Once, twice, three times a killer
Bobcat baseball is swept by the Bowling Green Falcons
By Britton Dove, Staff Writer
May 7, 2008 | 6 a.m.
In the first game of the three-game series on Saturday afternoon, the pitching performances from both starter Chris Rigo and reliever John Angelicchi were below par. Rigo recorded the loss (4-3), lasting seven innings, while giving up 12 earned runs on 12 hits, three walks and five home runs. Angelicchi, in two innings pitched, surrendered three home runs, allowing the Falcons to tie a program record with eight home runs in their 18-4 romp.
Bowling Green did a great job over the weekend scoring runs early in the game, but unfortunately for the Bobcats, neither the pitching nor the hitting was enough to come back from the deficits, as they dropped to a record of 20-27 overall and 9-12 in the Mid-American Conference.
“No one is going to feel sorry for us,” Ohio coach Joe Carbone said. “I think Bowling Green did a better job of making pitches when they were behind in the count, and their hitters did a better job of driving the ball when they were ahead in the count.”
On Sunday, Zach Elmer, who is leading many categories of the MAC in pitching, got the start for the 'Cats and had a good outing besides the first inning. In that inning, the lead-off hitter for the Falcons, Ryan Shay, hit a single to left field, followed by a bunt-single from Andrew Foster and then a home run by Brian Hangbers, which put the Falcons up by three after the first three batters.
Elmer eventually settled down the rest of the game and never allowed a run the rest of his six innings pitched. Ohio first baseman Robert Maddox III batted in the first of the only two runs for Ohio with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice. Center fielder Matt Stiffler drove in the second and final run of the game with a home run in the bottom of the seventh.
Kevin Mementowski closed out the final two innings for the Bobcats without giving up a run, but it was too little, too late as Ohio was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to end the first game of the Sunday doubleheader, with Bowling Green on top 3-2.
In part two of the doubleheader, the Bobcats went through four pitchers. Starter Matt Smith got the loss (4-2) with five innings of work. Kevin Leady, who went five innings for the Falcons, surrendered all of Ohio’s five runs. Leady also returned in the sixth inning to face one batter. The Falcons won the game 7-5, completing the three-game sweep with help from relief pitcher Brett Browning. Browning recorded the save (3), getting Marc Krauss to ground out to first base for the third out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“We had a lot of weak fly balls this weekend, and we had some opportunities to score runs with a man on third with no outs and one out and we didn’t capitalize on that,” Carbone said. “I think that was a key part of the game.”
According to Carbone, sophomore slugger Marc Krauss was one of the key hitters who were caught chasing off-speed pitches, resulting in fly balls to the outfield.
“I just need to get in the cages and work out flaws,” Krauss said. “Every hitter goes through slumps and it’s a long season and it’s a rough time and I am obviously upset I couldn’t help the team out, but I’m just going to get in the cages and work it out.”
Ohio started the MAC season well in late March, winning 10 of 12 games in the conference, but now the Bobcats are falling from the top of the standings, losing eight of their last nine MAC games. They are 2-11 in their last 13 games overall, including seven straight. Ohio sits in fourth place in the East Division with two conference series remaining, while only the top six teams overall in the MAC make the conference tournament.
“We are all frustrated,” Elmer said. “We did so well early on in the year and we aren’t doing the things we need to do, but if we can just keep our heads up and have a good week of practice and win a few then we can do well at the end.”
Ohio-Bowling Green series by the numbers:
Runs: 39
Hits: 67
Errors: 10
Walks: 25
Home Runs: 11
Time: 7:30
Total Attendance: 1,472
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