BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference

[EttaFan1]

It appears that Marietta has added a single game with the Wooster Scots Thursday evening at 7:00 PM.  Another key in region matchup.

[Bishopleftiesdad]

Heidi's game with OWU has been rained out.

[EttaFan1]

Marietta takes a game from Wooster.  Interesting how some of these "in region" games can be a little misleading.  Both teams had to save their top pitching.  So both start a freshman, who I think were making their first start.  Is it really a good "guage" as to how these teams matchup against each other when it is #5+ pitcher vs. #5+ pitcher?  In an early tournament game when it is 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2...

Dension got a huge sweep of Heidelberg yesterday.  'Berg was in a similar situation with pitching.  They have a HUGE series on Saturday with JCU (a win or go home, type series), so they had to conserve pitching for the league.  Dension has a crossover series with Oberlin (which I'm not sure how that factors into the NCAC race).  Don't know enough about Densions team to know whether they used their 1 and 2 arms. 

Case and Northern were rained out. 

Mount drops a game to Allegheny.

Big weekend....

'Berg @ JCU.  'Berg almost hast to sweep.  Another loss and they need help from other teams.  JCU needs to sweep to stay in the title hunt.  Also JCU need to keep their regional resume looking good, just in case.
BW @ Marietta - a Pioneer sweep, and they clinch a share for first, and likely the right to host the tournament.
Cap @ Otterbein - Otterbein is 8-6.  They really need to win these two from Capital as a twinbill with B-W looms on the final weekend.  If they stand at 10-6 after Saturday, they have a good chance of getting in.  Cap is in an interesting position at 6-8...If they somehow win 4  
Mount @ Wilmington - Mount is in a must win situation to stay in the hunt too.  Tiebreakers won't likely go in their favor.  The good news, they play lowly Wilmington.
ONU @ Muskingum - ONU is now 6-8.  Another scenario where 4 wins could make things interesting.  They finish with JCU next weekend.

My predictions:

'Berg and JCU split.  Both have quality pitching, and I think JCU is a pretty good squad. 
Marietta and BW Split.  BW is still a decent team.  Marietta has been living on starting pitching.  What happens when one starter really struggles?  Bullpen is an issue and will come back to haunt them at some point.
Otterbein sweeps cap.  I was not impressed with Capital, at all.  Otterbein has better pitching.
Mount sweeps Wilmington - There are probably a host of high school teams who could sweep Wilmington.
Northern sweeps Muskingum - This will make things interesting.

So this is what I think the contenders pile will look like after Saturday....

Marietta 12-4 (if this is how it ends up, Marietta would clinch the right to host by virtue of B-W's penalties, I believe).
BW 11-5
JCU 10-6
Ott 10-6
Mount 9-7
Heid 8-8
ONU 8-8

[Dr. Acula]

Yeah, Mount and Gheny were tied 1-1 until the Gators scored 5 in the bottom of the 8th.  Mount plated 3 in the 9th to make the final 6-4.  The problem, and I feel like freaking Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, is that they're just so hit or miss offensively.  8 innings of baseball against a decent team and you have 1 run courtesy of a walk, then a HBP, a wild pitch and then a ground out.  I'm all for manufacturing runs and I do like that Mount executes small ball regularly with a nice amount of sac bunts and/or stolen bases, but when an inning like that is the totality of your offense over 8 innings I'm a little concerned quite frankly.

As for this weekend, I think the Cap/Ott DH is sneaky dangerous.  I wouldn't be surprised with a split there at all.  With it being hated rival Ott with a chance to ruin their tourney hopes (and keep their own alive?  I don't know) I'm guessing Cap will be up for that DH big time. 

[EttaFan1]

As for this weekend, I think the Cap/Ott DH is sneaky dangerous.  I wouldn't be surprised with a split there at all.  With it being hated rival Ott with a chance to ruin their tourney hopes (and keep their own alive?  I don't know) I'm guessing Cap will be up for that DH big time.

Agree this is an interesting double header, and any combination of outcomes would not be a surprise.  Heidelberg fans need to hope for Otterbein to fall on their faces (Just in case) since Ott has a 2-0 record against 'berg this year.   Raider fans should probably be pulling for Capital as well to get them out of the playoff hunt.  As my wife will continue to remind me, I'm wrong more often than I'm right!

[Bishopleftiesdad]

Marietta takes a game from Wooster.  Interesting how some of these "in region" games can be a little misleading.  Both teams had to save their top pitching.  So both start a freshman, who I think were making their first start.  Is it really a good "guage" as to how these teams matchup against each other when it is #5+ pitcher vs. #5+ pitcher?  In an early tournament game when it is 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2...

Dension got a huge sweep of Heidelberg yesterday.  'Berg was in a similar situation with pitching.  They have a HUGE series on Saturday with JCU (a win or go home, type series), so they had to conserve pitching for the league.  Dension has a crossover series with Oberlin (which I'm not sure how that factors into the NCAC race).  Don't know enough about Densions team to know whether they used their 1 and 2 arms. 

Case and Northern were rained out. 

Mount drops a game to Allegheny.

Big weekend....

'Berg @ JCU.  'Berg almost hast to sweep.  Another loss and they need help from other teams.  JCU needs to sweep to stay in the title hunt.  Also JCU need to keep their regional resume looking good, just in case.
BW @ Marietta - a Pioneer sweep, and they clinch a share for first, and likely the right to host the tournament.
Cap @ Otterbein - Otterbein is 8-6.  They really need to win these two from Capital as a twinbill with B-W looms on the final weekend.  If they stand at 10-6 after Saturday, they have a good chance of getting in.  Cap is in an interesting position at 6-8...If they somehow win 4  
Mount @ Wilmington - Mount is in a must win situation to stay in the hunt too.  Tiebreakers won't likely go in their favor.  The good news, they play lowly Wilmington.
ONU @ Muskingum - ONU is now 6-8.  Another scenario where 4 wins could make things interesting.  They finish with JCU next weekend.

My predictions:

'Berg and JCU split.  Both have quality pitching, and I think JCU is a pretty good squad. 
Marietta and BW Split.  BW is still a decent team.  Marietta has been living on starting pitching.  What happens when one starter really struggles?  Bullpen is an issue and will come back to haunt them at some point.
Otterbein sweeps cap.  I was not impressed with Capital, at all.  Otterbein has better pitching.
Mount sweeps Wilmington - There are probably a host of high school teams who could sweep Wilmington.
Northern sweeps Muskingum - This will make things interesting.

So this is what I think the contenders pile will look like after Saturday....

Marietta 12-4 (if this is how it ends up, Marietta would clinch the right to host by virtue of B-W's penalties, I believe).
BW 11-5
JCU 10-6
Ott 10-6
Mount 9-7
Heid 8-8
ONU 8-8

Denison has an open weekend. They have finished up league play and the cross over is not until May 4. Looks like they had each of their main starters, Colgain, Murphy and Duxbury each pitch some. Murphy 6, Colgain 2, and duxbury .1, in the first game. Walsh, Barry and Seay went in the second game. Seay is the only one of these three that does not have a start. Walsh and Barry have 8 starts between them.

[Dr. Acula]

JCU takes the opener 4-0 over Berg.

Ott eeks out a 2-1 win in 8 inn in game 1. 

Mount coasts as expected 10-1 behind Carlino in Wilm.

[forheavendial4999]

Marietta wins 6-0. Byers throws a shutout despite working deep into a lot of counts.

Middle of the order productive as Hopper, Toth and DH Chris Winpigler all had 2 hits -- Hopper homered and Winpigler tripled.

Mulvey vs. Redovian in Game 2.

[forheavendial4999]

Marietta gets the sweep, 10-1 in Game 2. A solo HR the only run for B-W all day. Mike Mulvey blamed Mitch Geers -- back in the starting lineup -- for jinxing it.

I *believe* that this clinches the 1 seed for Marietta, as long as the tiebreak procedure includes B-W because JCU split with B-W and JCU only has an edge in tiebreak over Heidelberg. HEID cannot finish ahead of B-W without beating JCU, which would then clinch for MC anyway.

If B-W doesn't count, then it's still on.

[Dr. Acula]

Mount sweeps Wilm 8-0.  A split at Musky gets them in now thanks to JCU sweeping Berg. Ott is in the same boat as they're also sitting at 9-7 after splitting with Cap. The Crusaders bounced back and coasted to a 7-1 win in game 2. Ott had just 3 hits off of Hoying in those 7 innings.  He's throwing very well lately.

[EttaFan1]

As  I understand the tiebreak procedures you are correct. This clinches 1. A share of the oac title, and 2. Hosting the tourney. With two games against a bad wilmington team next weekend it likely won't matter anyhow.

This was a HUGE blow to Heidelberg today.  They play Capital and need a sweep Plus lots of help

Mount union needs 1 win and they are in. They play muskingum, one win shouldn't be a problem.

Jcu is in the tournament. They play onu.

Otterbein and B-W Is big for the cardinals. 

Marietta has finals this week so no mid week games for them.

[forheavendial4999]

As  I understand the tiebreak procedures you are correct. This clinches 1. A share of the oac title, and 2. Hosting the tourney. With two games against a bad wilmington team next weekend it likely won't matter anyhow.

This was a HUGE blow to Heidelberg today.  They play Capital and need a sweep Plus lots of help

Mount union needs 1 win and they are in. They play muskingum, one win shouldn't be a problem.

Jcu is in the tournament. They play onu.

Otterbein and B-W Is big for the cardinals. 

Marietta has finals this week so no mid week games for them.

Only thing I'm not sure about is if B-W counts in the tiebreak sequence. IMO it would matter because if they've clinched, MC could go after the Sat/Sun games with their top 3, then have them ready for the tournament.

It wouldn't surprise me if they pick up games on Mon and/or Tues leading into the tournament. MC doesn't usually play less than the max without trying everything possible to get them all in.

Any word on whether Luke Langdon makes it back for tournaments?

[EttaFan1]

Luke was dressed today for the first time all year. Don't know if he gets back or not. I asked him a week ago and he was hopeful he would pitch again this year. He threw some jv innings but he tweaked something in one of those outings and it caused a little setback

I wouldn't be surprised to see them play either, particularly if the could do it at home.

I wouldn't see why BW wouldn't count in the tie breaker either. It is doesn't mention anything int the hand book about record against post season eligible teams.  Wilmington is not good at all so I don't see it making much difference.

[forheavendial4999]

The 3-4 spots look to still be nominally up for grabs. You have to figure JCU will get at least 1 win and wrap up the 2 seed.

MTU (9-7) -- at Muskingum. Looks easy, but MUSK is 3-3 at home in the league with wins over Heid 2x and split of John Carroll (albeit facing Spagna who isn't in the top 3 anymore for JCU). MUSK could get a split if they haven't folded the tent yet. But figure at least one win for Mount, which with their win over MAR is all they need.

OTT (9-7) -- hosting B-W. Yikes. B-W definitely didn't play their best today. Neither did OTT, really, who could easily have gotten swept by Capital in Westerville. OTT is 5-1 at home but against MUSK, WILM and CAP. B-W bats have generally traveled well this season, aside from today. Anything could happen in this DH, IMO.

ONU (8-8) -- at John Carroll. If there's one pitching staff I don't want to see right now, it's the Blue Streaks'. Hard to see any better than a split here for ONU, best case. ONU might be best served to try to win one, and hope Doring is wild and B-W sweeps OTT, then ONU could win tiebreak with OTT. O'Brien will likely be the Tekulve Award winner for John Carroll.

CAP (7-9) hosting HEID (7-9) -- Obviously, someone has to sweep. CAP has not been a pushover, and Holt was really not good today for Heidelberg...maybe throwing him 130 pitches in his first start back from injury wasn't such a great idea. HEID all of a sudden has significant pitching issues (allowed less than 4 runs in just 1 of last 10 games), and CAP is 5-3 at home. Split seems likely, and a CAP sweep wouldn't be a shock.

Important sweeps
MTU over ONU; HEID over MTU, B-W over MTU.
OTT over HEID; MAR over OTT, JCU over OTT.
ONU -- none; MAR over ONU, MTU over ONU
CAP -- none; MAR over CAP, MTU over CAP
HEID over MTU; OTT over HEID, JCU over HEID

HEID, MTU beat Marietta
MTU, CAP beat John Carroll
HEID, ONU, CAP beat B-W

Someone else can figure out 3-5 way tiebreaks. I'm going to Dairy Queen.

[forheavendial4999]

Luke was dressed today for the first time all year. Don't know if he gets back or not. I asked him a week ago and he was hopeful he would pitch again this year. He threw some jv innings but he tweaked something in one of those outings and it caused a little setback

I wouldn't be surprised to see them play either, particularly if the could do it at home.

I wouldn't see why BW wouldn't count in the tie breaker either. It is doesn't mention anything int the hand book about record against post season eligible teams.  Wilmington is not good at all so I don't see it making much difference.

Monday game added against the Fighting Deegans.