On a cold, blustery day at Bob Wren Stadium, Ohio’s defense couldn’t get out of its own way, committing five errors in a 20-15 loss to Youngstown State.
Coach Rob Smith was displeased with his team’s performance and said that teams can’t win a Division I baseball game playing the way the Bobcats did.
Another Division I opponent will be traveling to Bob Wren this weekend, as Ohio (3-16) hosts Toledo (7-11) for three games in its Mid-American Conference season opener.
Smith said if his team can convert on the plays they’re supposed to make, it will have more success this weekend.
“We have to throw strikes and we have to make plays,” he said. “It’s no more complicated than that. If our guys throw it over the plate and if we minimize the free base from walks and we make the routine play, we’ll keep the game close.
“But if we walk seven (and) make five errors, they’re going to score in double digits; that I guarantee you. We’ve got to clean that stuff up.”
And the sloppy play in the field has Ohio players disappointed; they know that they are capable of better.
“We haven’t been as clean as I think we’re capable of,” freshman outfielder Nick Squires said. “If we play a clean game, pitchers do their job, hitters do their job, then we’ll be fine.”
The Bobcats are in the midst of their worst start since 2009, when the team gave up 8.5 runs per game as they started out the season 2-16. This year’s unit hasn’t faired much better in the run prevention department, allowing an average of 7.7 runs in each contest.
What does have Smith and the coaching staff encouraged is the uptick in offense that Ohio has experienced of late.
After bouncing back and fourth between outbursts and lackluster performances, the Bobcats have strung together a strong stretch of games offensively, scoring eight runs per game during their past four games.
“I’m seeing a lot of positives,” Smith said. “We’ve shown a little bit of consistency offensively, and that’s good. But now that we’re in conference play, we know that it’s not going to be 13, 14 runs. That’s not how these games are going to go.”
To start the conference season on a positive note, especially after a disappointing start to the season record-wise, would be a major boost for the team’s momentum.
“Winning the series to start off MAC play would be big, for sure,” Squires said. “Just to get us off on the right note in conference play would be a huge plus.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
