Ohio coach Rob Smith sent five pitchers to the mound for the Bobcats' second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Northern Illinois. Not a single one came back win the win.
The Bobcats gave up runs, hit batters and threw wild pitches, and the Huskies casually capitalized, winning 6-5 in 10 innings Saturday.
“It was the difference in the game,” Smith said. “They scored a run tonight without putting the ball in play, that play in the fourth inning, and we lost by a run.”
Ohio (13-12, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) took the lead early against Northern Illinois when, in the bottom of the first, Tanner Piechnick and Tony Giannini hit back-to-back doubles to bring home Rudy Rott and Piechnick, respectively.
With the lead, starter Derek Carr was able to control the mound, striking out three and only giving up four hits. But he walked four batters, and Smith needed a pitcher who was going to keep the ball over the plate.
Smith’s decision to bench Carr backfired when Nick Kamrada, Kenny Ogg and Cory Blessing gave up three total runs — and the lead — heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Bobcats were desperate for some momentum on both sides of the plate. After going hitless since a Devon Garcia triple out to center field in the second inning, Garcia willed himself home for the Bobcats by singling, forcing Northern Illinois pitcher Michael Lasiewicz to balk and advancing to third on a Michael Klein fly out to centerfield. He scored after a wild pitch from Lasiewicz.
Tied at three at the end of nine innings, the Bobcats forced extra innings with their closer, Jake Roehn, on the mound. It was the situation the Bobcats wanted.
But things didn’t go as planned.
Roehn gave up four hits, walked a batter, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch, resulting in three runs. Smith was furious, so he benched Roehn and put in Logan Jacik.
“I was just frustrated,” Smith said. “(Roehn) and I had a conversation, and we got through it.”
Despite pitching woes in the top of the 10th, the Bobcats still managed to close the gap to one run, but the Huskies closed out the game with a Giannini ground out.
“If we play clean baseball, we are going to win the game,” Smith said.
