Amidst a three-game losing streak, the Bobcats will look to make a season first happen this weekend.
Ohio has yet to win a series and also has yet to win back-to-back games, as the last time the Bobcats won two consecutive games was April 19 last year.
Ohio ended a nine-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory Friday against Western Michigan, but lost the next two games to finish the series before suffering another loss Tuesday at Ohio State.
With Kent State coming to Athens for a three-game series, Ohio will compete at home for the fourth straight weekend, even though a late schedule change made last weekend count as a “road” series.
But allowing runs late in games has been something coach Rob Smith wants continue improving on as a team.
In each of the past two weekend series, the Bobcats have allowed five runs or less from the fifth inning on, which is an improvement from the 33 runs allowed during that stretch of innings during a series against St. Bonaventure three weekends ago.
“Coach always says that games are won in the last three innings and pretty much they are,” freshman pitcher Jake Roehn said. “If it’s neck-and-neck to the end the first team that crumbles loses. We’ve been trying to build ourselves so that we can stay strong all nine innings, instead of just the first six.”
The Golden Flashes have won eight of their past 10 games, including a two-game home sweep in a doubleheader Tuesday against Oakland.
Both games were played to just seven innings, but Kent State scored 16 runs in each game and outscored the Raiders by a score of 32-6.
Kent State also defeated Youngstown State in six innings by a score of 10-2. Ohio lost to the now four-win Penguins 11-4 just one week later.
Compared to Ohio’s 87 runs on 219 hits, Kent has crossed the plate 161 times on just 257 hits.
The Flashes also have experienced more continuity with their schedule than the Bobcats. Compared to Ohio’s nine cancelled or postponed games, Kent State has only had two affected by weather.
Sophomore infielder Zarley Zalewski leads the Golden Flashes at the plate with a team-high .410 average and 41 hits in 100 at-bats, in addition to scoring 19 runs.
Junior outfielder Alex Miklos and redshirt senior first baseman Cody Koch lead the squad with 21 runs and each have started in all 26 of the teams games this season.
When it comes to pitching, the Golden Flashes has been stellar on the mound this season.
Freshman starter Eric Lauer has recorded a 6-1 record and a 1.96 ERA in seven appearances this season, while allowing just 17 hits in 36 2/3 innings pitched.
Kent State has balanced its rotation throughout the season, as six pitchers have started at least two games. Of the Flashes’ 15 pitchers, 13 have seen action in at least two games and posted a team ERA of 3.99.
“We gotta have competitive at-bats, I don’t expect (KSU’s pitchers) to give us a lot,” Smith said. “Our guys are going to have to get in there and really compete … we’ll have to match zeros with them and when they give us an opportunity we have to take advantage of it.”
