Heading into last weekend's series against Western Michigan, the Bobcats were looking to regain some of the footing that had been slipping from beneath them all season.
In desperate need of taking the series, Ohio won game one 8-7 when outfielder Brian White hit a walk-off home run to complete a four-run comeback against the Broncos. After the Bobcats took game two 8-6, infielder Jared Willis clinched the sweep with a walk-off single in the 11th.
White's homerun signaled a spark of momentum the team carried for the remainder of the series, as they battled back all weekend.
I was looking for a fastball
but we were trying mainly just to get on base
White said of his home run. I talked to (outfielder) Phil (Sabatini) earlier in the inning
and we wanted to end it right there. I told Phil if I got on base he would knock me in. And I was just looking for a good pitch
and I got the fastball.
Behind the arms of Chris Bova, Adam Russell and Marc Cornell, Ohio's starting pitching did its job, handing the ball over to the bullpen with the team in position to win.
Bova, who started game one, pitched opposite of one of the league's best pitchers, J.R. Mathes, who entered the game second in the conference with a 1.96 ERA. But as the pitchers dual became a slugfest in the fourth inning, Bova was able to outlast Mathes, giving the Bobcats the opportunity they were looking for.
He's a good pitcher
Carbone said of Mathes. That's as good a lefthander as we've seen all year. He's an outstanding pitcher. So
yeah
we were very happy to see him out of the game
because he was eating us up.
Ohio entered the seventh inning trailing by three runs with Mathes still in the game. But after outfielder Bryan Buck doubled and infielders Brian Colopy and Anthony Gressick walked, Mathes was pulled, setting the stage for infielder Ben Crabtree to become the hero, at least for the moment.
Crabtree drove pitcher Dan Coberley's pitch into the right-field gap, sending all three baserunners home.
I was just looking for a ball to drive and hoping what happened
happened
