The Bobcats are a force in the Mid-American Conference, however, there has been one constant: the Bobcats can’t win midweek games.
Ohio has now played four midweek games and dropped all four while giving up at least eight runs in each, including a 15-2 loss to Morehead State last week that didn’t even make it to the ninth inning before being called to the mercy rule.
Ohio fared a little bit better against Marshall in Tuesday night's matchup where it fell 8-6. Starting pitcher Colin Sells struggled against Marshall’s bats and allowed seven runs on seven hits in only 1 and ⅓ innings pitched.
The Bobcats were able to come back later in the game. They brought it to a one-run ballgame but evidently came up short in the end.
“It came down to the last out,” Ohio coach Craig Moore said. “You’re gonna have games where you’re gonna get that big hit and then there’s gonna be days where the ball doesn’t bounce your way.”
The ball didn’t bounce Ohio’s way in this one but that’s nothing new on a midweek night. The Bobcats have been seemingly cursed and they haven’t won a midweek game yet this season.
The main struggle in midweek games has been pitching. Ohio has yet to find the guy that can win them that midweek game despite using a myriad of pitchers. In four games, Ohio’s pitching has allowed a combined 24 runs in the first three innings of each game. With a pace similar to that, the Bobcats are essentially out of the game before it even starts.
Tyler Peck(36) pitches at the OHIO vs Marshall baseball game in Athens, Ohio on April 11, 2023.
“It comes down to the pitching and the lineups that we’re putting out there,” Moore said. “We’re using seven to eight (pitchers) on the weekend and we can’t bring those guys back on a Tuesday."
With Ohio exhausting its pitching staff during the weekend against MAC opponents, the team needs to have some depth to get them through the occasional midweek matchup.
“That’s where you hope to have the depth of your pitching staff come into play and you hope to give them the opportunity to go out there and execute,” Moore said. “Unfortunately, in our last few midweek games, we’ve obviously given up some runs.”
Despite the poor performances from the pitching staff, a few pitchers have shined during the midweek matchups that deserve a spot in the weekend rotation of bullpen guys.
Sophomore Tyler Peck has had back-to-back outstanding outings for the Bobcats while pitching on a Tuesday. Against Marshall, the righty gave the Bobcats an opportunity to get back in the game with three-straight scoreless innings in relief for Sells. Peck most notably ended the *seven-run onslaught by the Thundering Herd offense in the second inning where Sells was only able to muster one out.
“(The bullpen) came in and did what our relief pitching has done for the last three weeks, throw up zeroes and give our offense the chance to hopefully chip back,” Moore said.
The offense has also put forth a lackluster effort during midweek matchups.
Against Marshall, Ohio was able to rally and put up six runs in the third and fourth innings but after that, the offense was set down nine straight times during the middle innings of the game.
In two out of the four midweek games, the offense has only been able to put up two runs and has been outscored by a combined total of 51-24.
Ohio has proven that it can win in the MAC on the weekend but that’s all that this team has proven.
