Ohio (8-6) played Western Kentucky (6-11) and Wright State (9-6) on the road last week, notching a pair of wins in three games against the Hilltoppers while splitting its two games against the Raiders.
The Bobcats' success was fueled by impressive pitching performances, as both wins against WKU were shutouts in which the pitching staff allowed a combined eight hits and six walks while striking out 10 batters.
Ohio also held Wright State to just three runs in its 11-inning victory last Friday, its second extra-inning win and second extra-inning opportunity.
Highlighting the Bobcats' impressive pitching weekend was junior Butch Baird, who earned Mid-Amercian Conference Pitcher of the Week honors March 6. The southpaw was the starter in the Bobcats' first shutout victory against WKU on March 4, pitching 6 2/3 innings while giving up just four hits and two walks while striking out two batters. Baird would also turn in another quality start last Friday, throwing six innings while giving up three earned runs and striking out seven.
Baird's achievement was the third such achievement for the Bobcats in as many weeks, as redshirt junior Jake Roehn earned the same award in the week prior while redshirt junior Micheal Klein won the conference's Player of the Week honor to start the season.
Klein also continued his hot start to the season at both the mound and the plate, as he pitched five innings for his start in the second shutout on March 5, giving up just three hits and one walk while striking out one batter. Offensively, Klein went 5-for-16 on the week while driving in three runs, one coming from a solo home run in the loss to WKU on March 3, which pushed his home run total to a team-leading three.
With a quarter of the season now played, the Bobcats will continue to rely on their pitching to get wins. The starting pitching trio in Baird, Klein and redshirt junior Gerry Salisbury has combined to throw a 2.58 ERA in 59 innings while striking out 52 batters, which has helped keep Ohio in close games when the offense has been lacking.
Ohio will also need the bullpen to continue at its current pace, as it played a big role in each of the three wins last week. Carrying the majority of the load was Roehn and senior right-hander Jake Rudnicki, as the duo combined to throw 8 1/3 shutout innings across the five games, five of which coming in the extra-innings win last Friday.
With the offense struggling to find runs, coach Rob Smith will likely continue to lean heavily on Rudnicki and Roehn, as the two currently lead the Bobcats bullpen in innings pitched this season. In 22 1/3 combined innings, the pair has given up just one earned run while striking out 31 batters.
Ohio will have a single road game against Marshall (8-6) on Tuesday before it plays at home for the first time this season in a three-game series against Siena at Bob Wren Stadium this weekend.
