Gauntlett Eldemire put on a display of power hitting that helped Ohio surge past the Flyers.
The junior center fielder hit two home runs and drove in three runs as the Bobcats outlasted Dayton 6-3 yesterday afternoon in T.W.C. Stadium in Dayton.
Ohio (14-29) played with a lead for most of the game. After the Flyers (19-27) scored a run without managing a hit in the bottom of the first inning, the Bobcats responded with a four-run third inning that was the difference in the game.
It gave us a little breathing room and put some pressure on (Dayton) and they had to get on base and do some things
said coach Joe Carbone. I thought our pitchers did a good job of throwing strikes and keeping them at bay.
With two men on base and two outs in the inning, senior Jerod Yakubik launched a two-run double into left-center field, scoring Wesley O'Neill and Zach Keen. Eldemire then cleared the bases with a shot over the left-field fence that gave the Bobcats a 4-1 advantage.
The Bobcats never surrendered the lead. Dayton cut the deficit to one in the fifth inning on a two-run home run by Zach Blanchette. But the Flyers did not get any closer, as reliever Rex Ingham entered the game in the sixth inning and threw four scoreless innings to finish the game.
He was throwing very well Carbone said. He was getting out of innings without a lot of pitches so that's why I let him go a little longer - he did a real good job for us.
The score remained 4-3 until the eighth inning, when Eldemire circled the bases with another blast to left field - his 10th home run on the season - to make it 5-3. Ohio added one more in the ninth on a two-out RBI single by Keen.
Five of Ohio's six runs came with two men out.
That's the whole key to winning or losing
Carbone said. Everybody else can make contact and move things around
but getting two out base hits is the key.
Eldemire, who missed six starts earlier in the season with a wrist injury, had just five hits in his previous 26 at bats before he went 3-for-5 in last weekend's series finale against Kent State. With two more hits yesterday, he appears to be starting to return to form.
For him
it's purely physical
Carbone said. His wrist is just coming around and I don't think it's 100 percent because he's still not swinging it aggressively on every pitch.
He's just still battling through that injury.
The Bobcats finish their seven-game road trip today as they travel to Richmond
Ky. to take on Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels (21-19) enter the contest having won three of their previous four games.
This has been a tough, long grind for all the young guys we have on this team, Carbone said. But I think it helps keep the club together, and they're doing a good job of that.",",2,Sports,Vince Nairn,31591a.jpg,Ohio outfielder Gauntlett Eldemire swings at a pitch during the team's loss against Bowling Green last month at Bob Wren Stadium. The Bobcats defeated the Flyers yesterday
6-3. (Mike McGoldrick | FOR THE POST),",",",Quick Stats,T.W.C. Stadium
Dayton
Ohio | OHIO (14-29) 6
