After Ohio's bullpen relinquished leads in each of the team's four consecutive losses, Kevin Mementowski redeemed the group with a 5 and 2/3-inning, one-earned run performance yesterday afternoon to give Ohio a 14-8 victory over Eastern Michigan.
Starter Jason Moulton left the game in the fourth inning after suffering from an undetermined pain in his throwing arm, Ohio coach Joe Carbone said, leaving Mementowski with a 10-3 lead. Despite six errors on the part of the Ohio defense, Mementowski did not allow an Eagle runner to reach third base in the last three innings and took the win.
Entering the game cold and after withstanding a one-hour and eight-minute rain delay, Mementowski said the conditions were challenging.
It's a little nerve-racking warming up in front of everyone
said Mementowski, who took the mound with two runners in scoring position. But I knew we had to stop them then.
Following two nights in which the bullpen surrendered late leads, Mementowski said he knew he needed to perform yesterday after Ohio's offense scored 25 runs in the past two contests and walked away without a win each time.
When you've got bats going like we do it's not hard to pitch Mementowski said.
Carbone said he was pleased with Mementowski's resilience over the weekend, especially after Mementowski took the loss in Friday night's game.
Memo was huge for us today
he said. He came up bigger as a performer than anyone else all weekend.
After winning their first three Mid-American Conference series, the Bobcats were in danger of being swept for the first time this season. The win also helped the team push its overall record back to .500 at 16-16 and the conference mark to 8-4. Carbone said he reminded his players before the game that a lot of the season was left to play, but added that yesterday's win was important for the team.
I tell the guys what counts is all 27 (conference) games through the year
he said. We came up tough today. I was proud of the guys.
Yesterday's game brought a couple of firsts to two Bobcats.
For the first time since March 8, Matt Stiffler failed to record a hit, ending his school-record streak at 26 games. Stiffler was somewhat nonchalant about the importance of the streak, stating that he'd rather pick up a win for the team than continue hitting.
It's not a big deal
he said. I just don't know what to think of (the streak).
For the first time in his collegiate career, Zach Keen circled the bases at a jog after launching a three-run home run just over the right field wall in the first inning. It was an unforgettable experience, said Keen, who received a fair share of grief from his teammates when he entered the dugout.
I was concentrating on getting the runner home from third
he said. I was floating on the bases.
Eastern Michigan, though, left Athens with two wins after coming back to defeat the Bobcats the previous two nights. Friday night's game was delayed for two hours and 40 minutes, but the Eagles picked up the win in extra innings with a Todd Graves home run in the top of the 11th.
Ohio took a 12-9 lead into the ninth inning of Saturday's contest, but Kyle Rhoad tattooed a three-run home run with two outs to tie the game. An RBI double by Josh Ivan in the 10th gave the Eagles the 13-12 win.
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Dylan Scott
