Sports
Ohio Baseball splits Sunday doubleheader with Toledo
By: Bryan Kurp
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Each game and each series becomes more crucial as the conference season rolls along for Ohio.
Ohio entered Sunday’s twin bill with Toledo looking to secure its first series win in three weekends.
The Bobcats (13-14, 7-9 MAC) were unable to take the series but instead split it with the Rockets (15-16, 9-10 MAC).
Toledo took the first game 11-5 in seven innings.
The Rockets were up by five runs heading into the home half of the fifth inning but Ohio answered with five runs of its own to make it a 6-5 ballgame. Toledo then responded with five runs in the final two innings to secure the victory.
It was overall a tough first game for Ohio’s pitching staff.
Ohio starter Jacob Tate (1-3) was charged with the loss as he gave up four earned runs on six hits in four innings of work. Eamon Horwedel gave up two runs in an inning of relief while Zach Weber allowed four runs to cross home plate in two innings.
The Rockets tallied a total 27 runs through the first three games of the series following the 11 runs scored in game one of the doubleheader.
Brenden Roder took the mound in the series finale and quieted the Rockets’ bats.
Roder went seven innings, allowing one earned run on five hits.
“We needed a win today bad,” Roder said. “You never like to split on a series obviously but getting a win there is huge for us for the standings.”
“His performance is exactly what we needed,” Ohio head coach Craig Moore said. “He threw strikes, he hit the strike zone, got a lot of fly balls, got a lot of early outs.”
Ohio gave Roder five runs of support heading into the seventh inning but Toledo added its first two runs of the day in that inning. Caden Konczak reached on a fielder’s choice to score Darryn Davis then Mason Sykes scored on an error, making it a 5-2 ballgame
The Bobcats added insurance in the bottom of the seventh though. Will Sturek, making just his fifth start of the season, hit a double down the right-field line for his third RBI of the day.
Michael Richardson later singled home two runners, extending the lead to six.
After Xavier Haendiges brought home another run on a forced error, AJ Rausch singled home the Bobcats’ fifth run of the inning to pretty much seal the victory.
“The scouting report really helped us know what we were facing up there,” Sturek said. “It really helped us get those runs across and stretch our lead out.”
Ohio rolled on to a 10-3 victory in game two.
Sturek finished the day 3-for-3 with those three RBIs as well as two walks drawn.
“Will’s been working hard and getting a lot of at-bats in pinch hitting situations and things like that,” Moore said. “After last night, I thought that he had earned the right to get in the lineup for these two games today. He had a really good day swinging the bat.”
Richardson also collected three hits in his five at-bats while driving in two runs. Spencer Harbert also finished with a pair of the Bobcats’ 12 hits.
Ohio is next in action Tuesday as it travels to Marshall for a 3 p.m. first pitch. The Bobcats defeated the Thundering Herd earlier this season in Athens, 6-3.