After the Bobcats won their second Mid-American Conference series this past weekend, they will travel to Marshall on Tuesday for the second matchup of the season between the teams.
Ohio (10-23, 5-7 MAC) lost the first game at home against Marshall, 6-1, but things will be different this time.
The Bobcats were coming off a disappointing series against Central Michigan, and the offense was made up of almost Rudy Rott by himself. Also, Ohio didn’t have a serious mid-week option that would put in many innings. Braxton Kelly started that game three weeks ago and pitched just three innings.
Since then, Tuesday’s projected starter, Joe Rock, has cemented himself as the mid-week starter that can pitch well against good teams. Rock’s last time on the mound was one of his best performances. He pitched seven innings and only allowed four runs (three earned) against a Power Five team in Ohio State.
Ohio has shown much more offensive promise since then, and Rott has gotten some help. Help has come in the form of unlikely players such as backup catcher Nick Mallot, who had five RBIs on Friday night against Toledo and designated hitter Aaron Levy, who had four RBIs of his own that night.
The Thundering Herd (20-15) have been decent since the last time the teams played. They are 5-6 in that span and are also coming off a conference series win. There is one thing Ohio can take advantage of, though.
Last time Marshall’s projected starter, Ryan Capuano, pitched he was ripped apart by a pretty good Virginia Tech team. He gave up five runs and seven hits in only two innings in a 7-0 loss.
Ohio has improved since late March and will look to show that against Marshall.
