Before this weekend's Elon Classic, Ohio coach Joe Carbone called the tournament The Big Experiment.
Sunday, Carbone said the results of the experiment were pretty obvious.
We have a long way to go
he said.
The Bobcats started the weekend off the wrong way, falling to North Carolina A&T Friday 6-2. Aggie pitcher Esterlin Paulino pitched a complete game, holding the Bobcats to only two runs on four hits.
Saturday, Ohio suffered a similar fate, losing to the Elon Phoenix 11-4. The Bobcats managed 11 hits on the afternoon but couldn't capitalize on the opportunities, leaving nine men on base
throughout the contest.
Despite the results of the first two contests, Carbone said his team performed about as well as he could have expected.
They hadn't been in any game conditions so we're going to struggle he said. It's not hard to explain.
Sunday afternoon, the Ohio offense shook off the winter cold and came alive, smacking 18 hits in a 13-6 victory against Towson University.
Brent Choban got the start for the Bobcats, pitching 3 and two-thirds innings, and allowing five runs on eight hits. Brett Barber came into the game in relief for Choban and, in a solid performance, allowed only two hits and no runs in three innings of work.
Ohio's offense started the game with three straight hits and never looked back, scoring three runs in the first inning and another in both the second and third.
Towson answered the Bobcat call blow for blow until the sixth inning, where the Bobcats took advantage of two Tiger errors for three runs.
In the eighth inning, Ohio put the game away for good.
Tiger pitcher Mike Volpe hit Bobcat Gauntlett Eldemire with a pitch to open the frame. Eldemire promptly stole second, and was knocked home on a double by Robert Maddox III.
After RBIs by Jerod Yakubik, Tyler Backstrom, C.J. Maszal, and Zach Keen, the Bobcats had extended their lead to 13-6. Eldemire ended the inning, striking out with two men left on base.
The Tigers attempted a comeback in the ninth, taking advantage of a hit batter early in the inning. Pitcher Seth Streich ended any threat of a Tiger comeback, securing a 13-6 victory for Ohio.
We improved a little in every game
which is what we need
Carbone said. You could see our minds getting into a baseball-thinking mode.
Where to go, when to cut off relays, when to start running ... Those are things that will just come with time.
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30721,2010-02-22 00:16:00,Wrestling: 'Cats forget thrashing
respond with win to end regular season,The Bobcats knew that in order to win yesterday
they had to forget about Friday.
,The Bobcats knew that in order to win yesterday
they had to forget about Friday.
The team entered its final meet of the season
a Mid-American Conference match against Eastern Michigan
with a 40-0 walloping at the hands of MAC-leading Central Michigan fresh on the mind.
It's all in how you respond from it, said coach Joel Greenlee.
The Bobcats (12-5
3-2 MAC) responded in the form of a 26-13 victory over the Eagles (10-12-1
