Sports
Ohio Baseball: Ogg goes the distance, Bobcats win in first round of MAC Tournament
By: Bryan Kurp
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AVON, Ohio – Sprenger Stadium has become Ohio’s home away from home. Entering Wednesday, the Bobcats were 8-0 with two championships in the MAC Tournament under Rob Smith, their seventh year head coach.
No. 6 Ohio (19-32) continued its success in Avon with a 7-3 victory over No. 3 Kent State (30-23) to advance in the winner’s bracket of the tournament.
Kenny Ogg (4-8) got the start for Ohio and threw a complete game. Ogg allowed three runs on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout in his nine innings of work. Ogg dominated the Golden Flashes for the second time this season- he pitched eight shutout innings against Kent State on April 28 in Athens.
Tanner Piechnick led the way for the Ohio offense, picking up two hits and four RBI.
Ohio got off to a fast start in the first inning. Treyben Funderburg scored on a wild pitch, Rudy Rott scored on a throwing error, and Tanner Piechnick launched a towering three-run home run over the wall in left. The Bobcats led 5-0 before Ogg even took the mound.
After Cam Touchette scored on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the sixth to get the Golden Flashes on the board, Ohio responded with a solo home run from Aaron Levy in the seventh inning.
Piechnick added another RBI later in the inning with a single to right to score Rott.
Kent State attempted to rally in the eighth inning. Michael Turner singled home Ben Carew and Touchette later scored on a sacrifice fly to left field.
In total, the Bobcats had 11 hits while Kent State had seven.
Ohio will play Central Michigan, the top team in the MAC with a 22-5 conference record, on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Chippewas have won their last 15 games. Central Michigan won two out of three games when these teams last met in late March in Athens.