Ohio (7-2 overall) kept the hot start to the 2026 season rolling this past weekend in Chattanooga, Tennesse, in the Chattanooga Classic.
The Bobcats were scheduled to have a five-game weekend, but Sunday’s game against Bellarmine was canceled.
Despite the early ending to the weekend, Ohio cleaned up all weekend, notching three straight victories against Canisius, Chattanooga and Middle Tennessee before falling in a rematch against Chattanooga.
Friday
Canisius was up first Friday, and despite the 11-3 final after just five innings, the Golden Griffins jumped out to an early lead, going 2-0 in the first after a 2-run double from Bailey Alatorre.
The Bobcats got back into the game with a home run from Mikie Lieving, followed by an RBI single from Belle Hummel.
Kylie Gorsuch blew the game open with a 3-run home run to left field, flipping the game around immediately.
Canisius’ Ella Johel had a sac fly to get a run back, but it was all Ohio from there. Izzie Wilson had an RBI single in the third before a monster 5-run fourth inning from the Bobcats to seal a blowout.
Brenna Farmer drove one in on a sac fly followed by Shelby Westler reaching home on an error. It was another homer that added to the huge lead, as Sena Smith hit another 3-run blast, this time to center field.
Ohio needed just one more solid inning of pitching to get the win, and Lieving delivered, earning the save.
The hosts, Chattanooga, were next, and Ohio had a similarly strong performance, winning by a final score of 7-1.
The game started as a pitcher's duel between Ohio’s ace Skipp Miller and Chattanooga’s Sophia Guerra Leiva.
Both pitchers went through the first three innings scoreless, with each allowing just a handful of hits.
The Bobcats got on the board in the fourth with RBI singles from both Farmer and Wilson. In the fifth, Ohio jumped all over Chattanooga’s new pitcher Emery Bales. Westler knocked through a 2-run double and Brenna Farmer scored on a foul-out to left field.
With a 5-0 lead in the sixth, Ohio added to its lead from more productive hitting from Hummel and Gorsuch, who both drove in runs to make it a 7-0 game.
Keegan Moore replaced Miller, who finished her day allowing just one hit and two walks. Moore allowed 1 run, but she closed the game on the next batter, finishing the win.
Saturday
The 6-3 win over Middle Tennessee State was another game where pitching came through early. Ally Meyers for Ohio went the full seven innings and didn’t allow a run throughout the first two. Mary Martinez of Middle Tennessee also went the first two innings without allowing a run before giving up a 2-run shot to Colleen Bare in the third.
The home run answered a Blue Raider solo blast in the third from Lucie McDonald. Sydney Young came through for the Bobcats with a 2-run double in the fourth, giving Ohio some cushion for Jana Want’s 2-run homer in the fifth for Middle Tennessee.
Bare came through again, homering twice in a game for the first time in her career with a solo shot to extend the Ohio lead. Wilson followed it up with an RBI single to give Ohio a 6-3 lead in the fifth, a score that stood after the last two innings were scoreless.
Ohio’s only slip-up of the weekend came in the second game Friday, which also happened to be the second game against the Mocs of Chattanooga, who jumped out to an early lead, which led to an 8-3 final score.
Moore gave up the first 3 runs of the day for Ohio before she was replaced by Miller. Miller gave up 4 more runs, but only one of them was earned. It was 7-0 Mocs in the fourth, and it was a lead the Bobcats couldn’t come back from.
Lieving entered the game to pitch and gave up one more run. It did not matter much as Ohio only got 3 runs back from a 2-run homer from Rylee McDaniel and a Colleen Bare RBI single.
Even with the last loss, the weekend trip for Ohio was successful in Tennessee. The Bobcats sit at 7-2 overall before a trip to Orlando, where they compete in the Space U Classic against teams like Central Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State.
