcats then tied the score in the second on a one-out solo shot to center by Harbert.

Ohio used some two-out lightning in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead as Harbert drew a walk to set the table for senior catcher Tanner Piechnick (Canonsburg, Pa.) to deliver a two-out RBI double to left center to put the Bobcats in front. 

The Bobcats tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth. Redshirt junior second baseman Michael Richardson (Cambridge, Md.) hit a two-out single and later scored on a wild pitch. Minzey then reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a double to right center by graduate student third baseman Trevor Hafner (Perrysburg, Ohio).

Ohio received a strong combined effort on the mound from junior right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Kelly (Ulysses, Ky.) and senior right-handed reliever Edward Kutt IV (Westlake, Calif.). Kelly struck out two while permitting two earned runs on four hits and a walk before exiting the game after 4.1 innings due to an injury. Kutt IV provided the Bobcats with 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in which he struck out two and allowed only two hits. He picked up the pitching win to improve to 5-2 on the season.

Ohio will take aim at a three-game non-conference sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne when the Bobcats and Mastodons square off in the Saturday (April 24) series finale at The Wren. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.

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