Sports

Brent Choban threw his second complete game of the season for Ohio, allowing only six hits and recording his fifth win of the season. “I’m really just trying to throw strikes, trying to make them hit the ball and keep my pitch count low. The defense made real nice plays and really got the momentum on our side. I owe it to my team, they stepped up and stayed in the game,” said Choban.

 

The game started out slow, Ball State did not score until the fourth inning and Ohio was held scoreless until the seventh. 

 

Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone was impressed with the Bobcats maturity in the game, as Ohio kept its cool even as the team was held scoreless for seven innings. “Tonight we were very locked in and very mature about everything. We were behind the whole way; we hit some balls hard at people and didn’t get totally frustrated.”

 

To start the game, Choban did not allow a hit and walked one batter in the first inning. Ball State’s starting pitcher, T.J. Weir, also did not allow a hit in his first inning on the mound. After one inning of play, the game was scoreless. 

 

Jake Madsen singled to right field in the top of the second inning for Ohio’s first hit of the game, however the hit would not result in a run as Ohio remained scoreless. 

 

Ball State was threatening to score in the top of the third, but Choban came up with a run saving double play to end the inning and keep the Cardinals off the board. 

 

The Cardinals’ Sean Godfrey tripled off of Choban to begin the fourth inning. Godfrey was batted in by Ball State left fielder Blake Beemer a few at-bats later. Ball State claimed first blood as the run put the Cardinals up 1-0. Ohio did not score a run in the fourth.

 

The Bobcats had two runners on base in the bottom of the fifth, but failed to score as Jensen Painter grounded out to third base to end the inning. 

 

Choban did not allow a run in the sixth inning and extended his streak of pitching into at least the sixth inning to seven games. Ohio failed to score in the sixth as Ball State’s Weir extended his shutout to six innings. 

 

Weir’s shutout would come to an end in the seventh as Garrett Black ripped a double to center to breathe some life into Ohio’s seventh inning at-bat. Ethan Newton proceeded to bat in Black to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh. 

 

Ohio’s Jake Madsen came up to the plate with the bases juiced later in the inning and delivered a huge single to score two runs and give Ohio a 3-1 lead. “I knew I just had to step up to the plate and get the job done,” Madsen said. 

 

After giving up the single to Madsen, Weir was pulled from the game and Chris Marangon took the mound for Ball State.

 

Brent Choban did not allow a hit in the eighth inning as he continued his stellar game for Ohio. 

 

Ohio’s offense sealed the deal in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to give the Cardinals the dagger. Logan Cozart laid down a perfect bunt for the Bobcats in the eighth, advancing Cody Gaertner into scoring position. Garrett Black then had a sacrifice fly to score Gaertner. 

 

Ethan Newton recorded an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, giving Ohio a 5-1 lead. Also in the inning, Ethan Newton moved into seventh place on Ohio’s all time stolen bases list. Tyler Wells joined the fun and got an RBI single of his own in the eighth, increasing Ohio’s lead to 6-1. 

 

Choban took the mound in the ninth and recorded yet another scoreless inning, sealing his complete game victory and preserving the Bobcats’ pitching staff for the weekend.  

 

Ohio faces Ball State again on Saturday at 3 at Bob Wren Stadium. The Bobcats look to extend its MAC winning streak to eight games in the game.