Ohio split its season-opening four-game series against Rider in Lexington, South Carolina, with a pair of wins in Saturday's doubleheader and losses in Friday and Sunday's games.
Friday
Perhaps Ohio's biggest issue in 2018 is how coach Rob Smith will address the three positional holes from his 2017 infield, which had three seniors and finished No. 12 in the nation with 44 errors and a .980 fielding percentage.
The new defensive look had a rough start to the season in the Bobcats' 6-4 loss to Rider on Friday. Four errors by Ohio's defense led to three unearned Rider runs.
Senior third baseman Tony Giannini and freshman second baseman Aaron Levy committed two errors each in the Bobcats' first loss of the season.
Giannini attempted to make up for his defensive miscues at the plate by going•3-for-3 with one RBI. Designated hitter and redshirt senior Michael Klein also hit a two-run home run.
Redshirt senior Gerry Salisbury pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, two of which were earned. The left-hander walked one batter and struck out two.
Saturday
Ohio rebounded from Friday's loss with a sweep of Saturday's doubleheader, its first of three doubleheaders this season.
The Bobcats dominated the Broncs with a 10-2 win in Saturday's first game. All nine of Ohio's starters tallied at least one hit, and the Bobcats' first three batters in Devon Garcia, Nick Bredeson and Rudy Rott combined to go 7-for-12 with six runs and two RBIs.
Klein pitched 4 2/3 innings as a starter and gave zero runs despite allowing five walks and three hits. The right-hander was also Ohio's designated hitter and went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs.
The Bobcats won 6-5 over the Broncs in their second game. Each team tallied 10 hits and Levy, who was absent from the lineup in Saturday's first game, hit a second-inning solo home run in his 2-for-4 performance.
Senior Butch Baird threw 4 2/3 innings as a starter and allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
Jake Roehn notched his first save of the season and threw 1 2/3 shutout innings to become Ohio's all-time leader in saves (23).
Sunday
Ohio's 6-5 extra-inning loss to Rider on Sunday could go down as the toughest loss of the season.
The Bobcats captured their second lead of the game in the top of the 11th, but the Broncs battled back for two runs in the bottom half of the inning to win the game.
Smith didn't use Roehn for his team's save situation in the 11th inning, and he instead inserted freshman Chace Harris to close out the game. The right-hander, who pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in Saturday's first game, allowed a pair of earned runs off a hit and two walks and suffered the loss in a crushing defeat.
The Bobcats also had plenty of offensive opportunities — they collected 14 hits and left 14 runners on base — but their failure to capitalize offensively prevented them from leaving Lexington with their first series win of the season.
What's next
The Bobcats will play another four-game series with Maine in Atlanta from Friday through Sunday.
