Sports
Ohio Falls Again After More Offensive Struggles
By: Kaleb Carter
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A four-run fifth inning did Ohio in on the first day of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Softball Classic against the Chattanooga Mocs. The Bobcats’ fell 5-2 in what was the Mocs’ eighth straight victory. It was Ohio’s second loss on the day.
Ohio struck like lightning in the first, plating two runners in the blink of an eye. Amanda Dalton led off the game with a single, and two batters later, Casie Hutchinson pushed Dalton home with a hit. An Alexandria Basquez base-knock, coupled with a Chattanooga fielding error scored Hutchinson and gave Ohio its second run.
The ‘Cats struggled the rest of the evening to get anything going offensively.
Bobcat pitcher Lauren McClary commanded the circle and moved swiftly through the first four innings of play without allowing a Mocs run. McClary ran into a few problems in the fifth, allowing a solo home run and a triple, and was yanked for Savannah Jo Dorsey.
Dorsey immediately surrendered a dinger to Alyssa Taylor, sending Chattanooga up 4-2. Though the Mocs scored one more in the seventh, they already had all the runs they needed.
Amanda Dalton and Alexandria Basquez pounded out two hits each, to account for two thirds of Ohio’s hits. Their offensive contributions were not enough to bring Ohio back.
After a rocky first, Chattanooga’s Katie Henderson cruised for the next six innings, striking out seven ‘Cats to earn the victory.
Ohio is starting to show vulnerabilities offensively, and Friday was a rough go for Ohio for all of its hitters.
Lauren McClary picked up her first loss of the season, and is now 2-1.
The loss was Ohio’s second of the day, dropping the Green and White to 12-3. The win put the Mocs at 10-6.