C of O Splits with BBC, Home Baseball Series This Weekend

The College of the Ozarks is in the home stretch of their 2022 Baseball season.

Details on recent and upcoming games below from College of the Ozarks Sports Information:

The College of the Ozarks Baseball Bobcats made the short drive to US Ballpark in Ozark Tuesday afternoon to face the Patriots of Baptist Bible College in a mid-week doubleheader. 

C of O vs BBC – Game 1
Tyler Buchanan stepped on the bump for game one, and after a tough weekend for the Bobcats, a pair of wins was much needed. Isaiah Smith led off the game with a hit by pitch and a Chuck Hill single moved him to third. Ryan Daggs added to his season RBI total with a sacrifice fly to right and the Bobcats took the early lead, 1-0. Spencer Green drew a walk and Caleb Johnson ripped a double to center to put runners at second and third, but a runner caught trying to score and an infield out ended the Bobcat threat in the first. The Patriots responded in the bottom half and put three runs on the board with a walk and three hits. Cadan Kauffman and Isaiah Smith picked up walks in the second, but the Bobcats could not move them around. Buchanan set the Patriots down in order in the second and the Bobcats came up in the third trailing 3-1. A leadoff walk to Daggs was all for the Bobcat offense and a quick bottom of the third moved the game to the fourth. The Bobcats went in order in the fourth and the Buchanan continued to cruise through the Patriot lineup in the bottom half. The Bobcats picked up two-out walks to Daggs and Greene before a Caleb Johnson hit by pitch loaded the bases. Trey Riley came through with a two RBI single and the Bobcats tied it 3-3. A wild pitch scored Johnson and the Bobcats led 4-3 heading to the bottom of the fifth. The Patriots answered with a pair of runs to regain the lead and Colin Pyatt came on in relief. The tug of war was on as the Bobcats responded with a run to tie with a walk to Cadan Kauffman and a single by Chuck Hill. Daggs picked up another RBI with a groundout to short and the Cats regained the lead, 6-5. A flyout ended the inning and Pyatt headed back to the hill. Pyatt retired the Patriots in order in the sixth and the Bobcats were three outs away from putting one in the win column. Chandler Tidwell was hit by a pitch in the top of the seventh, but that’s all the Bobcats could get and Pyatt went back to the mound to try and close out the win. Three quick outs secured the win and the Bobcats took game one, 6-5. 

Chuck Hill led the offense with a pair of hits. Caleb Johnson recorded a single and Trey Riley came through with a big two-RBI single in the win.

C of O vs BBC – Game 2
Spencer Greene took the hill in game two, looking to keep the wins coming. Greene also started the Bobcat offense with a two-out single in the opening frame. A strikeout ended the inning and the game moved to the bottom of the first. A BBC single was turned into an inning ending double play and the Bobcats came back up with no score. Neither team could generate any offense until the bottom of the third. The Patriots picked up a walk and a pair of singles to score a run in the bottom of the third and the Bobcats trailed 1-0 heading to the fourth. The Bobcats put a couple of singles in the hit column in the fourth, but a double play kept the runners from advancing and the game moved to the bottom of the fourth. Chuck Hill bunted for a two out single and Ryan Daggs followed with a single of his own to get something going in the fifth. A line drive smoked at the third baseman was caught and the inning ended with the Bobcats unable to move the runners. The Patriots added a trio of runs on a pair of singles, a Bobcat miscue, and a walk, and took a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning. Caleb Johnson led off the Bobcat sixth with a walk and promptly stole second. Trey Riley grounded out to second moving Johnson to third and the Bobcats were 90 feet from getting on the board. A BBC error allowed Rhett Hill to reach and Johnson scored to cut into the Patriot lead. A groundout to first ended the inning and it was going to take some seventh inning heroics if the Bobcats were going to pull out the win. Greene took care of business in the bottom of the sixth and the Bobcat needed some tallies. A lead off walk to Isaiah Smith started things off. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were not able to produce more offense and the Patriots took game two 4-1.

Chuck Hill, Ryan Daggs, Spencer Greene, Caleb Johnson, Cadan Kauffman, and Rhett Hill each recorded a hit for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats will be back in action Friday and Saturday as they host Dallas Christian College. Friday Games are slated for 3:00 and 5:00 with Saturday games scheduled for 12:00 and 2:00. The Bobcats will be honoring the 2021-2022 seniors during Senior Day festivities on Saturday.