Game one PDF Box
Game Two PDF Box
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio softball team suffered two losses on the second day of the Texas Tech Invitational. The Bobcats fell 3-1 to Stephen F. Austin in the early game, and fell short in a 7-5 loss to Big 12 host Texas Tech in the nightcap.
AGAINST STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Neither offense could muster anything early, with only one runner for either team making it as far as third base before the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ohio elected to remove Danielle Stiene (Loveland, Ohio) from the circle to allow Savannah Jo Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) to relieve her. After the leadoff batter for the Ladyjacks swung into a ground out, Stephen F. Austin used a walk and a single into right field to get two on for Holloway before she broke the deadlock with a three-run blast over the left field fence.
"The fifth inning was just a loss of attack," said head coach Jodi Hermanek, "We just lost a little bit of command, they started fighting off some foul balls, and then their nine-hole hitter came through with a clutch hit at a clutch time."
Ohio responded in the next frame, as Michaela Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) led off the top of the sixth by forcing an error from the shortstop to get to first. After getting moved to second on a ground out by Taylor Saxton (Circleville, Ohio), Dorsey made it to third when Alex Day's (Hilliard, Ohio) pinch-hit single put runners on the corners. Deanna Cole (Akron, Ohio) re-entered to run for Day, and stole second on the first pitch of Casie Hutchinson's (Lebanon, Ohio) at-bat. On the second pitch, Hutchinson sent a long fly ball into center, and scored Dorsey from third after she tagged up.
That was as close as Ohio would come. The Ladyjacks closed out the game by keeping Ohio at bay, and continuing to shut down the Bobcats' offensive chances.
Offensively for Ohio, Cooper, Dalton, and Day each had a hit for a team total of three.
From the circle, Stiene threw 4.0 innings of two-hit ball and fanned three, while Dorsey tossed 2.0 innings, surrendering three runs (all earned) on two hits and three walks, while rallying two strikeouts.
AGAINST TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders, playing as the designated road team, jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Kierra Miles belted a solo homer to right-center.
One inning later, Texas Tech got another home run -- this time a two-run shot -- when Brooke Scott's hit over the center field wall scored Kirsten Schwirtlich. After allowing two more hits, Stiene was subbed out in favor of Dorsey, who used three pitches to strike out the final batter of the frame.
In the third, the Raiders made it a 6-0 ballgame when Schwirtlich homered to right to score Brittany Warnecke and Miles.
Miles led off the fourth with a double into left, and was brought around two batters later on a double from Jordan Bettiol, making it 7-0 Texas Tech.
In the bottom of the inning, the Bobcats came to life, as MacKenzie Brunswick (Bellefontain, Ohio) ricocheted a pinch-hit single off the pitcher to get Ohio its first base runner of the game. A single from Hutchinson through the right side put two on, and from there, Madison Claytor sailed the ball over the left field wall to make it 7-3.
Regarding the spark that pinch-hitters have provided so far this season, Hermanek noted, "We have a lot of slappers in our lineup, and so with that, sometimes we need to put in some swingers and some hitters just to throw something else at the defense. It's awesome having those contributions from the bench, coming through with those kind of hits."
In the fifth, Ohio sent out Morgan Geno (Chillicothe, Ohio) to pitch for the first time this season. Geno needed just eight pitches to retire the Texas Tech side.
"I was just excited for [Geno]," Hermanek said, "She came in today for the first time in almost a year, and produced some ground ball outs, getting on top of batters, and I was really happy to see the team have her back and celebrate that with her."
In the sixth, a leadoff bunt from Saxton got one aboard for the Bobcats, and Claytor sent another pitch over the left field wall to make it 7-5 before the frame came to a close.
That would end the scoring for the game, as the Ohio rally fell shy.
Offensively for the Bobcats, the squad collected six hits. Claytor's two led the team, while Saxton, Hutchinson, Day, and Brunswick each had one.
From the circle, Stiene's 1.2 innings yielded three runs (all earned) on four hits and one walk. Dorsey's 2.1 innings amounted to four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks, while collecting four strikeouts. For Geno, her 3.0 closing innings showed just one hit and one walk.
The Bobcats wrap up action at the Texas Tech Invitational on Saturday, March 5 when Ohio takes on Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m. ET, and UTSA at 9 p.m. ET.
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