The Ohio offense put on a hitting show as it beat Xavier 15-0 yesterday for it fifth straight win.
The Bobcats put up 18 hits on the afternoon as they scored in all but three innings.
Four Ohio pitchers combined for the team's first shutout of the year, allowing 10 hits and striking out seven Xavier batters. Rob Harmon (3-2) pitched two innings, surrendering only one hit and striking out two for his third win of the season.
Anthony Gressick, who was 3-for-4 at the plate and also pitched two innings, striking out one and allowing four hits, paced the Bobcats. Right fielder Phil Sabatini also contributed to the Bobcats' scoring with a 2-for-4 performance including a pair of homeruns. Ben Crabtree was 3-for-6 on the afternoon for his second three-hit performance in the last four games.
Sabatini scored the first run of the game on a Crabtree single through the left side of the infield in the opening inning.
Eleven Ohio batters came to plate in the second, scoring six runs on five hits. Jon Vondrell led off the inning with a single up the middle, then Dusty Hammond reached first base and advanced to second on an error, one of five committed by Xavier's defense during the game. Bryan Buck drove them both home on a RBI single to left field.
Brian Colopy and Sabatini walked to load the bases for the Bobcats and Colopy scored on a single by Gressick. Brian White's sacrifice fly to center brought Sabatini in for the Bobcats' fifth run of the inning. Then, Matt Stiffler pinch-hit for Vondrell and drove in Gressick for Ohio's final run of the inning.
The Bobcats added another run in the third when Bryant Witt led off the inning with a single and later scored on a fielding error by Xavier's shortstop Matt Waskerwitz.
The Musketeers pitching staff kept the Ohio offense off the scoreboard in the fourth inning, but the Bobcats struck back in the fifth, when Sabatini scored Ohio's ninth run of the day on a double by Gressick.
In the sixth, Hammond hit a home run over the right field wall to give the Bobcats a 10-0 lead. Witt and Walker then singled and Colopy brought Witt to the plate with another single. With two runners on, Sabatini picked up three RBIs with his home run to left field giving Ohio a 14-0 lead.
Crabtree hit his second home run of the game in the top half of the seventh to score Ohio's final run of the afternoon.
Luke Howard (1-1) will get the start for the Bobcats against Ohio Wesleyan as Ohio starts a 10-game homestand. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Bob Wren Stadium.
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Julie Goldberg
