Ohio (33-17 Overall, 15-9 Mid-American Conference) got the much-needed win on senior day as it dominated Akron (29-22 Overall, 19-5 MAC) with a score of 10-0 to avoid the sweep. The Bobcats came out swinging offensively and did not calm down until the run-rule was activated, which ended the game after five innings.
Ohio’s seniors showed out on their dedicated day. Seniors Belle Hummel, Colleen Bare, Shelby Westler and Rylee McDaniel combined for four hits, two home runs and five runs batted in.
The Bobcats set the tone heavily early in the game with a huge first inning. Ohio’s graduate student ace pitcher Skipp Miller, who was playing in her last game at Ohio Softball Field, forced a very quick three outs.
The Bobcats' offense came out for the first time with both of their first two hitters, Hummel and Bare, getting on base. Junior infielder Brenna Farmer then came up to the plate and blasted a home run to center field, clearing the bases and giving Ohio an almost immediate 3-0 lead.
Ohio then loaded the bases again with two outs, as sophomore outfielder Alexis Book got walked to bring in another run, making it 4-0. This was enough for the Zips to pull their pitcher before she even made it out of the first inning, in favor of their ace pitcher Madie Jamrog, who dominated the Bobcats in the circle just a day prior.
Jamrog quickly got the final out, ending the dominant Bobcat inning. After another easy three outs from Miller, the red-hot Ohio offense came back out. Bare opened up the bottom of the second inning by getting walked.
Westler then blasted a ball over the fences for a two-run home run in her final softball game in Athens.
“It’s a great way to wrap up four amazing years,” Westler said about her home run. “Just really proud of this team and that exciting energy we created.”
Jamrog forced two straight outs to end the inning, but Ohio still led 6-0. No runs were scored by either team in the third inning as Miller continued her dominance, especially after her offense gave her that six-run blanket.
“Anytime you can give your pitcher room to breathe a little bit, it allows her to be loose and spin her pitches,” Ohio head coach Jenna Hall said. “Early on, Skipp was a little tight trying to do too much, and then she just settled in after those offensive runs and started really spinning the ball.”
The Bobcats put the icing on the cake in the bottom of the fourth. Bare, in her final at bat ever at Ohio Softball Field, hit a home run to open up the inning.
“It’s great, I am super grateful to finish my at bat that way,” Bare said. “I’m also so grateful to be able to celebrate at home with my teammates one last time here at OSF.”
A single from junior outfielder Izzie Wilson right after was enough for Akron to pull Jamrog just a day after her dominant full game performance.
“Yesterday we were under the ball and late, and today, when she first came out, we were a little late still,” Hall said about her team's batting adjustment to Jamrog. “So it was really about just us getting on time and staying above the ball, and I think we adjusted into that well today.”
Changing pitchers did not change much, as the next two Ohio batters got on base, followed by a throwing error at first that brought in two more runs, making it a whopping 10-0 at the end of the fourth inning.
Miller ended her dominant final career home game by forcing a flyout and a strikeout before Ohio subbed in senior pitcher Keegan Moore to get the final out of her final game at home. It took just two pitches from Moore to force an infield fly ball to end the game 10-0.
This dominant win by Ohio clinched a MAC Tournament spot with just one series left. The Bobcats travel to Amherst to take on the struggling UMass Minutemen to close out the season.
