Point Lookout, MO – Following a tough series to open the season, the College of the Ozarks Baseball Bobcats were set to host former MCAC foe, York University, at Coach Bob Smith Field.

Game 1 – Friday, February 9
With Brody Baumann on the mound for the Bobcats, game one started as a pitcher’s duel. The Panthers picked up a single in the second, but Baumann closed the door and stranded the runner. The Bobcats jumped on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning with a Caleb Johnson walk, Rhett Hill reached on a fielder’s choice with Johnson forced out at second, and Ty Rush delivered an RBI double to left to score Hill from first. The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead to the third and offense again became hard to come by. Baumann pitched around another single in the third and a double in the fourth while the Bobcat bats remained silent. The Panthers erupted in the fifth with a double, a homerun, and a single and Baumann hit his first rough spot in the game. Another double put runners at second and third with one out. A single drove in another pair of runs and Tyler Buchanan came on to pitch in relief. The Panthers added another run, and the Bobcats came up trailing 5-1. A Ty Rush walk and a single off the bat of Aaron Fisher was all the offense the Bobcats could get, and the game moved to the sixth. The Panthers added a pair of runs and Aaron Gross came on to pitch in relief. A couple of sacrifice flies brought in another pair of runs and the Bobcats trailed 9-1 going to the bottom of the sixth. The Bobcats needed runs but they were down to their final six outs. A Hunter Lewis double to center started the offense but the Bobcats were unable to move him around. Davyn Sawyer came on to pitch and the Panthers added a pair of runs to send the game to the bottom of the seventh, Bobcats trailing 11-1. Rhett Hill opened the seventh with a drive over the left field wall and Aaron Fisher followed with a two out single. The Bobcats were unable to keep the rally going and York took game one, 11-2.

Aaron Fisher picked up a pair of hits in the game and Hunter Lewis (2B), Rhett Hill (HR), and Ty Rush (2B each added a hit.

Game 2 – Friday, February 9
Weston Whiteside took the mound for the Bobcats in game two and he used a double play to erase a York single, keeping the game scoreless with the Bobcats coming up. The Bobcats went down in order and the game moved to the second. Offense was at a premium as both pitchers settled in over the next few innings. The Bobcats jumpstarted the offense in the fourth with a leadoff walk to Chuck Hill, who promptly stole second. Hunter Lewis ripped an RBI double, and the Cats took a 1-0 lead. Rhett Hill smacked a single to center and Lewis moved to third with one out. A Caleb Johnson walk loaded the bases and a walk to Charlie Parker brought in another run to force a Panther pitching change. Aaron Fisher was hit by pitch and Zane Kelley drew a walk to bring in another pair of runs. A Ty Rush single added another tally before the Cats were retired and the game moved to the fifth, 5-0 Bobcats. Whiteside shut the Panthers down in the top of the inning and the bats came to life in the bottom. Spencer Greene led off with a double bouncing over the right centerfield wall and Rhett Hill blasted his second homer of the day to add to the lead. Caleb Johnson walked, and Charlie Parker followed with a double to right. A ground out to third added an RBI for Zane Kelley and the Bobcats took an 8-0 lead to the sixth. Whiteside cruised through the sixth and the Bobcats picked up back-to-back doubles by Spencer Greene and Rhett Hill to add an insurance run in the bottom half. Whiteside returned to the mound for the seventh looking to close out the Bobcat win. A leadoff double gave the Panthers some hope and a one out walk put runners at first and second. A force out put runners at the corners with two outs. A Bobcat miscue and a Panther single pushed in a pair of runs and Garyn Hall stepped on the mound in relief. A strikeout ended the Panther threat and secured the Bobcat win, 9-2.

Rhett Hill (2B, HR) led the Bobcat offense with three hits while Spencer Green (2B, 2B) added a pair. Ty Rush, Hunter Lewis (2B), and Charlie Parker (2B) each added a hit in the win.

Game 3 – Saturday, February 10
Coming off the split the day before and a 9-2 win, the Bobcats were looking to get on a roll in game three of the series.

Spencer Greene took the ball and pitched around a leadoff walk to start the game. The Bobcats went down in their half of the inning and the potential for a pitcher’s duel was brewing. A single and a walk had the Panthers threatening in the second, but Greene picked up a couple of force outs and a strikeout to keep the game scoreless. The Bobcat bats remained silent, and Greene continued to handle the Panthers, allowing only one more single through the fifth inning. Greene then looked to help himself and led off the bottom of the fifth with a single. That was all the Bobcats could muster however, and the next three outs were recorded to send the game to the sixth. The Panthers got their offense going after Greene recorded two quick outs in the top of the sixth. A hit by pitch was followed by a two-out triple and an error, and the Panthers took a 2-0 lead. The way things had been going, those two runs seemed like a lot more. Green minimized the damage and closed out the inning. The Bobcats were running out of time and offensive opportunities. A quick three up, three down frame for the Bobcats sent the game to the final inning. Tyler Buchanan came on to pitch and a quick two outs made it look like another quick inning. The Panthers had different plans however, and took advantage of a Bobcat miscue, a double, and a single to add an insurance run. Buchanan secured the final out to limit the damage and the Bobcats needed some offense in a hurry. Caleb Johnson doubled with two outs to keep the hopes alive, but a groundout ended the inning, along with the hopes for a Bobcat comeback. The Panthers took game three, 3-0.

The Bobcats were limited to only two hits with Spencer Greene producing a single in the fifth and Caleb Johnson smacking a double in the seventh.

Game 3 – Saturday, February 10
Now looking to salvage a split in the series, the Bobcats sent Rhett Hill to the mound.

Hill made quick work of the Panthers in the first and the Bobcats came up looking to get some offense going. Chuck Hill answered the call and doubled to lead off the bottom of the first. Caleb Johnson followed with a single and Rhett Hill delivered an RBI single to give the Bobcats the early 1-0 lead. Hill pitched around a walk in the top of the second to keep the Panthers scoreless and the Bobcats came up looking for more. Logan Daniels pounded a one-out double to center to get the offense going and Chuck Hill followed with a walk. Caleb Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Spencer Greene delivered a two-RBI double to center to add to the Bobcat lead. Rhett Hill doubled to drive in another pair of runs and the Cats were on the prowl. Ty Rush walked before the Bobcats were retired and they took a 5-0 lead to the third. A single and an error were stranded by Hill in the top of the third and the Cats came in to grab the bats. Caleb Johnson was hit by a pitch with two outs and Spencer Greene doubled again to pick up another RBI. That was all the Bobcats could get and the game moved to the fourth. Hill pitched around a single in the top half and the Bobcats were shut down in order for the first time in the game in the bottom of the fourth. A Bobcat miscue allowed a Panther runner to reach in the top of the fifth, but Hill slammed the door closed to keep the visitors off the board. The Bobcats got greedy in their half of the fifth and the bats continued to stay hot. A Jake Leeker walk opened the frame and a stolen base and a wild pitch moved pinch runner, Zack Strahan to third. Logan Daniels followed with a walk and promptly swiped second. Chuck Hill ripped an RBI single to center and the Bobcat lead continued to grow. Caleb Johnson walked, and Spencer Greene came up clutch again with his third double of the game. Another run scored and Rhett Hill followed with an RBI single of his own. Hunter Lewis walked, and Greene scored on a wild pitch to extend the Bobcat lead. Ty Rush got in on the RBI action with a single and Aaron Fisher drove in a run with a fielder’s choice. When the dust settled the Bobcats had added six more tallies and led 13-0. Hill cruised through the sixth and the Bobcats threatened again in the seventh with a pair of singles by Logan Daniels and Chuck Hill. A double play ended the threat, and the Bobcats were three outs away from the much-needed win. Even with the insurmountable odds, the Panthers were not ready to concede. Charlie Parker came on to pitch in relief and the Panthers came to life. A double, single, and a walk were followed by a pair of force outs, but two runs scored in the process. Another walk, a single, and a double scored another pair of runs and Sam Teaster came in from the bullpen. A quick strikeout ended the Panther hopes and the Bobcats closed out the 13-4 win, earning the split for the series.

The Bobcats pounded out 13 hits with Chuck Hill (2B), Spencer Greene (2B, 2B, 2B, 5 RBI’s), and Rhett Hill (2B, 4 RBI’s) leading the way with three hits each. Logan Daniels (2B) added two hits and Caleb Johnson and Ty Rush added one hit each.

The Bobcats will return to action Friday and Saturday, February 16-17, for a weekend series at home against the Eagles of Southwestern Christian University from Bethany, Oklahoma. Games times are 1:00 and 3:00 on Friday and 12:00 and 2:00 on Saturday.