Sports
Ohio Softball Swept At Home By Miami
< < Back to ohio-softball-swept-home-miamiIn two very different games, the Ohio Bobcats (19-18, 4-6) fell to the Miami RedHawks (14-22, 8-2) twice in a doubleheader at Ohio Softball Field on Friday. Game one was a low scoring affair that ended in Miami’s favor, 1-0. In game two, both teams’ bats came alive, but Ohio still lost, 11-5.
Game One:
Freshman pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey (9-7) pitched a gem for the Green and White, throwing a complete game and only allowing a run to score. Dorsey allowed just six hits and one walk, while striking out five hitters.
Unfortunately for Dorsey, her opposition pitched just a bit better.
Miami’s Jenna Modic was able to keep Ohio’s batters from crossing home plate in her complete game shutout.
After the doubleheader, Ohio head coach Jodi Hermanek said that it was especially disappointing to lose considering Dorsey’s performance.
“You never want to lose a one-run game,” Hermanek said. “Putting up a shutout against us is all that of insulting.”
Ohio’s struggle to score was evident in the first inning. The Bobcats were unable to score with just one out and the bases loaded. The team left eight runners on base in the game and was retired in order in the fifth and seventh innings.
Dorsey was dominant early.
In the first inning she got three RedHawks to strike out swinging. She worked out of situations with runners on second and third in the second and sixth innings, and retired Miami in order in the seventh.
The only blemish to the freshman’s game came in the third inning. With Tiyona Marshall on second base, Modic doubled to center field to score Miami’s lone run.
“It’s (Dorsey’s) job to keep us within one run,” Hermanek said. “You trust your offense to get it done but we just didn’t have it today.”
Game Two:
Ohio managed five runs in part two of the day’s doubleheader, but its pitching faltered.
After Dorsey took the circle in the first game, sophomore Lauren McClary (8-8) was handed the ball in the second game.
McClary struggled with Miami’s bats and allowed six runs and seven hits in 3.2 innings.
The RedHawks got to McClary early in the second inning. With one out Kylie McChesney homered to right center to put the away team up 1-0. McClary walked the next batter and Kristy Arbour hit another Miami blast to right center.
The ‘Hawks were up 3-0 in the fourth inning when they struck again.
Marshall picked up a single and Hailey Reed walked before Modic drove them in with a drive over the right-field fence. Dorsey relieved McClary after the sophomore allowed a third home run.
McClary’s outing was the second in as many games in which she failed to get past the fourth inning. On April 9 she allowed three runs in just two innings.
Coach Hermanek did not seem to be worried about her sophomore pitcher. She simply chalked McClary’s recent struggles to just two rough outings.
“I think that she just needs to get her pitches down, which she can totally do,” Hermanek said. “I think it’s just a small fundamental correction which she needs to make and she can make … I have all the faith in her. I know we need her and she knows we need her and she’ll turn the corner.”
The Green and White responded in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored three runs to cut Miami’s lead to 6-3. Raven King hit a solo home run and DJ Engelman hit a two-run blast with Tessa Bailey on base.
The score was not close for long, as Miami answered with a five-run fifth inning.
Dorsey got into trouble with the bases loaded and walked in a run. A single by Reed and a sacrifice fly by catcher Allie Larrabee drove in another four runs to give Miami an 11-3 lead.
Ohio added a run in each of the next two innings, but it was all the offense the Bobcats could muster. The ‘Cats went out quietly in the seventh and were retired in order.
“Offensively we keep jumping out of our own skin and trying to force things to happen rather than keeping the pressure on the (opposing) pitcher, and letting the pitcher throw to us,” Hermanek said.
She was also critical of the pitching but was not ready to blame Miami’s 16 hits in the second game solely on pitching.
“I believe that there were balls out there that should have been defended, and I believe that when our defense steps up and takes some pressure off of the circle that will help us out a lot more,” she said.
Ohio has lost five straight games since April 7 and must turn around quickly for a two game series against a tough Ball State team beginning Saturday.
The Cardinals are 24-11 and 8-0 in Mid-American Conference play. As a team they have hit 48 home runs and are batting .329.
“Ball State has nothing to lose,” Hermanek said. “We need to come out here and play like we have nothing to lose. We need to be aggressive and loose and be able to make changes in the middle of at-bats. When we can do that, that’s when we are really good, but right now we are struggling to find out when we can do that and why we are not doing it.”
First pitch for Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. Game two of the series will be Sunday at 1 p.m.