Ohio (18-17, 10-10 Mid-American Conference) had been discussing Canisius all week. From regular practice on Thursday to batting practice before the doubleheader on Saturday, its opponent was the only thing on Ohio’s mind.
A swept doubleheader could bring the Bobcats back to over .500 overall for the first time in a while. Luckily, the Bobcats got the sweep they were hoping for with an 8-7 win in game one and and a 9-5 win in game two.
The wins weren’t all roses, though. The defense was asleep in game one and it forced Ohio to fight hard. Ohio biffed a handful of plays in game one to diminish the stellar work of starter Jake Tate, who had only faced six batters through two innings.
The Bobcats overthrew second base in the top of the third in an attempt to squash a steal attempt. However, a run easily slid into home as the ball rolled into shallow left field. That moment opened the door for runs to score on a single and a double later in the inning. Tate later recovered in the fourth and struck out three of the four batters he faced.
“The pitching staff did an incredible job,” Ohio coach Craig Moore said. “The defense let us down a little bit today. That’s something I take pride in and we need to correct moving forward in the conference.”
Ohio found a saving grace in a pair of three-run home runs throughout the game. Spencer Harbert sent one over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game and give Ohio a glimmer of hope. Later, Colin Kasperbauer lifted Ohio above Canisius (17-18, 8-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) with a three-run home run of his own in the bottom of the seventh.
After Kasperbauer crossed home plate, the Bobcats let go of the breath they had been holding in. Braxton Kelly worked through the rest of his relief and Edward Kutt IV came in to shut the door on a narrow victory.
Ohio made a statement in the start of game two. It was no longer asleep at the wheel.
A.J. Rausch launched his fifth home run of the season to bring the Bobcats into an early lead. But the lead kept growing. Harbert picked up an RBI on a single after a pair of walks put two runners on base. In the next at-bat, Alex Finney snagged an RBI of his own on a sacrifice fly. Michael Richardson and Cael Baker rounded out the first-inning scoring with RBIs of their own.
The healthy lead gave freshman pitcher Hudson Boncal ample cushion while on the mound. Boncal lasted five innings on the mound and earned his first win of the season. Boncal felt the stress lift off of his shoulders when he saw that the Bobcats had space to breathe.
Despite Canisius gnawing at the lead, Ohio stood tall. Rausch chipped a double to left center field for his third RBI of the day, and Baker beat a shift for his second RBI to ensure that Ohio walked away victorious.
“The offense was outstanding,” Moore said. “It really carried us for the most part today.”
Ohio closed the door on its final nonconference series of the season, but the rest of its MAC schedule still looms in the distance. Ohio currently holds a tournament bid by threads, but there is a whole month left in the season. If its offense can stay hot and its pitching can stay in tact, Ohio may have a shot at the MAC Tournament.
