Ohio is looking back at the basics.
After suffering a sweep to Central Michigan and relinquishing any momentum earned from a previous four-game win streak, the Bobcats will travel to Eastwood Field in Niles to face Youngstown State on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Coach Rob Smith used simple terms to break down what happened in the Bobcats’ loss Sunday, when they hit the ball well but scored just two runs for the second time in three days.
“Pitching is certainly a challenging thing, but it’s really simple if you can just throw it over the plate and get them to swing the bat,” Smith said, referencing the Central Michigan starter’s ability to throw strikes.
“And if you throw it over the plate, even if they hit it hard, somebody’s probably going to catch it,” Smith continued.
Ohio (15-15, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) put up eight runs in game two on Saturday against the Chippewas, so it’s not like its offense is dormant. Games like Sunday's, however, when the Bobcats had two runs on eight hits, show that the team may not be getting its fair share of breaks.
“You’ve got to stick with it, stay as positive as you can,” first baseman Rudy Rott, who is 3-for-15 in his past four games, said. “It sucks when balls aren’t falling and things aren’t going well.”
Scouting Youngstown State
The Penguins (8-20, 4-8 Horizon League) won just twice in their first 18 games to start the season but have made a small turnaround since.
Youngstown State also boasts a pair of impressive wins: a 12-3 defeat of then-No. 17 Georgia Tech in late February and an 11-6 victory over MAC preseason favorite Kent State.
An absurd portion of the Penguins’ offense has come off the bat of sophomore first baseman Andrew Kendrick, who is hitting .333/.433/.810 in 24 games with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs. Ohio has 12 home runs as a team.
On the mound, the Penguins have served up an abysmal .322 opponent batting average to pair with a team ERA of 7.26. They’ve allowed double digit runs in 13 of 28 games this year.
Youngstown State and Ohio have split their past six annual meetings dating back to 2011, but the Penguins won last year in Athens, 8-5, after scoring four runs in the final two innings. The Bobcats had twice as many hits as the Penguins in that game but left 12 runners on base.
