Tim Reed/THE POST Ohio third baseman Jason Arbinger makes contact during a recent game at Wren Stadium. The Bobcats lost to Cincinnati 16-15 last night as the Bearcats scored 12 runs in the bottom of the ninth.

CINCINNATI - There are some things you have to see to believe and others you won't believe despite visible and written evidence proving their existence.

Ohio's 16-15 loss to Cincinnati last night at Johnny Bench Field falls into that second category.

The Bobcats (16-18 overall, 7-5 in the Mid-American Conference) held a 15-4 lead in the ninth inning and appeared safe on their way to snapping a skid that had seen them lose four of their last six games. But as Ohio head coach Joe Carbone said, there's a reason teams are required to record 27 outs to win a game, the most obvious being that nothing is safe even after 25 and 26 outs.

Nothing exemplifies that better than last night's unbelievable ninth inning that has to be described to be believed. The names aren't important, only the sequence of at-bats by the Bearcats (16-20 overall) off Ohio pitchers Jeremy Richard and Brandon Gadke. So here goes:

First, a walk. Then, a runner reached on a fielding error by Ohio third baseman Jason Arbinger. With runners on first and second, a groundout to Richard. With runners on second and third, a home run to right (15-7). A home run to left field (15-8). A home run to right field (15-9).

A single up the middle. Another single to center. Gadke comes into pitch. A single to left field to load the bases. A single to right field to score two (15-11). A walk. A single to center, scoring one (15-12). With runners on second and third, a fly out to center, scoring one (15-13). Then, a single to the left, scoring one (15-14).

Finally, with runners on first and second, a triple by Corey Hinton, his fourth hit of the game and his second of the inning. It scored two, capping the 12-run comeback and silencing the music that had flowed from UC's College Conservatory of Music beyond the stadium for most of the game.

For the majority of the game, that music competed with the sweet music of Ohio's bats. The Bobcats scored at least one run in seven of the nine innings, including four of their 15 in the ninth.

On most nights, it would have been enough.

"We just didn't finish," Carbone said. "It's happened before. We've had some pitchers who just haven't come through for us. We're here, and we've got to get them some innings, get them ready. That's why you have to get 27 outs. We haven't learned to finish."

Of course, Cincinnati head coach Brian Cleary never had seen his team finish as it did.

"I really don't know what to say," he said. "Our guys did a great job of just every guy having a good at-bat. Certainly, we had a lot of things go our way. That's the biggest comeback I've ever been associated with, for sure."

On a positive note for Ohio - eight innings worth - starter Ryan Hulse and Bryan Costin, who followed Hulse, pitched well, giving up two and one runs, respectively. Before the game, Hulse and Costin were both in the bottom three in ERA for Ohio. Also, Ohio got four multi-hit performances from hitters, including a 4-for-6 night from Jeff Rook.

But those will have to be the few consolations for Ohio as it returns to MAC play this weekend with four games at Bowling Green. As of last night, Ohio was in third place in the MAC East Division, behind Bowling Green (9-5) and Kent (8-5). In the west, Toledo (10-4) led Ball State (9-4) and Western Michigan (9-5).