Sports

Ohio’s comeback proves too little too late in 8-6 loss to Marshall

By: Cameron Knupp
Posted on: Wednesday, April 12, 2023

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Ohio’s three-game winning streak came to an end at Bob Wren Stadium on Tuesday when it fell to Marshall 8-6.

It was a rough outing for Ohio’s Colin Sells. After a scoreless first inning, Marshall’s offense came alive in the second, scoring seven runs in the frame. The offensive explosion came courtesy of an Ohio throwing error, a fielder’s choice, an RBI single from Luke Edwards, an RBI double from Owen Ayers, and a three-run bomb over the left field wall from Daniel Carinci. Sells would exit the contest after just an inning and a third.

The Bobcats quickly tapped into the never say die attitude they’ve exhibited all year. In the third, Alec Patino ripped a two-out double to set up Mason Minzey, who singled up the middle for an RBI. The two out rally culminated with a Will Sturek homerun down the right field linecut their deficit 7-3.

Ohio’s offense continued its comeback attempt in the fourth. Nick Dolan hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Alex Finney before Patino drove in his second run of the night with a double into the right field corner. Later, Minzey hit a ground ball to second base, trading an out for the Bobcat’s sixth run to pull within one, chasing Marshall’s Chad Heiner out of the game.

Meanwhile, Tyler Peck was holding down the fort for Ohio in relief of Sells, turning in a gutsy three and two-thirds scoreless innings.

The Bobcats magic ran out in the sixth when Marshall’s Kyle Schaefer hit a solo home run off of Ohio’s Zack Weber to extend the lead to two.

That would be all the insurance that the Thundering Herd needed. Their bullpen would dominate the Bobcats hitters in the later stages and did not surrender another run in the final three innings to snap their four-game losing skid.

“It came down to the last out,” head coach Craig Moore said. “We had two runners on and the winning run at the plate.”

With the loss, Ohio falls to 13-16 on the season. Ohio will look to bounce back on Friday when it welcomes Miami to Athens for the first of the three-game series. The game will be the newest installment of the “Battle of the Bricks” rivalry and will be an important series in the Mid-American Conference standings.

“There’s gonna be energy on both sides of the field,” Moore said. “Our guys understand the significance not only just because of the rivalry, but also what it can do in the conference standings with a big weekend against them.”