Sports
Ohio Splits Doubleheader With Murray State
By: Eric Singer
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Before the 2014 season began, Ohio coach Rob Smith said that he wanted his team to learn how to win with more consistency in the season, as the Bobcats did not win consecutive games during the entire 2013 season.
That trend continued with the first series of 2014, as the Bobcats split the doubleheader with Murray State, dropping the second game by a score of 7-6.
Sophomore Jake Miller had a rough outing on the mound, allowing six runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings. However, it was teammate Connor Sitz that took the loss in relief, giving up the seventh run to the Racers in the sixth inning.
The Bobcats’ offense had it going early, as it scored three runs in the top of the first, led by game one star Mitch Longo’s two-RBI single to put Ohio up 3-0 early. Longo, the freshman, finished the game 2-for-3 with the two RBIs, and finished the series 6-for-7 with five RBIs.
After Murray State got two runs back in the bottom of the first, Ohio tacked on another in the fourth inning, when Tyler Wells lined a single into center field, scoring Ty Black from second base to increase the Bobcats lead to 4-2.
In the bottom of the inning, the Racers’ bats came alive, as they pushed across four runs off of three hits, highlighted by shortstop Matt McGowan’s 2-RBI double, giving the Racers a 6-4 lead over the ‘Cats.
The Bobcats fought back two innings later, when Scott White crushed a one-out double to center field, scoring Nick Bredeson and Tyler Finkler, tying the game at 6-6, and putting Ohio right back in the game.
However, the Racers denied the ‘Cats at the chance for another comeback victory, as the Racers tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to put themselves back in front of Ohio for good 7-6.
The Bobcats return to action on Friday, Feb. 21, when they travel to Wilmington, N.C., for a three-team tournament with two games against both UNC-Wilmington and Liberty.