Sports
Softball: Ohio Drops Two At Ohio State
< < Back to softball-ohio-drops-two-ohio-stateSubpar pitching and defense cost the Bobcats on their road trip to Columbus Wednesday evening as Ohio dropped both games of a doubleheader with Ohio State; the ‘Cats lost the first game 9-5 before falling in five innings 13-3 in the second contest.
Uncharacteristic fielding errors hurt Ohio in the first game. The Bobcats were only down one run in the third inning before committing a costly three errors, which allowed Ohio State to take a commanding 7-0 lead before the top of the fourth. Overall, Ohio committed four errors in game one, accounting for six unearned runs. Ohio was the second best fielding team in the MAC before Wednesday’s games with a .968 percentage in the field.
The Bobcats did show a valiant effort to come back from the early deficit. Alexandria Basquez sent a line-drive home run over the left-field wall to bring in two of Ohio’s three fourth-inning runs, and Lauren Gellerman added a deep shot to centerfield for two more in the sixth, but Ohio State’s lead proved insurmountable. Lauren McClary picked up the loss, going 4.2 innings with two earned runs and three strikeouts.
In the second game, Ohio got things going early. Raven King and Basquez hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead after one, but Ohio State would answer with another big inning. Starting pitcher Caitlin Colvin failed to find the strike zone and walked three batters on 12 pitches to begin the game. Kaylin Clarke was immediately brought in in relief, but all three runners would score four pitches later on a bases-clearing double by Ohio State’s Evelyn Carrillo. The Buckeyes scored seven runs in the inning with two players coming to bat twice before Ohio recorded its third out. Ohio State added to its lead in the second and third innings before the run rule took effect in the fifth. Colvin was credited with the loss after her brief stint in the circle for Ohio.
After Wednesday’s disappointing doubleheader, Ohio falls to 16-23 on the season. The Bobcats have now lost three straight and seven of their last eight games. Furthermore, Ohio continues to struggle in true road games; the ‘Cats are just 3-14 now when they are the visiting team. The Bobcats will look to get back on track when they begin a six-game home stand Friday with two against Northern Illinois.