Ohio started off slowly against Dayton by recording two hits in game one, but jumped out early in game two and finished with 12 hits.
It took awhile for the Ohio bats to get going Wednesday night.
Which is fair, however, considering the Bobcats went from a grueling doubleheader in Athens on Tuesday night against Ohio State, and turned around to travel to Dayton the very next day for another doubleheader starting in the early afternoon.
After Ohio's two-hit outing in the opening game of the series against the Flyers resulted in a 1-0 loss, the Bobcats garnered enough energy to string together 12 hits in the second game to beat Dayton, 9-4.
Slow Start
Danielle Stiene stepped into the circle with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the third inning, looking to build on her solid pitching performance to that point, as well as close the door on Dayton's third inning.
But following two singles, Stiene was rattled.
She walked the next batter to load the bases and then gave up a Krista Gustafson ground ball that couldn’t be corralled at shortstop. That lone RBI was all it took for the Flyers to hold on for a win.
As for the Bobcats, besides a single from Taylor Saxton to lead off the game and a run-out bunt by Deanna Cole in the third, Ohio was lifeless from the plate.
Without any help from her offense, Stiene was still formidable, though, only giving up one earned run and five hits in six innings pitched. However, Stiene was unable to get the run support she needed as Ohio fell 1-0.
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Ohio Bats Come Alive
It didn't take long, though, for the Bobcats to get their mojo back in the second game.
Saxton pumped life back into the Bobcats by leading off the game with a walk. On the next pitch after reaching base, she broke for second and slid in safely. That would be steal No. 30 on the season for Saxton, who would record another steal in the second inning.
After back-to-back Flyer errors, Hutchinson finished off the scoring in the first by reaching home easily, pushing Ohio's lead up to 2-0.
The lead gave the team a much-needed breath of fresh air after spending the majority of its time in previous games trailing
In the fifth inning, a Madison Claytor single, paired with a Dayton throwing error, allowed two more Bobcats to score, which opened up the lead to 6-3, giving the Bobcats their winning runs.
Ohio added two more runs in the sixth and a lone run in the seventh to pad the lead, but it was nothing but insurance.
Three pitchers were available for the Bobcats in the game, but Morgan Geno was awarded the victory, making it her first career win at Ohio.
The win in the second game broke a four game losing streak for the Bobcats, who had lost six of their last seven games heading into the nightcap of the doubleheader.
Three of the team's losses on the losing skid were by scores of 1-0.
nk596613@ohio.edu
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