Ohio split its series against Maine this past weekend after doing the same against Rider to open the season.
The Bobcats played the Black Bears in Georgia, and they lost Friday to open the series. Ohio split the doubleheader Saturday, and it defeated Maine on Sunday to close the series.
Friday
The Bobcats couldn’t come out of the hole they created in the top of the first inning against the Black Bears.
Redshirt senior pitcher Gerry Salisbury gave up four runs as the starter in the top of the first. Salisbury pitched four innings and had five strikeouts. The Bobcats lost 5-1. Sophomore left fielder Tanner Piechnick scored off a single from catcher Nick Bredeson to score the lone run.
Piechnick scored in the bottom of the third inning, when he began the inning with a double. After Ryan Sargent and Aaron Levy each recorded an out, junior Devon Garcia hit a single to advance Piechnick to third. Bredeson drove in Piechnick with a RBI as he hit a single to center field.
The Bobcats finished the game with four hits, and Garcia led the team with two singles. Three of those hits came during the bottom of the third; the other came during the bottom of the first.
Ohio didn’t commit any errors in the game after committing four errors in its first game of the season Feb. 16.
Along with Salisbury, the Bobcats used three other pitchers. Nick Kamrada, Brett Manis and Alex Kuster played, and the four pitchers combined gave up nine walks and eight hits.
Saturday
The Bobcats played their second of three doubleheaders this season against the Black Bears, and they split the games.
Ohio started better during the first game Saturday. After starting in a 4-0 hole against Maine on Friday, Ohio had a two-run lead at the end of the first. The Bobcats then scored four more runs throughout the game to win 7-5.
With two on and one out in the top of the first, Piechnick hit a double to left field. He drove in Garcia, who had stolen third base before Piechnick’s hit.
After Tony Giannini struck out, Trevor Hafner hit a double and drove in Piechnick and Bredeson.
As the Bobcats scored two runs in the top of the third, they needed to maintain the lead. Maine scored a run in the bottom of the eighth, and Ohio led 6-5 heading into the top of the ninth.
In the top of the ninth, Rudy Rott hit a double to center field after Bredeson’s ball to center field was recorded out. Evan Bourn hit a double to center field after Rott’s hit, which brought Rott in for a run.
The Bobcats finished with 12 hits, eight more than they had in the first game against the Black Bears. Bredeson, Rott and Hafner each had two hits.
Redshirt senior pitcher Michael Klein pitched five innings as the starter, and he gave up four runs on seven hits. Eddie Kutt and Jake Roehn also pitched, and Kutt gave up a run. The Bobcats had no errors in the first game of the doubleheader after doing the same in the first game of the series.
In the second game Saturday, the Bobcats lost 2-1 to the Black Bears. Maine scored a run in the top of the second and the top of the fifth.
The Bobcats, though, didn’t score until the bottom of the ninth. Bourn hit a home run after Levy and Piechnick struck out. Butch Baird pitched six innings as the starter, giving up four hits and a home run. Baird recorded three strikeouts and three walks
Along with Baird, Kenny Ogg pitched three innings and gave up three hits. Ogg totaled two strikeouts and one walk.
Sargent led the team with two hits as the Bobcats finished with five total. Ohio had two errors, though, with Garcia and Bredeson picking up one each.
Sunday
Ohio defeated Maine 6-2 to close the series as seven pitchers threw in the win.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Cole Shinsky got the start, but he only threw 0.2 innings. The other six pitchers were Derek Carr, Sebastian Fabik, Nick Kamrada, Cory Blessing, Eddie Kutt and Jake Roehn. Blessing pitched the most innings at 3 1/3. He allowed one hit and had four strikeouts.
After the Black Bears scored in the bottom of the first inning, Aaron Levy picked up a walk after two outs in the top of the second. Levy scored after Garcia hit a single, and the Bobcats were down 2-1 after the second.
As the game continued, Ohio took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. At the start of the top of the fourth, Levy hit a single to left field. After catcher Dan McCauley drew a walk, Levy scored as Evan Bourn hit a single to right field.
The Bobcats scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning, and they totaled eight hits in the game. Rott had two hits, leading Ohio in the category. Through eight games, the Bobcats have a batting average of .266 and 40 runs.
What's Next
Ohio will play the University of Nebraska Omaha from Friday through Sunday in a four-game series in Cartersville, Georgia.
