Ohio comes away from the weekend winless after being swept by Kent State.
Away from her daughter, Emma, coach Jodi Hermanek and the Bobcats’ road trip to Kent State didn’t exactly go according to plan.
After Friday’s series against Buffalo was canceled because of bad weather, the Bobcats’ drive to Kent took almost three hours longer than normal because of a bomb threat on a Greyhound bus in front of Ohio’s..
Ohio was then swept by Kent State and fell to 11-22 on the season and •4-4 on the Mid-American Conference.
The Golden Flashes dominated Saturday in a 9-1 win and ended the game in five innings because of the mercy rule. Ohio’s starter Kaylin Clarke lasted just 1/3 of an inning and picked up the loss after allowing four hits to the five batters she faced.
The loss marked the seventh time this year Ohio lost courtesy of the mercy rule.
Ohio overcame a four-run deficit Sunday in a fifth inning rally.
“Today was a better fight than yesterday,” Hermanek said. “We faced a tough pitching staff, and today’s offensive effort was much stronger.”
After trailing 4-0, the Bobcats needed a big inning in order to stay in the game with Kent State (26-9, 7-2 MAC), and they delivered with six runs in the top of the fifth.
Redshirt senior Raven King led off the inning with a walk. The next batter, sophomore Madison Claytor, hit a home run to cut the deficit to 4-2.
After the home run, the Bobcats scored four more runs and took a 6-4 lead, as six Bobcats recorded hits in the inning.
Freshman Mikayla Cooper then came in as a relief pitcher and pitched a scoreless fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, however, she surrendered six runs. The Bobcats’ lead was eventually eclipsed, and they lost 9-6 to the Golden Flashes.
Hermanek said pitching struggles have impacted the Bobcats throughout the season. Ohio pitchers combined to allow 17 earned runs and walk seven batters during 11 innings inside the circle.
“Kent State came out swinging, and as a pitching staff, we need more command,” Hermanek said.
Although Ohio lost both games, it was able to create contact and recorded nine hits Sunday. The nine hits were exponentially higher than Ohio’s one hit game Saturday.
With the two losses this weekend, Ohio now sits in third place in the MAC East standings behind Kent State and Miami.
The Bobcats will be able to take a break from MAC play on Tuesday with a home doubleheader against the Dayton Flyers.
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