Ohio and Kent State clashed in a double header on Wednesday and came out with a split, with Ohio winning game one 16-2 and Kent State winning game two 9-3.
Game One
After a comeback win on Tuesday, Ohio built off the victory by scoring 13 runs in the bottom of the first inning, its most in a single inning this year. Eight of the runs came consecutively without recording an out.
Each member of Ohio’s starting lineup had at least one hit or one RBI in the game, and Emma Hoffner went 3-for-3 with two RBI, while Belle Hummel and Alexis Dawe went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI each.
The strong offensive performance allowed the Bobcats to play a lot of underclassmen as they held a 13-0 lead after two innings of play.
“I think it’s great for the depth of this program,“ Ohio coach Jenna Hall said. “We talk about that a lot, so whenever your time is coming it’s about being ready and every person that came into today I think was ready to compete, I was really proud of the effort.”
The underclassmen didn’t disappoint either, as Austy Miller and Lauren Yuhas each had an RBI to help extend Ohio’s lead to 16-0 after three innings.
Kent State attempted to begin the tough comeback in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring two runs in the fifth after getting a few runners aboard in the fourth. Miller then caught a lineout and turn it into an unassisted double play to end the game after five innings. Kylie Coffelt earned the win after recording all but one out.
Game Two
Game two went back and forth from the start, with Ohio and Kent State trading runs in the first three innings of the game until Ohio came out of the third up 3-2.
Kent State then started to take control, however, as Julia Mazanec’s single bounced off Skipp Miller’s leg to allow a runner to score and tie the game at three. Delaney Robeson continued the push and cleared the bases with a three-run double to give Kent State its first lead at 6-3. Robeson finished the game 2-for-4 with 4 RBI.
Kent State tacked on three more runs in the final three innings to extend the lead to 9-3, and Ohio was unable to mount a comeback in the bottom seventh.
Despite the loss, Ohio won the series 2-1 to improve to 23-17 overall and 13-5 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats also held on to first place in the conference.
Ohio let game three slip out of their reach, but the series as a whole left many players feeling positive about the future of a MAC Championship possibly being brought to Athens.
“Our one thing that we want to do is win a MAC championship. So, we are all really excited, we all want to get there," Emma Hoffner said.
