What a difference a day can make.
After recording just four hits in a pair of losses against Marshall on Wednesday, Ohio (21-22) performed a complete turnaround with a sweep of Wright State on Thursday by final scores of 5-1 and 13-1.
The games against the Raiders not only concluded the Bobcats’ 10-game homestand on a positive note, but also snapped Ohio’s nine-game losing streak — the Bobcats’ longest since 2005.
“It was a good day for us,” Ohio coach Jodi Hermanek said. “This kind of attack that we were supplying earlier in the season — it was awesome for us to see and feel that again in these two wins.”
Though pitching was overshadowed on the day by Ohio’s breakthrough offense, pitchers Savannah Jo Dorsey, a freshman, and Lauren McClary, a sophomore, combined to allow just five hits.
Dorsey struck out 10 batters in the first game, when she tossed a complete-game three-hitter, before McClary pitched all five innings of the mercy rule-shortened second game.
Ohio scored eight runs in the second inning of game two and didn’t look back, as the Bobcats won their first game by mercy rule since Feb. 22.
Leading Ohio offensively on Thursday was senior designated hitter Chelsea Hortman, who recorded five RBI on four hits. Junior center fielder Alyssa Wolfe also had a solid day at the plate by homering twice in the second game.
“Being a pitcher, having run support is what you want,” McClary said. “After playing strong against Marshall and strong against Wright State, we’re feeling good."
The Bobcats will return to Mid-American Conference play Saturday and Sunday when they travel to Akron for a two-game series.
The Zips (18-21, 4-8 MAC) have endured much of the same fate as the Bobcats in MAC play, as the teams are tied for the No. 8 seed in the MAC Tournament.
Freshman third baseman Shawna Hochstetler leads Akron at the plate with a team-high .333 batting average and 28 runs. She also paces the Zips on the base paths with 12 stolen bases.
From inside the circle, freshman pitcher Erin Seiler fuels the Akron pitching staff with 179.2 innings pitched this season. The right-hander has posted a 2.57 ERA while striking out 142 batters.
“We just need to know how well we’re doing and how important these games (against Akron) are,” Hermanek said. “It was nice to finally get some hits and we’re feeling well moving into the weekend.”
cl027410@ohiou.edu
