In the first at-bat of Ohio's series with Buffalo this weekend, Gauntlett Eldemire set the tone for the next 27 innings.
He homered off starter Dan Francis, giving his team the 1-0 lead and setting the pace for the Bobcats' three-game sweep over the Bulls at Bob Wren Stadium.
Eldemire also clinched the win for Ohio in the 11th inning of the game. The first batter in the bottom of the inning, he unleashed on the first pitch from reliever Kevin Crumb to clinch the 6-5 win.
Ohio's leadoff hitter has hit three leadoff home runs, fulfilling his main role of getting on base and scoring runs. Eldemire scored six runs total against Buffalo this weekend.
Eldemire batted in the sixth or seventh spot for most of last season. He finished with a .264 batting average and seven home runs, but has come into his own since coach Joe Carbone inserted him at the top of the lineup.
His numbers are way up since the move. He's hitting .324 in 46 starts, has hit 20 home runs with 54 RBIs and scored 57 runs, second best on the team. He's also second behind Marc Krauss with a .455 on-base percentage and leads the Bobcats with 11 steals.
Bobcats grab No.3 seed in MAC Tournament
Ohio's seeding in the Mid-American
Conference post-season tournament was announced yesterday after the team finished second in the MAC East Division regular season standings.
The Bobcats earned a No. 3 seed and are set to face No. 6 Toledo in the first round of the eight-team tournament at 12:30 on Wednesday at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
Ohio took two of three games away from the Rockets at Bob Wren Stadium during the first weekend of April. Toledo comes into the tournament having lost seven of its last eight games.
The winner of the tournament gets an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
2 Sports
Dylan Scott
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Gauntlett Eldemire
