Ohio suffered its second straight sweep last weekend in a four-game series at Southeast Missouri State. The Bobcats have now lost seven games in a row. Ohio didn’t score for the first 23 innings of the series.
Here’s what happened in each game:
Friday
Ohio began its weekend on an offensive slump. The Bobcats only had five hits in the 3-0 loss. Redhawks pitcher Dylan Dodd pitched a complete game with 15 strikeouts and no walks.
Eamon Horwedel pitched for Ohio and received his second loss of the season. Horwedel gave up three runs in the first three innings. Without any help from the offense, the three runs were enough.
Saturday (Game 1)
The slump continued into Saturday as the Bobcats were handed another 3-0 loss in the first game of the doubleheader. The first game of the day was shortened to seven innings. This time, Noah Niznik shut down Ohio’s offense with another complete game. He allowed three hits and no runs with five strikeouts in seven innings.
The Bobcats didn’t force Southeast Missouri State to go to its bullpen once in two games, allowing two pitchers to play over 16 total innings.
Jack Liberatore pitched well for Ohio and only gave up three runs in six innings. One swing of the bat scored all the game’s runs, as he allowed a three-run home run in the third inning.
Saturday (Game 2)
The Bobcats finally got onto the board after 23 scoreless innings in the second game of the doubleheader. The Redhawks had already scored nine runs, though, as Ohio fell again, 9-2.
Edward Kutt IV, who had made three appearances out of the bullpen, made his first start of the season Saturday. It didn’t last long, however, as he pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on eight hits.
Collin Wilma made the start for Southeast Missouri State and pitched seven scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the eighth. The Redhawks’ bullpen was finally called and carried the rest of the weight, giving up two hits in the final two innings.
Sunday
The Ohio offense finally got started in the series finale, as it scored a season-high seven runs. But the pitching didn’t hold up as Braxton Kelly made his first start of the season and gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings.
The Bobcats entered the final inning with a four-run deficit and got two back before losing its seventh-straight game, 9-7.
Trevor Hafner and Devonte Washington led Ohio’s offense with two RBIs each. Hafner hit a double in the ninth inning, which scored both of his RBIs. The next two batters couldn’t keep the offense rolling, though, as Michael Richardson flied out, and Treyben Funderburg struck out.
What’s next
Ohio will attend a tournament in Johnson City, Tennessee, where it will face Marist, Wagner and East Tennessee State.
