Sports
Phillips Silences Ohio Bats, Seahawks Roll
By: Eric Singer
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Ohio sophomore pitcher Connor Sitz made his first start of the season on Sunday, and it was one of the best performances of his short collegiate career. He gave the Bobcats five strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out six batters.
However, he was the losing pitcher.
Unfortunately for Sitz, his counterpart in the game, UNC-Wilmington’s Evan Phillips, threw an even better performance, completely shutting down Ohio’s offensive attack, as the Seahawks defeated the Bobcats by a score of 9-1.
Phillips (1-1) allowed zero runs, while giving up only four hits and three walks to Ohio batters, and didn’t allow a base runner to advance past second base during his 7.1 innings of work.
Out of the six total hits that the Bobcats (2-4) had, junior Jake Madsen led the team with two hits in his four at-bats, as well as scoring the only run for Ohio in the game. Freshman Mitch Longo continued his hot start to his Bobcat career, picking up a single in the third inning, which extended his hitting streak to five games.
After Sitz (0-2) was removed after the fifth inning, the Bobcats bullpen couldn’t keep the Seahawks offense at bay, as five different pitchers gave up seven runs and eight hits to the ‘Hawks in the last three innings of the game.
The final blow for the Bobcats came in the eighth inning, when six-consecutive Seahawk batters reached base safely, and four runs total crossed the plate. Ohio pitcher Sean Kennedy was touched up for three of those runs, though only two of those were earned.
The Bobcats finished the “Battle at the Beach” tournament with a 1-3 record, and return to the field on Friday, Feb. 28, when the ‘Cats travel to Georgia for another three-team tournament, this time with Georgia Southern and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.