Before this weekend series against Middle Tennessee State, coach Joe Carbone has usually said roughly the same thing about his team's performance.
After yesterday's performance, the response changed.
Every game we've been getting better
Carbone said. Except for today.
Yesterday afternoon in Tennessee, the Bobcats struggled in all aspects of the game.
The performance was a polar opposite of the one from the day before, when Ohio used a ninth-inning rally to almost pull off the upset.
Ohio started the game yesterday in the worst way possible, as expected starter Brent Choban was scratched at the last minute because of illness.
The loss forced the Bobcats to start the game with freshman Ryan Bores, a pitcher who will usually be designated to bullpen use, Carbone said.
Bores started the game strong, pitching two solid innings of scoreless baseball. In the third inning, Bores was roughed up, allowing six runs. He managed to only get one out in the frame before being pulled.
The Bobcats managed to score a run in the fourth to cut the deficit to four, but the Blue Raiders responded with two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
In the eighth inning, Ohio managed to score three more runs. The response was once again countered by Middle Tennessee State, extending its lead to the final score of 14-6.
Yesterday, Ohio committed three errors, a stat that was the result of defensive miscommunication, Carbone said.
We're still getting used to being outside Carbone said. Our guys are still meshing on defense.
It's something that people who don't play the game don't understand. We can't just be inside all year and then go out and communicate well on defense. It doesn't work that way.
Defensive struggles aside the Bobcat batters struggled to score when opportunities arose
scoring only six runs on 12 hits for the day.
Ohio was 6-for-24 with runners on base and only 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. The Blue Raiders on the other hand
were 12-for-26 and 6-for-16 in the same categories.
Today we just didn't make plays, Carbone said. Most of the opportunities we had (on offense and on defense) we couldn't capitalize on.
It's a work in progress.
2
Sports
Noah Meyers
