After a very positive opening weekend of softball, Ohio was unable to replicate its success against superior competition.
At LSU’s Tiger Classic Tournament, Ohio was met with some stiff competition. The opponents included the likes of Central Arkansas, Utah and LSU, the host. Ohio saw what it looked like to go against some of the best teams in the country.
The Bobcats went 0-5 over the course of the three days in Baton Rouge.
Friday:
Vs. Central Arkansas:
In game one, Ohio was held scoreless by a complete game shutout from Jordan Johnson. While Ohio outhit Central Arkansas 5-3, it was unable to turn those baserunners into runs. Johnson absolutely dominated with nine strikeouts and no walks.
Lost in the end result was a very solid outing by Skipp Miller. She went 3.1 innings, only surrendering a single hit and one earned run. Something that certainly did not help Ohio’s pitching was five errors committed by the defense. The usually sure-handed Annalia Paoli had three errors of her own, after only recording eight errors all of last season.
Vs. No. 18 LSU:
Going against a nationally-ranked Tigers team, the Bobcats were unable to pull a massive upset. The final score of 8-0 is gaudy, but the game only lasted five innings due to mercy rule.
For the second time on the day, the Bobcats were held scoreless by just one pitcher. One of the only players to get a hit in both games, Yasmine Logan, continued her strong start to the season. Additionally, freshman Austy Miller also checked in with hits in both games Friday. Those two individuals were the only sources of offense for the Bobcats as they were stymied by two very talented pitchers.
Saturday:
Vs. Central Arkansas:
The second matchup against Central Arkansas yielded more offense on both sides of the diamond, but unfortunately for Ohio, it fell 5-4 as a 7th inning comeback bid ultimately fell short.
The Bobcats were behind from the start as Ellie Greene only lasted 1.1 innings while giving up three runs, one of them earned. In an attempt to find some consistency in the circle, Ohio turned again to Kylie Coffelt. Coffelt was able to pitch for the rest of the game, going the remaining 5.2 innings, giving up only another pair of runs.
By the time the bottom of the 7th inning came about, Ohio had just three hits, but then the offense came to life. CiCi Keidel led off the frame with a triple and was brought in on a single by Sydney Grein. A subsequent hit by pitch and fielder’s choice, followed by a Belle Hummel single, loaded the bases for Ohio. Logan and Paoli both drew bases-loaded walks to bring the score to 5-3.
At that point, Central Arkansas went to its ace in the hole, both literally and figuratively speaking. Once again, Jordan Johnson came in the game and finished the game after a fielder’s choice brought home a run. The improbable comeback for Ohio just was unable to yield another run to send the game to extra innings.
Vs. Utah:
For the first three innings, Ohio and Utah were engaged in a scoreless contest, but Utah’s offense exploded for nine runs in the 4th inning, putting the game pretty much out of reach for Ohio.
Skipp Miller was sitting down the Utes efficiently for the first three innings, but the 4th inning saw them begin to break her pitches down. Sophie Jacquez’ two-run triple opened the floodgates for the Utes and they chased Miller from the circle without her recording an out in the frame. Keegan Moore was able to clean up the mess, wrapping up the inning on just seven pitches.
The top of the 5th inning saw the Bobcats get on the board as Belle Hummel scored on an RBI groundout by Reagan Farmer. The offense again was rather quiet for the Bobcats as they only recorded four hits.
Sunday:
Vs. Utah:
It appeared as though the 4th inning against Utah was any forecast for the offensive thunderstorm Ohio would have to endure in its second matchup against Utah. The 8-0 final score was achieved in just five innings as Utah was able to dismantle Ohio’s pitching once again.
The game was never in doubt for Utah. In fact, Ohio did not hold a lead at any point over the course of the weekend. That trend did not change in the finale against Utah as Ohio went down by three runs before even coming up to bat in the bottom of the 1st inning.
Kylie Coffelt and Skipp Miller suffered through the blowout, eating enough innings to put the mercy rule into effect, thus ending an unceremonious weekend for the Bobcats. Overall, the Bobcats went 0-5 while being outscored 32-5. While the competition level certainly did not help, Ohio also committed a litany of errors over the course of the weekend.
