Heading into the fifth inning at Bob Wren Stadium, Ohio was deadlocked at four runs with Morehead State.
That quickly changed, as it has in the past, and the fifth inning became the true tipping point of the game for the Eagles’ offense.
“They hit,” coach Rob Smith said. “They put up five hits in a row … and when you hit you’re going to score runs.”
Morehead State put together five straight hits, seven total, during the inning. They scored seven runs, which gave them a stranglehold on the game.
“Somebody’s gotta make a play, or somebody’s gotta make a pitch to keep that from happening,” Smith said. “They hit five hits in a row, which is a rare thing — it doesn’t happen very often that the ball doesn’t find somebody.”
Those runs were scored on balls hit to right field, where junior Jake Madsen was playing for Ohio. Madsen was moved from his normal first base position because of a lineup change due to injuries.
Madsen, along with centerfielder Tyler Wells, had trouble tracking the ball down when the sun was out.
Ohio’s starting pitcher, freshman lefthander Gerry Salisbury, started the game by allowing just one run in the first two innings, before letting the Eagles cross the plate for three unearned runs the top of the third inning to increase his work early in the game.
The third inning was extended because of a bobbled ball at second base on a play that could have become a double play.
The three-run third seemed to wear down Salisbury, which may have had to do with him getting shelled in the fifth.
“(The third inning) extended his pitch count, which maybe affected his ability to pitch deeper into the game,” Smith said. “Obviously that would have been a big play to finish that double play … He worked a scoreless fourth, so he came back out and did a pretty good job.”
The Bobcats were facing the fourth-best batter in the NCAA in junior outfielder Brandon Rawe, who scored two runs and singled and four official at-bats. He scored during the third and fifth innings, which became the biggest momentum-killers for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats were without freshman centerfielder Mitch Longo for the second time this season, as he is out with an ankle injury and his status is unknown for this weekend’s series with Eastern Michigan.
Longo leads the Bobcats in all batting categories this season and currently has a .347 batting average this season.
“It’s real challenging to play without those kind of hitters in the lineup,” Smith said. “You have to do the best you can and hope that the guys that have the opportunity take advantage of it and produce.”
The Bobcats put up runs in each of the first three innings, but the offense by Morehead State was too much for them to handle, as the Bobcats weren’t able to muster a single run after the third inning.
“It was good to see us do that, but unfortunately we kind of fizzled after that,” Smith said. “We didn’t do a lot after that fourth inning unfortunately.”
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