The Ohio baseball team takes to its home field at Bob Wren Stadium for the first home game of the season against the West Virginia State Yellowjackets
today. Ohio is 7-5 in home openers at Bob Wren and holds a 17-2 all-time series lead against the Yellowjackets
.
The Bobcats are 3-7 on the year, while the Yellowjackets
sit at 2-6. In the teams' last meeting, Ohio won by an 8-run margin.
We will be bringing you inning-by-inning breakdowns of the action from behind home plate, so keep tuned in to The Post.
Top 1: 0-0
Ohio began the game with senior RHP
Shane Dedig
on the mound. He struck out the West Virginia State batter on a pitch in the dirt. Following that, Dedig
put another Yellowjacket
batter down on strikes on a similar play. He finished the inning by striking out the third Yellowjacket
to take to the batter's box.
-- Dedig
showed good command early. It is his first appearance of the season.
Bottom 1: 1-0
Ethan Newton led off the game for the Bobcats by reaching first on a passed ball. Doug Holmes, the Bobcats' second batter, drove Newton to second on a hit-and-run to the second baseman.
Seth Streich
grounded out on another dribbler to the second baseman, and moved Newton to third on the play.
Jensen Painter, the cleanup hitter, pounded a double to deep left-center to score Newton, making the Yellowjackets
pay for the passed ball.
Jake Madsen
grounded out to the shortstop to end the inning.
-- Energetic start to the game for the Bobcats. The dugout has to be optimistic, especially seeing a decent crowd and 58 degree weather.
Top 2: 1-0
Garrett Kiser
led off the inning by drawing a walk. Jack Hudson followed that up with a deep fly to left-center, which was routinely hauled in.
Andrew Pickering grounded back to Dedig
for a fielder's choice.
-- It should have been a double play, but Dedig's
throw to second was in the dirt.
Eric Temple nearly took of Dedig's
head with a liner directly up the middle, putting runners on first and second for Eric Craft, who popped up to the infield.
Bottom 2: 7-0
Garrett Black led off with a double liner up the middle that was fumbled by the Yellowjackets
' centerfielder
. Cody Geartner
popped up to the centerfielder
for the first out, while Ian Mezlak
did the same, flying out to the leftfielder
.
Ben Otto drove in Black with a drive up the leftfield
line to put the Bobcats up two. On the next pitch, Newton took the ball the opposite way for an RBI double.
-- Two very hard hit balls back to back keeps the Bobcat offense rolling strongly.
Holmes blooped
a curveball
to short left to drive in Otto, upping Ohio's lead four.
Streich
moved Holmes to second with a drive that nicked off the first baseman's glove.
-- Painter blasted a fly over the leftfield
wall, but it was just a hair foul.
On the next pitch, he took one over the leftfield
fence for a three-run dinger
.
Madsen
, with the bases cleared, grounded to first, but the ball popped over Pickerington's
shoulder. Error.
Black's second appearance of the inning was a fly to the centerfielder
to end the inning.
-- Ohio's seven hits resulted in seven runs through two innings.
Top 3: 7-0
Payne flew out to begin the inning. Smith then popped out to Holmes in left, who hauled in the fly on the run. Noah Blackhurst flew out to Newton in center to end the inning.
--Dedig looked strong once again, as he downed the Yellowjackets 1-2-3 for the second time of the game.
Bottom 3: 7-0
Geartner grounded through the right side of the infield for a single to begin the inning for Ohio. He was thrown out trying to steal second two pitches into Mezlak's at-bat. Mezlak grounded through the left side of the infield two pitches later.
Mezlak made it into second on his stealing attempt.
-- Gutsy move by coach Joe Carbone to go for the steal twice in a row, but smart because if there's a time to fool around with stuff like that, it's now.
Two pitches later, Otto was sent back to the dugout for the Yellowjackets' first K of the game.
-- William Ore enters the game to pitch at this point. Rimer allowed nine hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Newton (a lefty) turned on one and sent it screaming into the Yellowjackets' dugout before grounding softly to first.
Top 4: 7-0
Dedig took on WVSU's Bunch to lead the game. Bunch fought deep into the at-bat, fouling off three before drawing a walk, his second of the game.
Kiser popped out to short on the next play, before Jack Hudson grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
-- Another good half inning for the Bobcats.
Bottom 4: 10-0
Tyler Wells led off the inning with a rocket up the middle, which landed him on second.
-- Ore was very concerned with Wells' presence at first, throwing over four times throughout the at-bat.
Streich struck out for the first time of the game, in the following at-bat.
Painter, fresh off his home run in the third, pounded a double down the leftfield line to put Wells on third with Madsen at the dish.
Madsen brought Wells home with a single in the gap between first and second.
Black, with runners on the corners, drew a walk. With one out, he drew a walk, putting J.R. Reynolds, a pinch hitter, up with the bases full.
Reynolds took a walk, which upped the lead to nine and brought up Mezlak.
Mezlak grounded to first, and after the ball tipped off the first baseman's glove, was thrown out by the the second baseman.
-- Very weird play.
Otto took to the plate with runners on second and third and a new pitcher, Jordan Butcher, toeing the rubber.
He drew a walk on four pitches, which filled the bases for Newton. He grounded out to end the inning.
-- Finally. It's been a LONG inning.
Top 5: 10-2
Pickerington leads off the inning with a one-hopper to the fence in right-center. He ends up on second base.
Following Pickerington, Temple struck out, and Craft singled to short to score Pickerington, who had advanced on a passed ball on the previous pitch.
-- The following batter grounds out to first.
Cody Smith, who is pinch hitting, waves Pickerington to third on a passed ball, later walks.
-- This signals Carbone's first trip to the mound, where he replaces Dedig with Brett Barber.
-- Dedig's showing for the day: 4 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 4 K
With one out and a runners on first and third, Barber throws a wild pitch, bringing Craft home.
Blackhurst flew out to left-center to end the inning.
-- That was Ohio's least memorable half inning of the game, but two runs in a game like this isn't going to hurt anyone.
Bottom 5: 10-2
Wells leads off for the Bobcats against Chase Pickerington - the Yellowjackets' third pitcher of the game. He singled back up the middle.
With Taylor Emody at the dish, Wells gets caught stealing on a ball in the dirt.
Pickerington picks up his first K of the day, sending Pickerington to the dugout.
Painter walks his way down to first on the next at-bat.
Madsen grounds out to second to end the inning.
-- The Bobcat bats were considerably quieter that innning. But again, no harm done.
Top 6: 10-2
Barber downs three straight Yellowjackets, two on strikeouts and one off of a ground out.
-- Very good pitching by Barber. That half inning lasted five minutes at most.
Bottom 6: 10-2
-- David Myers takes the mound for West Virginia State. It's obvious at this point that both teams are experimenting a bit, if that wasn't apparent at the beginning of the game.
His first opponent, Black, who strikes out on a pitch in the dirt.
Reynolds makes his second plate appearance of the game, where he strikes out as well.
Logan Cozart checks in for the first time and marks the third strikeout of the evening.
-- Very encouraging half inning for the Yellowjackets. 1-2-3 for the first time for the Yellowjackets.
Top 7: 10-3
Pickering, who has WVSU's only extra-base hit, singles to start the inning.
Eric Temple blasts a double down the line, moving Pickerington to third. Craft sends a rocket to second, where Black slings it to first for the first out of the inning. Pickering scores.
Andrew Frazier strikes out.
Cody Smith sends a blooper to right to end the inning.
Bottom 7: 10-3
Ben Otto leads the bottom of the seventh off with a strikeout and is followed by Newton flies out to second two pitches later. Wells grounds out to short to end the inning.
-- No hits and second straight 1-2-3 for the Bobcats. It's time for Deal or No Deal here at Bob Wren.
Top 8: 10-3
Shane Cole is in on the mound for the Bobcats. He faces off with Blackhurst to begin the inning.
-- Barber: 2 1/3 1 ER, 2 H, 3K, 1 wild pitch
Cole strikes out Blackhurst. Bunch singles up the middle, over Cole's shoulder. Kiser comes to the plate next and nearly grounds into a double play. He makes it to first safely on the fielder's choice.
Myers grounds sharply back to Cole, who slings it to first for the out.
-- Cole looks on tonight. He will likely finish out the game for Ohio.
Bottom 8: 11-3
Chandler Geller makes his first appearance for the Bobcats against Derek Mullins on the mound. He walks.
Painter knocks one in the gap, scoring Geller for the Bobcats' first run since the fourth inning.
Madsen pops out and brings Black up for his fourth appearance of the night, in which he walks.
With a new pitcher in for the Yellowjackets, Reynolds grounds into a fielder's choice.
Cozart drives Painter home with a single to left. The Bobcat bats are starting to swat better once again.
-- A passed ball allows both runners to advance.
Otto draws another walk, bringing up Newton with the bases jacked. A big opportunity for Ohio to add to their lead here.
He flies out, though.
-- 2 runs, 2 hits, no errors.
-- Positive note for Ohio being able to knock in a couple runs later in the game.
Cole - 1in, 1H 0 ER, 1 K
Top 9: 12-3
Tyler Backstrom comes in to pitch, getting Pickerington to ground out. Temple takes a couple hefty cuts before striking out on a nasty cutter.
Backstrom only stays in for a pair of batters, as Tyler Plys will close the game out for Ohio.
He forces Craft to strike out, ending the game.
Thanks for following our coverage of Ohio baseball. Make sure to stick with The Post for coverage from Bob Wren Stadium all season long.
