Sports
Ohio Starts College of Charleston Tournament Strong
By: Justin Cudahy
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Ohio (17-6) went into the College of Charleston Tournament this weekend, coming off an important victory against USC Upstate less than 24 hours ago.
The team kicked off the tournament Saturday afternoon, facing Lafayette and Western Carolina. Both games took only five innings to decide with the Bobcats shutting out the Leopards, 8-0 and the Catamounts, 10-0.
Danielle Stiene took the mound for the Bobcats, taking down the batters in the top of the first inning. The bats came alive for Ohio right from the start, thanks to a RBI double from Natalie Alvarez, giving her team an early 1-0 lead. Two innings later, Alexa Holland led off the bottom of the third inning by smacking the ball into right field putting her on third base. Two batters later, Alvarez once again brought home the runner thanks to an RBI single into right field once again, pushing the Bobcats lead to 2-0 going into the top of the fourth inning, but she wasn’t done there.
In the bottom of the fifth, Alvarez brought home Holland for a second time for her third RBI of the day. With two on base and no outs, Casie Hutchinson tacked on two additional runs for Ohio with an RBI double, making it 4-0. Stiene later proved she can do more than just pitch, as she smacked the ball into right field to earn two more runs in the same inning. Things got out of hand for the Leopards from this point on, as they gave up two more runs on a fielding error and drew a walk with bases loaded.
The Bobcats took the first match of the tournament with an 8-0 victory. This was the team’s fourth run rule victory this year. Stiene finished the game giving up no runs, hits or walks, and striking out eight. Ohio, who scored eight runs on 10 hits, was led by Alvarez who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, and Holland who went 1-for-2 with three runs scored, a triple and an RBI.
The Bobcats maintained their momentum in the second game of the day, shutting down Western Carolina in another 5-inning game, 10-0. Savannah Jo Dorsey, three-time Mid-American Conference East Pitcher of the Week, had no difficulty producing from mound for Ohio this time. The Bobcats hitting game did not slow down from earlier, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Alvarez then brought in a run on an RBI single, her fourth of the tournament. The team’s offense remained consistent throughout the game, scoring in every inning.
Alex Day, Makayla Cooper, Taylor Saxton, and Alexa Holland each took turns knocking in runs for Ohio, totaling six RBI in the end. Western Carolina had a tough time matching up against Dorsey. In the five-innings pitched, the senior allowed zero runs and only one hit, while striking out seven. After going through the order in the top of the fifth, the game was officially called as a run rule, giving OU their second win of the day. Ohio’s offensive leaders were Holland who went 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI, as well as Alvarez who finished the day going 2-for-4 with a run, double and RBI.
The Bobcats look to pick up where they left off with a Western Carolina remtach, followed by a matchup against College of Charleston today, which closes out the tournament.