Sports
Ohio Baseball: Ohio Swept by California Baptist
By: Nick Ursini
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The Ohio Bobcats traveled west to Riverside, California for a four-game series against the California Baptist Lancers. The Lancers (9-0) recently made the jump to Division I in 2018 and took all four games this weekend for a sweep over the Bobcats (1-6).
On Friday, Ohio jumped on the board early with a run in the first inning.
Sophomore Aaron Levy started the game off with a double to left field. Levy advanced to third on a wild pitch before senior Rudy Rott drove him in with a single.
Rott finished 2-for-4 with one RBI. Through four games, Rott is 6-of-17 (.353) with two doubles and three RBI. Levy ended the day with Ohio’s only run scored and was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.
Cal Baptist answered in the second inning with three runs of their own.
The Lancers added a run in the fourth and sixth to give CBU a 5-1 lead. Cal Baptist scored two more runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning earning the 7-1 victory.
Senior Kenny Ogg earned the Friday start striking out a season-best seven batters in 4.2 innings pitched. Ogg allowed four earned runs and walked two batters while falling to 0-2 on the year.
On Saturday, The Bobcats and Lancers played a double-header. Ohio lost game one 7-4 and the second game 4-1.
In game one, Ohio once again got on the scoreboard in the first inning, but Cal Baptist answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Freshman Lefty Joe Rock was given the loss after tossing 5.0 innings as Ohio’s starter. Rock allowed four earned runs and five overall while striking out four batters. Rock is now 1-1 this season.
Ohio allowed just one earned run in the 4-1 loss to Cal Baptist in game two.
Redshirt freshman Jack Liberatore took the loss for the Bobcats after throwing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run. Liberatore struck out seven batters and allowed four hits, but three runs scored with Liberatore on the mound. Liberatore dropped to 0-1 on the season.
The Bobcats broke open the scoring in the top of the third.
With one out, Ryan Strittmather was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a Levy single. Strittmather scored to take a 1-0 lead when Rott reached on an error by the second baseman.
CBU answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and was able to tack on one run in the bottom of the eighth.
Then on Sunday, Ohio fell 8-2 in the series finale.
They were held to just four hits while surrendering 11. The Bobcats hit two home runs during the game. Rott put the Bobcats on the board in the seventh inning with a solo home run.
Rott was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, one RBI and one run scored today. Rott now has a team-high four RBI and 15 total bases.
Redshirt sophomore Dan McCauley hit a home run to left field in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter.
Cal Baptist opened the scoring in the bottom of the first two runs scored and added one run in the second inning. CBU extended their advantage to 6-0 in the sixth inning. Ohio’s home runs in the seventh and eighth inning made it 6-2, but the Lancers scored two in the bottom half of the eighth inning.
Ohio’s starter freshman Eamon Horwedel dropped to 0-2 this season. Horwedel went four innings and struck out two batters while allowing three earned runs.
The Bobcats return to the diamond on Friday when they begin a three-game series with South Carolina Upstate back in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m.