EMERSON, Ga. – Mitch Longo blasted a three-run home run over the right field wall to cap off a nine-run top of the fifth as the Bobcats sent thirteen men to the plate in an inning that lasted nearly 40 minutes. Ohio belted six hits in the fifth, part of a 16 hit effort at the plate as the Bobcats buried the Lancers in an insurmountable hole Saturday at Perfect Game Park.

For the second straight day, the Lancers got out to a slow start allowing three runs in the top of the first. The Bobcats (5-0) capitalized on a pair of Longwood errors in the opening frame when catcher Kyle Dean laced a two-out, two-run single up the middle to stake the 3-0 lead.

Sophomore backstop Mac McCafferty produced his first RBI of the season to get Longwood (1-4) on the board in the fourth. The left-handed hitting McCafferty drove a ball back through the box, scoring Connar Bastaich from second and making it a 3-1 game.

That was as close as the Lancers would get. Ohio batted around in the top of the fifth with 10 men reaching base and scored nine times to effectively put the game away.

"Again we got off to a rough start," said head coach Ryan Mau. "We made some mistakes and had a chance to make some plays but didn't make them. When you give a good offense team opportunities like that they are going to cash in and unfortunately that made it a rough way to start the day."

The game began with a bit of adventure after Bobcat leadoff man Garrett Black singled to open the game. Black was subsequently picked off by Travis Burnette and broke for second base, avoiding the tag of second baseman Travis Biddix while appearing to leave the baseline; however, Black was ruled safe at second base and would later score on a Cody Gaertner single.

It looked as if the Lancers would get out of the inning when John Adryan rolled a ball to third, but Alex Lewis' throw was just wide enough to pull Bastaich off the bag at first. Ohio pounced and added two more runs to set the tone.

Longwood starter Travis Burnette settled in well after the rocky first retiring seven consecutive from the end of the second through the fourth inning. The Lynchburg native ran into a wall in the fifth, issuing back-to-back walks to open the inning, ending his day despite four strikeouts and allowing just three earned runs. The right-hander was effective, but suffered from a high pitch count after the long first inning.

"I thought Travis did a great job of settling in after that rough first," said Mau. "He really threw the ball extremely well for a stretch. We didn't make a couple plays and ultimately added some pitch count to him and I think he might have ran out of gas in the fifth. Overall, I thought Travis really competed for us, but unfortunately doesn't have much to show for it."

While the bright spots were dulled by the result, four freshmen knocked their first career hits. Michael Osinski started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 on the day with a walk, while Sammy Miller, Tyler Barry and Michael Colombi all singled for their inaugural hits.

"It's good to see young guys get their first collegiate hit," said Mau. "I wish it was in a little better situation, but off the bench Sammy Miller, Tyler Barry and Mike Colombi then Osinksi in the starting lineup, seeing those four guys come up with their first collegiate hit is special."

In addition to the quartet of freshman, Kyri Washington continued his string of solid plate appearances, going 3-for-4 on Saturday. The slugger's first-inning single marked the first hit of Washington's season that was not a home run.

"Kyri is really locked in offensively right now," Mau said. "He's really tough to pitch to and is getting into good counts and putting good swings on it. Then, when he's in disadvantage counts, he's fouling off some pitches and doing what he can to extend the at-bat."

While the game was out of hand, freshman pitcher Zach Potojecki tossed a solid 3.1 innings allowing a single run and scattering four hits. Despite the Lancers being down 12-1, the Danville native made the most of his first opportunity out of the bullpen.

"That's a tough situation to come into to," Mau said, "but I told him when he entered the game this was his chance and he needed to treat it like it was 0-0. I thought he did a great job of challenging hitters with no walks, a couple punchouts and spread around a few hits. He did a great job in a tough position extending us through the back couple of innings."

With the victory, Ohio clinches the series as Longwood will look to salvage game three in a 9 a.m. start on Sunday.