After a long winter without baseball, fans stuffed the stands at Bob Wren Stadium again. Ohio thrived on the comfort of its home turf and won 13-9 against Butler Friday afternoon.
“The first seven games, we were on the road, which we're used to that, obviously, as a northern school, but to come out and get the first win on the first day, opening day at The Wren for the 25 season– that was huge,” Ohio coach Craig Moore said.
Ohio starting pitcher Blake Gaskey increased the energy early on, striking out the game’s first batter. Gaskey sat down Butler’s first three batters to start the game.
“Being on the road is tough. Being at home is a lot better, having the home crowd, the energy is different when you come in,” Gaskey said.
While Gaskey dominated on the mound in the first inning, the Bobcat offense played their part in getting the home crowd going. After a run had already crossed the plate in the first, outfielder Caleb Karll stepped up to the plate with two runners on base and sent a ball deep over the left field fence for a 3-run home run.
After jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, Ohio managed to hold onto the lead for the entirety of the game. For Moore and his team, playing at home is just what they needed after a 1-6 start to the year on the road.
“I felt the guys were in a good position today during our pre-game,” Moore said. “There was a lot of energy, a lot of juice, a lot of bounce. You always want to protect your home turf.”
The Bobcat offense looked especially comfortable at Bob Wren. Last weekend against West Georgia, Ohio was held to 7 total runs, being shut down in every way at the plate. It took Ohio three innings at home to outscore its run total from three games last weekend on the road.
“It feels so good to be back,” Ohio outfielder Ben Slanker said. “It’s really nice seeing all the home fans and parents, we’re just more comfortable on our home turf.”
Ohio’s offensive unit wasn’t the only one to profit off some home-field advantage, its pitching also had somewhat of a bounceback game in several regards.
While Gaskey surrendered 7 total runs on the day, he provided much-needed length for an injured Ohio pitching staff going into the remainder of the weekend. Moore was pleased with Gaskey’s performance despite the run production from Butler.
Most notably, junior Landon Price, who has struggled to start the season, had a huge bounce-back outing in relief for the Bobcats, pitching two-and-one-third innings while surrendering just one earned run on three hits. Entering the day, Price had an ERA of above 14.
Dylan Eggl, Ohio’s third and final pitcher of the game, slammed the door on Butler, allowing no earned runs in one-and-one-third innings of work. Eggl ended the game just as Gaskey started it, an emphatic strikeout that filled the crowd with excitement.
“Any win is big, but to get that first one at home is huge,” Moore said.
Ohio will be looking to continue its success at home with two more games against Butler this weekend and its next two series at Bob Wren.
