Sports
Ohio Falls to Kennesaw State Due to Weather Delay
By: Alex Harrison
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The Ohio University baseball team tied Kennesaw State 8-8 in the top of the first inning, but eventually lost 8-7.
Rain and bad weather crept in but finally struck in the bottom of the ninth. Kennesaw State had runners at second and third with two outs when a delay was called for lightning.
Due to NCAA rules, if a game is called due to weather, the final score of the game will be the final score of the last completed inning. Since Ohio didn’t tie the game until the top of the first, the Bobcats suffered an 8-7 defeat.
The final result seems unusual, which was an appropriate ending for a game that saw many twists and turns and odd play.
In the 8.2 innings actually played by Ohio on defense, the Bobcats used nine pitchers, only one of which pitched over two innings.
Connor Sitz started the game for Ohio and had a perfect first. Sitz, despite only throwing the single inning, was replaced by Kenny Ogg.
Ogg struggled mightily and didn’t record a single out. Instead, Ogg walked his first batter, threw a wild pitch, allowed a single, threw another wild pitch allowing a run to score and allowed one more walk before being replaced by Tom Colletti.
Colletti didn’t fare much better, allowing a double followed by a home run to his first two batters. Colletti struck out the next two batters and got a lineout to end the inning, but the Owls were up 5-0.
The Bobcats had a golden chance in the third inning to score some runs. Bases were loaded for Rudy Rott. Rott smashed the ball to right field, but Kennesaw State right fielder Jake Franklin timed his jump and robbed Rott of a grand slam and ended the inning and bases loaded threat.
Rott, in the fifth inning, came to the plate again with the bases loaded, but he wasn’t robbed again. Rott singled in Cody Gaertner and Ty Black. Two batters later, Spencer Ibarra doubled in another run to get the Bobcats to within two.
Down 6-4 and needing two runs to tie, John Adryan came to the rescue. Adryan crushed a pitch to deep centerfield for a two-run home run.
The Owls were primed to come back in the seventh, but Jake Roehn pitched himself out of a jam. LaDonis Bryant singled and advanced to second on a throwing error and followed with a steal of third base. Bryant was on third with no outs when Roehn struck out consecutive batters and ended the inning with a flyout, ending the inning.
Kennesaw State didn’t waste its opportunity in the eighth inning. Ohio had moved ahead 7-6 in the top of the inning and made a pitching change for the bottom.
Michael Klein started the game as the designated hitter but was put on the mound. Klein allowed a double, and then Chris Erwin had a home run to put the Owls back on top 8-7.
With one more chance in the ninth, Ohio tied with an unusual play. Tyler Finkler reached with a single, stole second and reached third on a throwing error. At bat, Mitch Longo struck out, but the strike wasn’t clean; Longo broke for first. He was tagged out by the catcher, but Finkler dashed home and tied the game.
The bottom of the ninth looked promising for Kennesaw State with runners at second and third, but the weather delay never ended.
Just like Rott’s grand slam, Ohio had the game in its hands, but rainout rules robbed the Bobcats. Ohio falls to below .500 with the loss. The Bobcats will have chance to bounce back with a four game series at Wofford.