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ATHENS, Ohio -- Strong pitching and defense allowed the Ohio baseball team (6-3) to complete a four-game sweep of Milwaukee (0-7) as the Bobcats earned a 3-2 win over the Panthers in the Sunday (March 7) series finale at Bob Wren Stadium.

"That's what we're going to be about this year. We're going to be a team that's going to pitch it, defend it and then we're going to have to get timely hitting," said interim head coach Craig Moore.

Ohio opened the weekend with 14-3 rout of Milwaukee on Friday (March 5) before claiming both seven-inning games of a Saturday (March 6) doubleheader by scores of 3-1 and 6-4.

"It's definitely hard to sweep somebody, even in a three-game series, let alone a four-game series," said Moore. "It just shows that our guys are going to battle. They're going to compete. We got down a couple times in the series, and we battled back, grinded out some innings and came up with four big wins for our team."

The Bobcats plated two runs in the bottom of the third inning and another in the fourth, and that's all it took offensively. Senior right-handed starting pitcher Chace Harris (New Marshfield, Ohio), junior right-hander Braxton Kelly (Ulysses, Ky.), junior righty Eamon Horwedel (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and senior right-hander Edward Kutt IV (Westlake, Calif.) and the defense behind them kept the Panthers at bay.

Harris struck out three over the first three innings of the contest while allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk. He gave away to Kelly, who made his first appearance of the 2021 season and fanned five over four scoreless innings of work. Kelly permitted three hits and a walk on his way to picking up the win on the mound.  Horwedel pitched one inning of relief, striking out one while giving up an earned run on two hits. Kutt IV notched his second save in as many days, throwing a scoreless ninth inning and striking out one while allowing one hit.

"Changeup was working really well," said Kelly of his performance. They (Milwaukee) did a really good job of not getting out in front of themselves and chasing those changeups, so I had to locate a little bit better. But then, I just had to work the fastball off of that and then came the slider that I could throw in there, too."

Milwaukee got on the board first in the top of the third as sophomore center fielder Luke Seidel hit a one-out double down the left field line and then scored on a base hit to center by junior shortstop Mitchell Buban. 

Ohio answered quickly, though, taking the lead in the home half of the frame thanks to some two-out lightning. Senior center fielder Isaiah Peterson (Lincoln, Neb.) doubled to right center, then scored on another double to right center by redshirt junior second baseman Michael Richardson (Cambridge, Md.). The Bobcats then took the lead when graduate student first baseman Harry Witwer-Dukes (Monmouth, Ore.) singled to right to bring home Richardson and put Ohio in front, 2-1. 

The Bobcats added a third run in the ensuing inning. Senior right fielder Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio) led off with a single to left and then scored two outs later on a throwing error by the Panthers.

Milwaukee threatened in the seventh as junior catcher Jack Thelen and redshirt senior first baseman Joe Vyskocil started off the inning by reaching base on singles and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by redshirt junior right fielder Adam LaRock. Kelly worked out of the jam thanks to some assistance from graduate student third baseman Trevor Hafner (Perrysburg, Ohio), who fielded a ground out and a line out to end the top of the frame and prevent the Panthers from scoring.

"I think the most important thing is knowing that I have to make a pitch in that situation. I was telling myself that, actually, just, 'Make a pitch, make a pitch,' and I think that really helps me when I do get runners in scoring position and I do focus on just making that pitch that I have to execute," said Kelly of working out of the seventh-inning jam.

The eighth inning saw Horwedel work out of trouble. Redshirt senior second baseman Mike Ferri led off with a single, stole second and then scored one out later on a base hit back up the middle by junior designated hitter Jack Kraus. That's all the Panthers got, though, as Horwedel picked off redshirt freshman pinch runner Ty Olejnik for the second out, then got freshman left fielder Jake Novak looking for the third.

Kutt IV permitted a leadoff single to left by Thelen to open the ninth but sandwiched a strikeout of LaRock between two force outs at second to end the ballgame.

"There's a lot of energy going on right now, and obviously that comes with winning," said Moore of his team's winning streak. "When you win games, everybody's got a little bit more pep in the step, so to speak, and a little bit more urgency there. I think it's awesome, that top of the ninth when we've got the lead and they play that music and our guys are bouncing around. I hope we have many, many more opportunities this spring to be in that situation."

Freshman left-handed starting pitcher Riley Frey took the loss on the mound for Milwaukee, dropping to 0-2 on the year. He struck out four but gave up three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits and two walks. Freshman right-handers James Severson and AJ Blubaugh each threw a spotless inning of relief for the Panthers, with Blubaugh tallying two strikeouts.

Milwaukee outhit Ohio in the loss, 9-4, with Buban, Ferri and Thelen each recording multi-hit efforts.

Ohio will be back in action on Tuesday (March 9) when it travels to Kentucky to take on Morehead State in a 5:30 p.m. ET matchup. The Bobcats split a doubleheader with the Eagles on February 26 at Bob Wren Stadium, recording a 6-0 seven-inning victory in game one before falling in 11 innings, 3-1, in the second contest of the twin bill.

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