April 2, 2008

Final Stats

Contact: Greg Murphy

ATHENS, Ohio - Cleveland State scored six runs in the top of the ninth, all with two outs, to tie the game at 8-8, but Ohio scored a run in the bottom of the inning to earn a 9-8 win over the Vikings on Wednesday night at Bob Wren Stadium.

CSU fell to 7-10 this season, while the Bobcats improved to 13-10.

Drew Fronczek worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit and took the loss (0-1). Adam Goodpasture recorded the final out of the ninth inning and picked up the win (3-1).

"We didn't have any kind of flow to start the game and didn't get it done on the mound," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "But we did come back and play hard as the game went on and I'm proud of the way we rallied. We gave ourselves an opportunity, but came up just short."

Trailing 8-2 heading into the ninth, the Vikings erupted for six runs to tie the game. Adam Heideman led off with a pinch hit walk, but was erased on a fielder's choice from John Foco. A Dustin Mills single advanced Foco to second, but Matt Madrid followed with a fielder's choice that retired Mills at second to put runners on the corner with two outs.

Tom Carter began to make things interesting with a two-run triple, which was followed by a walk to Brad Buell. Alex Kerins singled home Carter and Kyle Bischof followed with a home run to rightfield to tie the score at 8-8.

However, OU wasted little time in the bottom of the inning as Marc Krauss led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He moved to third on a flyball out by Robert Maddox. Following a walk to Gauntlet Eldemire, Chris Klimko delivered a sacrifice fly to rightfield that scored Krauss with the winning run.

"We had a play on the runner at the plate, but the throw was just a bit to high," Kocks said. "The throw beat him to the plate, but we couldn't get the tag down in time, otherwise, we'd still be playing."

The game could not have gotten off to a better start for CSU as the first three batters reached base. Josh Geric followed with a fielder's choice RBI and then stole second to put runners on second and third with one out.

However, Sam Clyde hit a groundball to third base and Kerins was retired at the plate and John Foco followed with a strikeout to end the threat.

OU responded with two runs in the first on a two-run homer by Krauss, and added one run in both the second and third innings and two more in the fourth to claim a 6-1 lead.

CSU sliced the lead to 6-2 in the fifth, using a sacrifice fly RBI from Kerins, but the Bobcats responded with two more runs in the seventh to extend the lead to 8-2.

Buell, Kerins, Bischof and Carter all went 2-for-4 with Bischof driving in three runs and Kerins and Carter two each. Buell scored twice. Nate Radtke and Dustin Mills, who had one hit apiece, were the only other Vikings to get a hit.

Krauss went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI to lead the Bobcats.

CSU made a season-most four errors, which led to four unearned runs for Ohio.

CSU will return to action on Friday when the Vikings host Wright State at 6:00 p.m. at the Pipe Yard in the opener of a three-game weekend series.