Ohio won the series finale against Central Michigan on Sunday afternoon and was hoping to keep the momentum rolling against Northern Kentucky Tuesday night. This game marked the first of a five-game home stand for the Bobcats, but they were unable to get the win, falling to a final score of 7-4.
Ohio ran out junior right-handed pitcher AJ Dallmayer, but Northern Kentucky (17-22 overall, 6-9 Horizon League) got to him early, jumping out front early to a 2-0 lead on a two-run RBI single by Marcus Harrison. Ohio looked to regroup and did well over the next couple of innings to put up zeros and hold them, but the lead grew further in the fourth inning.
Ohio (8-32 overall, 5-16 Mid-American Conference) changed arms at the top of the fourth inning, as head coach Andrew See went to junior right-handed pitcher Hunter Brooks. The Norse added on with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth inning by Ethan Thomas to go up 3-0. The Bobcats responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on an error by the Norse to score junior outfielder Cameron Boyd.
Northern Kentucky added a pair of runs at the top of the fifth inning from an RBI single by Josh Williams and another RBI single from Thomas. This came against Ohio’s third pitcher of the game, left-handed pitcher Landon Price.
The Bobcat bats went quiet again, but the Norse stayed hot on offense with an RBI double by Alex Brazer to put Northern Kentucky up 6-1, as it looked to sweep Ohio and shut the door in the closing innings.
Ohio started to chip away in the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run by graduate student infielder Will Henson, followed by another run crossing as senior infielder Dylan Shepherd scored on a passed ball. Ohio scored two of its three runs on mistakes by Northern Kentucky, and the game reflected that as Northern Kentucky stayed out front all night, dominating all facets of the game.
Already down 6-3, Ohio began to get sloppy, allowing a run in the top of the eighth inning on an error. This group was very efficient in the field throughout the game, but this one mistake became the nail in the coffin of another loss in Ohio’s poor season.
The Norse offense put up a zero in the top of the ninth, but Ohio’s bats never found a rhythm, something that has plagued them all season long. The Bobcats had one final shot to win the game with the bottom of the order coming to the plate in the ninth inning.
Down 7-3, Ohio needed a big inning, but its efforts never amounted to anything, and it fell at home and was swept on the season by Northern Kentucky. Ohio scratched across one run on an RBI single by sophomore outfielder Brady Alexander to improve the final line but still fall 7-4 at home.
The Bobcats are at home this weekend against Akron and look to improve at Bob Wren Stadium, where they have only won once this year, and will try to improve on that record in this three-game set.
