Ohio (11-8) has had a great start through the first month of the 2024 season. Following a 1-4 start against a handful of high-major teams, Ohio went on a rampage.
The Bobcats won nine of their 10 games played over the next two weekends in the Spiro Classic and Frost Classic, getting massive contributions from pitcher Skipp Miller who won Mid-American Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week back-to-back.
Then, Ohio headed into the Governor’s Classic where it would face IUPUI, Indiana State twice and Saint Louis, going 1-3 in the four games played over this past weekend.
Game One: IUPUI
Ohio’s week came to an early peak against IUPUI, in a game that only took five innings to complete, ending with a score of 15-2 – Ohio’s highest-scoring game of the season. For pitcher, Ohio turned to freshman Mikie Lieving who has had a very successful start to her career for the team.
Lieving held her ground at the mound, only allowing six hits and two earned runs. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, the Bobcats were looking unstoppable. They compiled 13 hits and six walks, making it a rough day for the Jaguar pitchers.
With the bases loaded in the first inning, Izzie Wilson homered to right field, allowing herself, Emma Hoffner, Yasmine Logan and Tori O’Brien to score. In the top of the fourth, with Ohio up 6-2, it was Hoffner’s turn to hit one out of the park this time a 3-run home run.
At the top of the fifth, it was an error-riddled inside-the-park homer that gave Ohio a 15-2 lead, and with IUPUI unable to bring the deficit back within eight, it was a run-ahead victory.
Game Two: Indiana State
Having only pitched five innings against the Jaguars, the Bobcats turned to Lieving again to pitch another full game against the Sycamores. However, the result would differ, with Ohio losing 5-2, and Lieving getting to pitch in six of the seven innings as Ohio was unable to tie or take back a lead at the top of the seventh.
Ohio maintained a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth but lost it quickly as Indiana State took two runs of their own, the latter of two coming from an error on a throw. The two to take the lead would turn into five straight before the Bobcats would finally answer back with their final run at the top of the seventh, but it would be too little, too late.
Game Three: Saint Louis
Following the loss, Ohio would turn to Miller to take over at the pitching mound. While Miller just allowed one hit, Ohio could not find home plate, leading to a 1-0 loss.
The only run of the game was scored on a hit by pitch and a stolen base, followed by an RBI off the only hit Miller allowed. Ohio tallied four hits but found itself stranding runners on base many times. It was a slow game that was not won by offense, but rather by impeccable pitching and defense on both sides, as the Bobcats took their second straight loss of the weekend.
Game Four: Indiana State
With a second chance to prove themselves against the Sycamores, the Bobcats decided to give Miller her second straight start, despite pitching every inning in the second matchup of the day prior. However, it would prove to be another shaky offensive performance for Ohio, which was able to tally just two hits en route to a 4-1 loss.
Indiana State had a dominant day at the plate in comparison. The Sycamores registered nine hits and four runs, finding themselves on base often, and capitalized often. Similar to the two teams' matchup the previous day, Ohio got out to an early 1-0 lead with a Tori O’Brien homer to open the game.
However, the Bobcats would once again find themselves with their backs against the wall as they could not follow up that lead-off home run. The Sycamores, however, fired back in the bottom of the first with three runs that would turn into four in the bottom of the sixth. In the seventh, Ohio could not answer and fell 4-1 for its third straight loss.
