On a rainy night at Sprenger Stadium in Avon, Ohio and Kent State were supposed to play a baseball game at 8 p.m.
Except that action didn't get started until 10:45 p.m. What was supposed to be a game of the Mid-American Conference East Division's two top squads turned into a game of who could simply hold itself together the longest.
As play continued into the wee hours of Friday morning, it was the No. 5 seed Bobcats who not only stayed together, but elevated their play to defeat the No. 1 seed Golden Flashes 5-3 and escape the first two rounds of the double-elimination tournament with a pair of wins.
Ohio is now just one win away from advancing to the MAC Championship title game.
The two teams were forced into the lengthy delay due to the prolonged progress of the previous three MAC playoff games at the stadium, which were slowed down because of the rainy conditions.
The effect of the delay was felt throughout the game — the two sides combined for six errors and 10 walks.
But the Bobcats took advantage of a pair of Kent State errors and a wild pitch to score four runs, two of which were unearned, in the final three innings to move into the championship bracket.
Ohio was down 2-1 until that late-innings outburst and seemingly gained momentum off Kent State's struggles to pull away. The Bobcats tallied four hits, including three doubles, in the final three innings to break out and overpower the Golden Flashes, who managed just two hits in the final five innings, both of which came in the ninth.
Senior second baseman Ty Black accounted for two of the three late-inning doubles for Ohio, going 2-for-4 with one run and an RBI.
Right-handed starter Michael Klein also registered a solid night, pitching five innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out four, before turning over the final four innings to the bullpen. The trio of right-handers of Cory Blessing, Kenny Ogg and Jake Roehn shut down Kent State and combined for just one earned run on two hits and three walks while striking out six to seal the victory.
What's next
The win gives the Bobcats (29-26) a much-needed day of rest, while Kent State (36-17) will have to regroup quickly for a 4:30 p.m. start against No. 8 seed Toledo on Friday.
Ohio will play the winner of Friday's game Saturday at 1 p.m. A victory would push the Bobcats into the MAC Championship title game Sunday, while a loss would still give Ohio one final chance to extend the season — the Bobcats would then play a do-or-die game against Friday's winner Saturday at 8 p.m.
All MAC Championship games can be viewed live on ESPN3.
