Ohio dropped its only game versus Ohio State on the road, and it only has six games left in its season.
The hatred for Ohio State athletics may extend longer than the highway which connects Athens to Columbus — Route 33 — but Tuesday’s match up at Buckeye Field was reduced to a few middling innings — five to be exact.
The Bobcats dropped their only meeting with the Buckeyes this season on Tuesday, 12-4, after sacrificing eight runs in the first two innings. Ohio fell to 14-25 on the year and have lost eight of the 11 games it has played in five innings this season.
The teams played five innings, instead of the usual seven, because the Buckeyes led by eight runs, cutting the game short.
Head coach Jodi Hermanek was unavailable for comment after the game.
The Buckeyes’ offense was led by Erika Leonard and Alex Bayne, who combined for seven RBIs. At 29 at-bats, the Buckeyes garnered 12 runs, 13 hits and 10 RBIs.
Ohio State pitcher Lena Springer, who pitched all five innings, surrendered eight hits and three earned runs.
The Bobcats, however, did not fare as well.
Senior pitcher Lauren McClary and Sydney Compston gave up a combined 12 hits and runs, along with seven earned runs, in their time in the circle.
This season, McClary has mostly been used as the Bobcats’ pitcher, with 79 and 1/3 innings pitched and 62 strike outs — both team highs.
The Wellston, Ohio native Compston has pitched 32 innings and 12 strikeouts inside the circle this season. She has started three games as a pitcher for Hermanek.
Senior outfielder Adrienne Gebele’s offense was a bright spot for the Bobcats, as she registered two hits and RBIs in three at-bats. She and freshman Mikayla Cooper also hit home runs.
Gebele has been consistent for Ohio over its previous 38 games, recording 26 hits in 99 at-bats. Her batting average is .263 this year.
In the loss, Ohio’s defense committed two errors, one in the first inning, which helped the Buckeyes score six runs in the bottom of the first.
The road loss in Columbus is the final game away from the Ohio Softball Field this season. Up next, Ohio will have a six-game homestand to finish out conference play and are hopeful to find some momentum for the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Hermanek and the Bobcats sit as the number eight seed in the MAC and have Ball State, Miami and Akron left to play in their schedule. All three teams are ranked higher than Ohio in the MAC standings.
Ohio’s matchup with Ball State on Friday will be a rematch of the MAC Tournament semifinal round, when the Bobcats won, 3-0, behind junior Savannah Jo Dorsey’s perfect game.
In the win, Dorsey struck out 13 Cardinal batters, and the Bobcats would go on to use her momentum-changing game to win their first MAC Title in 19 years. The Bobcats were a fifth seed in last year’s MAC Tournament.
The Bobcats’ plan to obtain their second consecutive MAC Championship this season. However, they have been foiled by injuries throughout, and the Bobcats’ season might be coming down to the wire with their seeding teetering on the last six games.
