Ohio baseball vs. Marshall

Spot start doesn't save 'Cats

NICK BROCKMAN
Special to The Messenger

Following a weekend at Kent State in which the Bobcats used many arms, pitcher John Angelicchi got the nod to make his first start of the season against non-conference foe Marshall on Tuesday night.

Angelicchi threw a personal season-high 6 1/3 innings, but also gave up five runs while the Ohio bats struggled and the Bobcats lost 10-3.

Although Angelicchi has been used strictly as a reliever during each of the past two seasons coach Joe Carbone said he was confident in the senior pitcher to make the start.

"He was rested," Carbone said. "He didn't get to pitch this (past) weekend so we stuck him out there to get some innings. He's started before so he's an upperclassman; it's not anything strange to him."

Angelicchi said he found out he would start on the bus ride home from Kent and had to make a change in his mental preparation for the role.

"It's totally different from being a closer, when you have to come out there being ready to throw all your pitches for strikes," he said. "When you're a starter you kind of have more time to adapt and see how your pitches feel and stuff like that. It's definitely a different mentality."

The Bobcats (20-23) trailed just 3-2 entering the top of the seventh inning, but the Thundering Herd forced Angelicchi from the mound after he allowed two of the first three batters to reach base.

With a left-handed leadoff hitter coming up next, Angelicchi said he understood why Carbone opted to bring in left-handed pitcher Adam Goodpasture.

"I felt good out there, especially in that last inning that I could still go a lot harder," Angelicchi said. "They went for the match-up, the lefty-lefty. That was the right move there."

Goodpasture struck out the batter and Carbone brought in Matt Schlarb to finish the inning, but Schlarb ran into some trouble. Three runs scored before Schlarb recorded the inning's final out with two runs being charged to Angelicchi.

Ohio relievers gave up four more runs in the final two Marshall (23-21-1) at-bats while the Bobcat hitters scored just one run after the third inning.

"We weren't tough enough with two strikes and making adjustments going the other way late in the count," Carbone said. "And our pitchers are not coming in (to do their jobs). When we get guys two strikes, we're not throwing the ball where we need to throw it."

Each of Ohio's first five batters recorded a hit while second baseman Zach Keen finished with the only multi-hit performance.

Starter Shane Farrell (1-1) earned the win for Marshall after allowing two runs over the first six innings. Victor Gomez blasted his ninth home run of the season as part of the Herd's 12-hit attack.

Ohio will look to rebound at 6 p.m. today at Bob Wren Stadium when the Bobcats play host to Duquesne.