Sports
Ohio Baseball: Falcons’ Big 5th Inning Downs ‘Cats
By: Bryan Kurp
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ATHENS, Ohio – It was a 2-1 game in the fifth inning Friday night. Ohio starting pitcher Kenny Ogg allowed two-straight singles to Bowling Green’s Adam Funas and Brad Croy. Following a sacrifice bunt, Ogg hit Joe McGuinness with a pitch to load the bases and then hit the following batter, Ryan Johnston, to score the Falcons’ third run. Dylan Dohanos, the following batter, ripped a three-run double to the right-center field gap. The score was then 6-1 and Ohio never rebounded.
In desperate need of a series win, Ohio (5-18, 1-3 MAC) dropped the opening game of a three-game series to Bowling Green (9-12, 4-0 MAC), 7-3.
Ogg (1-5) finished the night allowing six runs on nine hits in five innings pitched, while striking out two batters.
“I thought he battled in some spots,” Ohio head coach Rob Smith said. “Unfortunately, the one thing that we talked about prior to the game was free bases and he set (Bowling Green) up with two hit-by-pitches and it took just one guy to run into a ball and that was the game.”
Falcons’ starter Andrew Abrahamowicz (2-1) had a quality outing – allowing one run, no earned, on eight hits in six innings of work. He struck out three batters and did not allow a walk.
“He did a good job of exploiting our inability to adjust,” Smith said. “Our approach from our right-handed hitters I thought was undisciplined, lacked the proper intent you have to with a pitcher like that, and unfortunately, he took full advantage of our inability to do that.”
Chace Harris, Nick Byrnes and Nick Kamrada combined for four innings out of the bullpen and gave up one run on four hits while striking out two batters each.
Aaron Levy accounted for two of Ohio’s three RBIs – he singled home a run in the third inning and then homered to right field in the seventh inning. Levy was 2-for-4 with a walk.
Trevor Lukkes, Tanner Piechnick and Cole Revels also had two-hit games.
Treyben Funderburg hit his first homer of the season in the eighth inning – just clearing the left field wall.
Ohio looks to rebound Saturday morning as they play Bowling Green in game two at 11 a.m. The originally scheduled first pitch was 3 p.m., but the game was moved ahead due to the predicted weather forecast.
“Clearly, we have to win (Saturday),” Smith said. “If we want to win the series, we have to win tomorrow, so that’s got to be something that we get done.”