Ohio swept Buffalo this weekend to win its first MAC series of the season.
Any preconceived notions Ohio had about itself as a team was thrown out the window this weekend.
Before the weekend series against Buffalo, Ohio couldn’t seem to find any stability from their starting rotation and defense. Starting pitchers were allowing early runs from the onslaught while struggling to go more than two innings and costly errors were allowing the opposition to score free runs.
That all seemed to change this weekend with the Bobcats’ first three-game sweep and series win of Mid-American Conference play.
No Ohio starter pitched fewer than five innings and the defense committed only two errors throughout the three-game set.
“I thought it was very encouraging what we got out of our starting pitching,” head coach Rob Smith said. “Starting with Jake Miller on Friday, Connor Sitz followed him up, and then Jake Rudnicki. It was the first time all year we put together three qualities starts in a weekend. It was certainly good to see and I’m proud of what we these guys did.”
All three had very identical starts, with Miller going 5 1/3 innings, Sitz going 5 2/3 innings, and Rudnicki going five innings. The three totaled 19 strikeouts throughout the weekend.
Ohio’s bullpen, including standout reliever Logan Cozart (3-1), picked up where the starters left off, sealing up victories for the Bobcats (17-12, 5-4 MAC).
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The bullpen has been solid throughout the season, but was always pitching with a deficit on their hands.
This formula of relief pitching dominance was especially key in Saturday’s comeback victory in the first game of their doubleheader against Buffalo.
“It’s something we’ve been doing all year,” Smith said. “We have a lot of resiliency and they have a lot of belief in themselves and each other. We were able to keep the games close enough that all we needed was a little bit of a spark. Nate Squires got the ninth inning go for us and it took off from there.”
Ohio trailed 3-2 heading into the top of the ninth, but a two-run double from Manny DeJesus and a RBI groundout from Mitch Longo put the Bobcats on top, 5-2.
Cozart pitched the final three innings of that game to earn a victory, his third of the season.
Ohio will look to continue its three-game winning streak when it travels to Marshall Wednesday.
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