Ohio softball coach Jodi Hermanek will have to wait until this weekend to try to take fourth place on Ohio’s all-time softball-wins list after her Bobcats were swept by Marshall in a doubleheader Wednesday.
Ohio dropped the first game to the Thundering Herd 17-6 and fell 10-0 in the second game. The teams played only 10 innings of softball because the Bobcats were run-ruled in both games.
The Bobcats got off to a hot start in the first game of the afternoon and took an early 2-0 lead after sophomore first baseman Raven King got the Bobcats on the board with a two-run home run in the first inning.
After allowing three runs in the bottom of the first inning, junior Chelsea Hortman allowed the Bobcats to retake the lead when she hammered a two-run shot of her own.
Ohio put two more runs on the board in the fifth inning when catcher Lauren Gellerman batted in a double. But Marshall hung a seven-spot in the bottom half of the fourth to take a 10-6 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Marshall added seven more runs in the bottom of the fifth, ending the game two innings early with the 17-6 final score.
Marshall first baseman Alysia Hively hit two homeruns, including a grand slam for Marshall in the game. She racked up seven RBI’s in the game.
Marshall’s Jessica Ferrick sealed the deal with a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth.
Freshman Kaylin Clarke got the start for Ohio and gave up 12 hits and nine earned runs in only 3 1/3 innings of work.
Hermanek struggled to find any positives her team could take from the losses.
“In a day with two doubleheaders that carry less than five innings, it’s hard to really draw a lot of positives,” Hermanek said. “For us, I think we really need to focus on getting back to the basics tomorrow at practice, competing extremely hard in practice tomorrow, and bringing that effort and focus in the game.”
Though game one of the doubleheader started well for Ohio, game two never did.
Junior Caitlin Colvin started game two for the Bobcats, allowing four runs in the first inning.
Marshall added another two off Colvin in the third and struck again in the fourth inning for four more runs. Colvin was the only pitcher used in the second game by the Bobcats. She went four innings, allowing eight earned runs while giving up five hits.
Despite giving up several runs, Colvin did not allow a single home run.
Meanwhile, Marshall pitcher Erika Bennett made things look easy, throwing five innings of shutout softball and surrendering only four hits.
“I’m not giving any excuses to what sparked today’s outcome,” Hermanek said. “We needed to train and prepare to play today just as hard as we did during the weekend, and we obviously fell short of that.”
Marshall used its speed to its advantage, swiping five bases in the series.
The Bobcats return home this weekend for a series against the Akron Zips.
mk277809@ohiou.edu
