After being swept by No. 12 Kentucky, Ohio looks to get back on track despite key injuries on the team.
Following a weekend series sweep in Lexington at the hands of No. 12 Kentucky, Ohio (5-15) will look to quickly get back on track with a doubleheader against Wright State on Tuesday.
Ohio was outscored 19-6 this weekend despite senior outfielder Adrienne Gebele’s 4-for-9 weekend, which included three RBIs, while senior Kaylin Clarke went 3-for-8 with a home run in the second game.
With little time to rest, the Bobcats have now hit the road to Dayton, where they will be up against a Wright State team that has lost three-straight games. Wright State (2-17) competed in the Hoosier Classic this weekend, where the Raiders picked up a decisive 16-4 victory over Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, but dropped the remaining three games in the event.
But if history repeats itself, this could be a series in which Ohio is able to get itself back on track, as the Bobcats haven’t lost to the Raiders since 2012. However, the team still faces injuries that have lead to some unexpected changes in the roster.
The players have been forced to experiment with different positions than they are used to, such as freshman infielder Mikayla Cooper, who started the final game against Kentucky at catcher but ended up finishing the game at second base.
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A tough injury to work around came from junior pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey, who was one of the Bobcats’ biggest assets last season with a 2.37 ERA and 25 wins. Not only were her 25 wins significant, but Dorsey also started in 35 games for the Bobcats and pitched in 268 1/3 innings, which was more than 150 more innings than the second pitcher in the team’s rotation, now-senior Lauren McClary. McClary has the most starts on the team this season with eight but is currently 0-9 with an ERA of 7.80.
Unfortunately, many of the team’s reserve pitchers also play different positions for the Bobcats. The team’s current leader in appearances in the circle, Clarke, usually plays first base and didn’t throw a single pitch during the 2014 season.
In addition to the injuries, the Bobcats have yet to play a home game this season. Tuesday’s series against Wright State will mark the fourth and fifth games for the team in four days.
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