Sports
Baseball: Bobcats Dismantle Huskies in Offensive Explosion
< < Back toThe Ohio Bobcats busted out the brooms to cap the holiday weekend, defeating Northern Illinois 19-10 Sunday. The win completed Ohio’s three-game sweep of the Huskies. Seth Streich (1-3) got the win on the hill for the Bobcats. Ohio (16-15; 6-3) climbs back above .500 with the victory.
Offense was the name of the game for both teams in this one with Ohio gaining the upper hand. The ‘Cats garnered their 19 runs on 19 hits from eight different players. Freshman Tyler Wells led the charge going 4-6 with two doubles and a triple.
Freshman Ian Mezlak smashed a grand slam homerun in the seventh to put Ohio up 11 runs. That was the exclamation point on a game that was all Bobcats all game long. Mezlak finished 2-3 with six RBI.
Ohio led by at least six runs after monstrous third and fourth innings in which it scored five and four runs, respectively.
Wells led off the third with a triple in the gap in left center field. Jensen Painter earned a base on balls, one of four for Painter in the game. Jake Madsen followed up with a single to score Wells. Ohio scored two of its five runs in the inning off a passed ball and an error by the Huskies.
In the fourth, Wells again started strong with an RBI double. Painter again followed with a walk and again did Painter score on a mistake by the NIU pitcher, crossing home on a wild pitch.
The Huskies’ mistakes opened the door for Ohio to continue to pile on the runs. And while Ohio’s offense was working like a well-oiled machine, its defense cannot claim the same success. The Bobcats finished with an astronomical six errors. Only five of the Huskies’ ten runs were earned.
This game gives the ‘Cats an idea of what they need to fix heading into a battle with in-state rival Ohio State Tuesday. Ohio then returns to Bob Wren Stadium for a three-game series with Ball State.