Tuesday marked yet another cancelled game for the Bobcats, which have now had nine of their 29 originally scheduled games postponed or cancelled because of the weather.
However, if the weather permits, Ohio will hit the field at Bob Wren Stadium on Wednesday against Youngstown State. The forecast is calling for sunshine and mid-30 degree temperatures.
“We just have to focus the game on (Wednesday),” coach Rob Smith said. “With us not playing EKU on (Tuesday), it gives us a little more pitching going into (Wednesday’s) game.”
Last weekend, the Bobcats were swept in a three-game series for the second straight weekend. The squad is now riding an eight-game losing streak and has fallen in 12 of their last 13 games.
The Bobcats will face a team that is enduring the same adversity with cancelled games this season.
The Penguins have had six of their past eight scheduled games cancelled because of weather, including a three-game, home series last weekend. They have had almost 40 percent of their scheduled games cancelled and were forced to end their most recent game after six innings.
Youngstown State is 2-14 this season and is in the middle of a five-game losing streak. The Penguins have dropped nine of their last 10 games played.
“I just want us to play clean baseball,” Smith said. “We take no one for granted at this point. Youngstown State is a team that’s going to be scuffling for wins, I think they feel that they can come down here and compete.”
In 16 games this season, the Penguins have scored just 61 runs and have a team-wide batting average of .247. They have reached base on just 34 percent of their 539 at-bats.
In the field, the Penguins have committed 27 total errors, compared to the Bobcats’ 33 errors, though they’ve played four more games.
Youngstown State infielders Brent Gillespie and Alex Larivee lead the team with 17 hits apiece. Gillespie, a junior, has batted in four runs and scored four times this season.
Larivee, freshman, who has totaled a team-high nine runs and 17 hits so far this season.
Sophomore pitcher Jake Miller will get the start on the mound for the Bobcats. He has appeared in six contests, but holds an 12.89 ERA and an 0-2 record. He has allowed 26 hits and 21 earned runs in 14.2 innings pitched.
“We get another day to prepare ourselves for Wednesday,” freshman centerfielder Mitch Longo said. “Hopefully we can get a win and get some momentum going into the weekend. We want to go out there and compete and play the same as we would for any game … (Wednesday) could be a big confidence-building game for us.”
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