Sports
Dorsey’s Record Not Enough as Ohio Falls to Kent State
By: Mitchell Lyons
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Bottom of the tenth. Game tied at zero. The pitch got past Kent State catcher Nicole Teefy. Left fielder Deanna Cole took off from third.
The ball, Cole and pitcher Ronnie Ladines arrived at the plate at the exact same time. Home plate umpire, Jayme Cole called Deanna out, preserving the tie, forcing the game into an eleventh inning.
Ohio head coach Jodi Hermanek did not agree with the close call. Hermanek argued with the umpire for a few minutes.
“I felt like it was the wrong one,” Hermanek said. “I felt like Deanna was under the tag, the tag was high, and I just felt like it was the wrong call.”
In the eleventh, Bailey Brownfield blasted a homerun over the right centerfield fence giving the Golden Flashes a 1-0 lead. As soon as the ball went over the fence Hermanek went after Cole again.
This time she was tossed.
“The game would have been over,” Hermanek said. “For me, it’s just like bringing more opportunities to the plate for the opposition. We ask our athletes to be excellent and not do that, so we need that from the umpiring too. Just like if our athletes give up extra at-bats, you get frustrated, well, [I] got extremely frustrated there.”
The Bobcats had a chance in the bottom half of the inning. A walk by Mikayla Cooper put runners on first and second and nobody out for Dallas Messenger. Messenger struck out, Madison Claytor bounced into a fielder’s choice and MacKenzie Brunswick popped out to second to end the inning and the game.
The loss spoiled a terrific start by Savannah Jo Dorsey. Dorsey was awesome, pitching all 11 innings, allowing one run on just seven hits. After eight innings, Dorsey had a new career high in strike outs: 17. She finished with 22 K’s. The 22 K’s are the second most for a game in Mid-American Conference History.
“It doesn’t feel like much because it was in eight innings, so it doesn’t feel like I did it in a game even though the game is longer,” Dorsey said. “It’s still a game but it’s kind of cheating because the game is longer. It doesn’t really feel right.”
Ohio had its best chance to score in the eighth inning. Shortstop Vanessa Scoarste misplaced back-to-back grounders, giving Ohio runners on first and second with nobody out. Hermanek elected not to have leadoff hitter Alex Day bunt, instead letting her swing away. Day struck out, as did Alexa Holland. Morgan Geno grounded out to short, ending the inning.
Several close calls did not go Ohio’s way. In the fourth inning Geno hit a blast to center field.
The ball hit the top of the wall and bounced back into play. It looked like a homerun, but the umpires ruled it a ground-rule double instead. Ohio failed to get Geno across the plate.
The win, gives Kent State the series victory over Ohio, 2-1. Ohio is back in action on Friday when they travel to Akron, to take on the Zips.