Entering the weekend, the last time Ohio had won a baseball game was on March 9 and last time it won a weekend series was May 13, 2012.
But Friday, Ohio ended its nine-game losing streak when it defeated Western Michigan 5-3. The Bobcats went on to lose their final two games in a doubleheader Sunday.
“If you win a game on Friday, you have to at least get two out of three, in my opinion,” junior first baseman Jake Madsen said. “It’s a little frustrating the way we finished up.”
After allowing an average of more than 10 runs per game during the losing streak, Ohio limited Western Michigan to no more than four runs in each game, but offensive execution and opposing pitching became problems Sunday.
“We have to do a better job with runners in scoring position,” coach Rob Smith said. “(Sunday) we continued to see ourselves not able to do that. We’re getting hits, getting men on base and creating some stuff … we just got to continue to get better at that and that’ll make a big difference.”
The Bobcats were outscored 8-2 in the two games Sunday, but they out-hit the Broncos 18-17.
One of the Bobcats contributing at the plate was Madsen, who has brought his offensive game to another level lately. Madsen, a Cincinnati native, has scored four runs on 12 hits in the past seven games.
“I’ve really been in the cages quite a bit lately,” Madsen said. “I’m starting to see (the ball) a little better. I would still like to see it a little more better, but it’s definitely getting there.”
Centerfielder Mitch Longo also kept up his red-hot season on offense. Longo, a freshman, had six hits this weekend and was put in scoring position several times, but didn’t advance to score.
Longo entered the weekend with the NCAA’s 32nd-best batting average of .414 and increased his average to .438 this weekend. He’s the only Bobcat batting over .300.
The Bobcats used just two relief pitchers this weekend and all three starters lasted six or more innings. Freshmen Jake Roehn and Jake Rudnicki tossed at least eight innings, including a complete game from Rudnicki in game one Sunday. Roehn received the win Friday, improving his record to 2-3.
“Our weekend starting pitching is starting to shape up,” Smith said. “It has been since about the third week of the year and we’re really starting to see it develop.
There’s two freshman and a sophomore in that rotation, so if you’re looking for the silver lining, as disappointing as it is to lose games, it’s got to be built on quality starting pitching on the weekends.”
Ohio was competitive in both games Sunday until the last few innings, which is when it gave up most of its runs. Nine of the 11 runs scored by the Broncos this weekend were scored in the fourth inning or later.
Smith has said time and time again that they need to get better at playing good baseball late in games.
“I think sometimes it’s a mental thing,” Madsen said. “Once we get into a game and get a few zeros up there we start getting a little confident and get on our heels a little bit. (Then) we start making errors and walks and that’s how they get their runs on us.”
@alex_busch91
ab109410@ohiou.edu
Fast Facts:
Friday
OHIO 5, Western Michigan 3
Sunday
Western Michigan 4, OHIO 2
Western Michigan 4, OHIO 0
— The Bobcats are now 5-19 overall and 1-5 in MAC play.
