Preview: Ohio Bobcats at Marshall Thundering Herd

BECKLEY, W.Va. (Interstat) — The Marshall Thundering Herd, sitting at .500, will look to capitalize on a favorable matchup when they host the struggling Ohio Bobcats in nonconference baseball action Tuesday at Linda K. Epling Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon under cloudy skies with temperatures near 65 degrees.

The game presents a stark contrast in trajectories. Marshall (13-13) enters having split a competitive series with Sun Belt foe Coastal Carolina, including a narrow 5-4, 10-inning loss on Sunday. The Thundering Herd’s offense has shown potency, scoring 25 runs in a win over Saint Bonaventure earlier this month.

Ohio (5-22) seeks to halt a prolonged skid. The Bobcats were swept in a three-game weekend series at Ball State, culminating in a 17-7 loss Sunday. Ohio has lost 10 of its last 11 games, with the lone win an 8-5 victory at Bowling Green on March 21.

A player to watch for the Bobcats is third baseman Cale Steinbaugh. He provided a rare bright spot Sunday, hitting a pinch-hit, two-run home run in his only at-bat against Ball State. Steinbaugh is 6 for 15 (.400) with five RBIs over his last five games where he recorded an official at-bat.

Marshall is expected to lean on right-hander Kenyon Collins, a key arm out of the bullpen who could see significant work. Collins turned in a strong 5 2/3-inning relief appearance against Coastal Carolina on Sunday, allowing three earned runs and striking out six. His best outing of the season was a six-inning, scoreless start with seven strikeouts in a 25-2 rout of Saint Bonaventure on March 8.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Marshall is projected to win with a final score of 5-2.

Following this single-game set, Marshall opens a Sun Belt Conference series at Appalachian State on Thursday. Ohio begins Mid-American Conference play with a three-game series at Kent State starting Thursday.