It looked like more of the same for Ohio on Friday night, with the recurring theme of poor offense once again rearing its ugly head.
But a furious seventh inning rally propelled Ohio past Mid-American Conference bottom feeder Eastern Michigan 10-8 in the Bobcats’ highest scoring effort of the season.
Ohio entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 4-2, but it loaded the bases with just one out.
First baseman John Adryan ripped a single to center field to score shortstop Garrett Black to cut the deficit to one and then designated hitter Taylor Emody followed that with a walk that tied the game at four.
A fly ball off the bat of third baseman Ty Black was then deep enough to allow center fielder Tyler Wells to tag up and score from third, giving the Bobcats their second lead of the game and a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
It was an unexpected late inning comeback for the Bobcats, who were 0-26 when trailing after six innings entering Friday night’s contest.
“A big credit to our hitters,” coach Rob Smith said. “They did a great job of getting the lead, but then extending the lead.”
In the bottom half of the eighth, Ohio added five insurance runs on a two-RBI double by Wells, a base hit by Taylor Emody and two wild pitches that scored Wells and Adryan.
Ohio opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, with an error by Eagle second baseman John Rubino allowing Adryan to score. Adryan led off the inning with a double and was 3-4 on the evening.
But Eastern Michigan would strike back in the next half inning, tacking on three runs, two of which were unearned, on Ohio and starting pitcher Jake Roehn.
A one-out error by Adryan permitted Eastern Michigan center fielder Austin Wilson to score the first run, while singles from right fielder Sam Ott and first baseman Lee Longo scoring the next two tallies.
Roehn had yet another solid start despite not having his best stuff, pitching seven innings and allowing four runs (two earned), seven hits, walking none and striking out three.
The Bobcats would counter in the bottom of the fifth, with a triple by left fielder Chandler Geller scoring Garrett Black. The redshirt junior infielder went 4-5, scoring three runs.
“Tonight I felt real good and saw the ball real well,” Garrett said.
Eastern Michigan would make it interesting in the top of the ninth, scoring three-runs with no outs before reliever Jake Miller closed the door on a double play by Garrett Black.
“I would’ve liked to have seen us close out that game better,” Smith said. “A win is a win and I’ll take it, but it’s just, that team (Eastern Michigan) rolls in here tomorrow with some momentum. You knock out that ninth inning and they walk away pretty disappointed that they let a lead slip away.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
@c_hoppens
