A house is not always a home, but for the Bobcats, a game in Chillicothe might prove a cozy substitute for the friendly confines of Bob Wren Stadium.
Ohio (10-23, 6-6 Mid-American Conference) will travel an hour west to host intrastate foe Cincinnati (18-16, 4-8 Big East) tonight at V.A. Memorial Stadium.
The stadium is on the campus of the Veteran's Administration Hospital just outside Chillicothe. Renovated in 2006, the stadium holds 3,000 people with an outfield fence 10 to 15 feet shallower than the fence at Bob Wren. The Chillicothe Paints of the Frontier League play their home games here.
The Bobcats have played in Chillicothe once this season. They beat West Virginia State March 9 by a score of 11-3. The Bobcats will return to V.A. Memorial Stadium at the end of May for the MAC Tournament - the third straight season the stadium will host the tournament.
With our tournament being in Chillicothe
I don't mind playing a few games there and getting used to it a little bit coach Joe Carbone said.
A couple of factors made Chillicothe an ideal place for the game, Carbone said. Cincinnati did not want to make the hike all the way to Athens, and V.A. Stadium has treated the Bobcats well in the past.
Ohio will bat last, pay for the umpires and provide the game balls, all of which are duties the home team traditionally performs.
It's considered for practical purposes I guess
a neutral game
Carbone said.
Cincinnati has a quality pitching staff and speed on the bases. Senior Jamel Scott leads the team with 14 swipes in 19 attempts.
We're going to have to do our best to shut them down on the basepaths
Carbone said.
Sophomore Michael Dillon (2-3) will start on the mound for the Bobcats. He has a 6.75 ERA in 26 2/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Dillon will pitch an inning or two before a handful of relievers finish the game.
It all depends on who's throwing well and who isn't
Carbone said.
Gauntlett Eldemire is listed as day-to-day. He played against Northern Illinois in a defensive relief role this weekend, but has not stepped to the plate since being hit by a pitch against Western Michigan April 9.
If he feels good
he'll play
Carbone said. If he doesn't
he won't.
