Poor fielding and defensive judgments proved to be Ohio's downfall as the Cleveland State Vikings handed the Bobcats their fourth defeat of the season.
Ohio (3-4) rallied, down three runs, to tie the game at four a piece, but an eighth-inning throwing error gave Cleveland State (1-3) a 6-4 victory.
We're not playing good defense
Ohio coach Joe Carbone said. Until we become a good defensive team we're going to give away games like that.
Offensive production was low for both teams early on. Cleveland State struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
Anthony Gressick led off the bottom of the fourth by ripping a double to left-center field. Kirk Payne advanced Gressick to third on a grounder to second, but the Bobcats failed to bring the run across.
The Vikings added another run in the fifth, but the Bobcats cut the deficit back to one in the bottom frame. A one-out double by Hayden Johnston followed later in the inning by a Matt Stiffler RBI single put Ohio on the board.
Not to be outdone, Cleveland State increased its lead once again by scoring twice more in the sixth off the Ohio rotation of young pitchers. Ohio finished the day using seven pitchers.
I think we got some young (pitching) talent Gressick said. (We're) just going to have to wait for that to develop. The more innings they get and the more experience they'll get the better off we'll be as a team.
Ohio erupted for three more runs in the bottom of the sixth on four hits. Willie Walker and Jason Selhorst provided the 'Cats with RBI doubles to even the contest.
Dusty Hammond and Gressick led off the Ohio half of the seventh with back-to-back singles and advanced on a double-steal play, but Ohio failed to cash in on the opportunity to go ahead.
Dusty
he threw (the ball) away
Carbone said. He bobbled the ball. You just have to eat it then. There's no play.
A Hammond throwing error combined with two Viking hits and two walks gave Cleveland State a two-run lead in the eighth. The two runs proved to be all the Vikings needed as the Bobcats went down in order for their last two at-bats.
Ohio will continue its season-longest 13-game homestand with a weekend set against LeMoyne. The series begins at 4 p.m. Friday at Bob Wren Stadium.
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Ohio University pitcher Adam Goodpasture tossed one scoreless inning of relief during the Bobcats' 6-4 loss to Cleveland State Tuesday at Bob Wren Stadium. The Bobcats will take on LeMoyne at home Friday as part of a 13-game homestand, the team's longest
