Ohio (8-30, 5-16 Mid-American Conference) traveled north to face the Central Michigan Chippewas in a three-game series. The Bobcats lost the first two games 15-5 and 4-3, but won the final game 16-6.
Both teams entered this series looking to improve their standing in the MAC. Ohio is in last place in the conference with a 4-14 MAC record. Meanwhile, Central Michigan was 8-11, good for eighth in the conference, but still looking to enter the top six and move into a spot in the MAC Baseball Championship.
The first game on Friday opened with the Chippewas showing offensive dominance. After taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Central Michigan loaded the bases in the third inning. Logan Keilen hit a double that sent all three runners home, expanding the lead to 5-0. Keilen scored later in the inning and gave the Chippewas a 6-0 lead after three innings.
The Bobcats began to claw back in the fourth inning. A Will Henson triple allowed Cameron Boyd to score and put Ohio on the board. The Bobcats were able to score two more runs during the inning and cut the deficit in half, only trailing 6-3 after the top of the fourth. However, Central Michigan responded with three runs of their own, taking advantage of a bases-loaded situation as they exited the fourth inning leading 9-3.
The bottom of the fifth inning saw similar offensive success for the Chippewas. Miguel Correa Jr. kicked off a scoring run with a triple that sent Drew Loikits and Zach Knowlton home. Correa and Harrison Bowman added two more runs that made it a 13-3 ballgame after five innings. Correa drove home another run in the sixth inning to increase the Central Michigan lead to 14-3.
Ohio looked to fight back in the seventh inning. With bases loaded, Dylan Shepherd sent Boyd and Taylor Harris home, cutting the Chippewas’ lead to 14-5. However, Central Michigan’s Joey Milto hit a single that sent Dominic Bouscher home in the bottom of the seventh inning, making the score 15-5 and ending the game after seven innings.
In the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, the Bobcats drew first blood with Grant Wilson reaching home in the top of the third inning. Henson scored at the top of the fourth inning on a wild pitch to extend Ohio’s lead to 2-0. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Milto reached home and put the Chippewas on the board, but Central Michigan still left the inning trailing the Bobcats 2-1.
Ohio then added another run at the top of the sixth inning, doubling the lead to 3-1 on a run from Shepherd. The Bobcats held this lead until the ninth inning; however, the Chippewas fought their way back to force extra innings. Loikits singled, which was followed by a Correa double, putting two runners in scoring position. Bowman cut the deficit to one with a flyout, and a Cole Prout single sent Correa home to tie the game at 3-3.
In extra innings, Ohio failed to get a hit in the top of the tenth inning. Then, in the bottom of the 10th inning, Bouscher reached home as a pinch runner courtesy of a single from Knowlton. This walked off the game for Central Michigan and allowed the Chippewas to take game two of the series, 4-3.
The final contest of the series on Saturday seemed to be similar to the first game, with Central Michigan taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning. However, the Bobcats were able to flip the script from the previous two games. Ohio cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning, then tied the game in the top of the sixth inning.
The seventh inning saw an offensive explosion from the Bobcats. Ohio scored seven runs in this inning, the most it scored in an inning this season. Aiding the scoring output was a three-run home run from Wilson and a two-run home run from Harris. Although the Chippewas responded with some offense of their own, the Bobcats left the inning comfortably in the driver’s seat, leading 11-6.
Ohio’s offense carried the momentum into the eighth inning. The Bobcats took advantage of multiple bases-loaded situations to tack on five insurance runs, extending the lead to 16-6 and putting the game on the doorstep of mercy rule. Landon Price was able to hold Central Michigan scoreless in the bottom of the eighth inning from the mound, officially ending the series with a Bobcat win, 16-6
Although the first two games did not go the Bobcats’ way, the final game is an encouraging sign for the remainder of the season. Their 10-run margin of victory is Ohio’s largest win of the season, and the first time the Bobcats won a game via mercy rule under new head coach Andrew See.
Ohio returns home Tuesday, April 21, as it hosts the Northern Kentucky Norse. The Bobcats lost to the Norse 11-8 on the road April 14 and looks for revenge.
