BOBCATS CLAW PAST FURMAN 6-5
Greenville, S.C.--Rob Harmon threw four and two-thirds innings of relief, allowing only one run and six hits as Ohio edged Furman 6-5 Saturday afternoon at Furman Baseball Stadium.
With the win, the Bobcats improve to 1-4 on the year, while the loss drops the Paladins to 7-2 and breaks a four-game winning streak.
Ohio began the scoring in the first inning as Omari Briscoe singled to left field, plating Phil Sabatini and Tony Gandee to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead. Ohio then added a single run in the second and third innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead.
Furman responded in the fourth inning when A.J. Davidiuk was hit by a Walt Novosel pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Cole Hubka to score and cutting the Ohio lead to 4-1.
The Paladins later added three more runs in the fifth inning to tie the game at 4-4. Dominic Frankey started the scoring for Furman when his triple to right field allowed Derek Norman to score. Drew Latora then followed with a single up the middle, plating Frankey. Later, Matthew Betsill topped the scoring off after his single allowed Hubka to score.
Ohio came roaring back in its next at bat to retake the lead. Brandon Wheeler doubled off Paladin reliever Paul Perri (0-1) to lead-off the inning. Sabatini followed with a triple to centerfield to plate Wheeler, giving the Bobcats a 5-4 lead. Later, Sabatini scored on a Gandee sacrifice fly, pushing Ohio's lead to 6-4.
The Paladins tried to rally in the bottom half of the inning as Nick Wajda doubled to right field with one out. Wajda later scored on a Harmon (1-0) wild pitch, cutting the Bobcats' lead to 6-5. However, Harmon kept the Paladins scoreless over the final three and two-thirds innings to give Ohio its first win of the season.
Sabatini led the Bobcats at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Betsill led the Paladins with two hits and one RBI.
The two teams conclude the three-game series tomorrow at Furman Baseball Stadium. The first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.