Ohio hope to extend winning streak in weekend series against MAC foes.
Ohio was left looking for answers after heading into Mid-American Conference play with a losing record for the first time since 2012.
Despite entering its MAC opener last Saturday against Western Michigan with consecutive wins, Ohio found itself behind again and trailing 7-0 through three innings of the first game of a doubleheader. Then, senior outfielder Adrienne Gebele came to the plate in the fourth.
She launched a three-run home run to put the Bobcats on the board, and the Bobcats didn’t look back.
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They won that game 9-8, and also won the second game of the doubleheader 3-2 to extend its winning streak to four games.
Ohio (9-18, 2-0 MAC) will look to continue the confidence gained from last weekend’s sweep when it returns home to face Central Michigan (10-15, 0-2 MAC) in a doubleheader Friday, then Eastern Michigan (8-19, 0-2 MAC) on Saturday and Sunday.
“It carries a stride of confidence and it carries a stride of purpose,” coach Jodi Hermanek said. “Every team that won last week played two games and won two games, every team that lost last week lost two, so it puts us in the driver’s seat, which is exactly what we need to continue to focus on.”
Coming home will be a welcome relief for the Bobcats, who have only played two of their 27 games this season at home.
“The longest road trip, we knew it was gonna be hard, we knew it was gonna be tiring, and so watching them come out and win two on someone else’s field is a great benefit to our season,” Hermanek said.
With multiple injuries, Ohio has relied on other senior leadership lately — most notably senior pitcher Lauren McClary.
McClary pitched [WG1] of nine innings between the two games last Saturday and didn’t allow a run in either. She is second on the team in innings pitched, having tossed 47 1/3 innings this season.
“Mac was lights out. She is has gotten really strong for us,” Hermanek said. “She’s buckled down for us. She looks really solid right now, really solid in our game.”
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Looking for two more series victories this weekend, the Bobcats will hope the wave of confidence will carry them through the weekend.
“I’m just really proud of handling the adversity of both games while we’re on the road,” Hermanek said. “It’s huge to win every single game in the conference, it’s huge to come out 3-1 on the series, and if you can come out 4-0, that’s even better.”
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