The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Baseball Routs Ohio, 13-3
May 13 | Baseball
ATHENS, Ohio - The University of Akron baseball team got an offensive explosion Friday night, knocking out 15 base hits in a 13-3 win over Ohio at Bob Wren Stadium.
Sam Watkins and Drew Turocy each homered in the game, and Kurt Gamby hit a pinch hit grand slam to cap a seven-run Akron (14-33, 6-16 Mid-American Conference) fifth that blew the contest open. Watkins also doubled twice and drove in three, while Turocy reached in all five of his plate appearances.
Junior starter Andrew Brown collected his fourth win of the season, going 7.0 innings and striking out seven. Brown allowed just two earned runs in the contest.
Watkins sent a signal of things to come when he ripped a solo home run with one out in the top of the first to give Akron an early 1-0 lead.
After the Bobcats (23-26, 7-15) answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, Watkins hit the first of his doubles - a second-inning shot down the left-field line that scored Dan Burant and Jared Turocy. Burant and Turocy had both singled with one out in the inning.
The Zips then scored three runs in the fourth and seven in the fifth to build an insurmountable lead. Matt Corpora reached on an error to lead off the fourth and advanced to third on Watkins second double of the game. Both Zips then scored on Drew Turocy's seventh homer of the season when he ripped the first pitch he saw from Ryan Burgett deep over the wall in right field.
Akron would send 11 batters to the plate in the fifth. Burant started the rally with a one-out double to left field. Corpora followed a walk to Jared Turocy with a single to load the bases. Burant and Turocy then scored when catcher Trace Voshell's pick off attempt to third sailed into left field. Watkins was then plunked and Drew Turocy singled to load the bases for a second time in the inning. Gamby stepped in as a pinch hitter - a righty-lefty switch with Samuel Trecaso - and took Sean Kennedy deep over the left center field fence for a grand slam. It was Gamby's second longball of the season.
Brown cruised through the next three innings, as the junior from Painesville, Ohio allowed just one hit in his final three innings of work. Brown scattered five hits in the outing. Senior Kevin Kumazec closed out the game with a pair of no-hit innings.
The Zips will look to take a 2-0 series lead tomorrow afternoon. First pitch at Wren Stadium is at 3:00 p.m.
