For Ohio (8-22, 4-11 Mid-American Conference), this past weekend against Northern Illinois (12-19, 3-9 MAC) lacked consistent execution. Between a lack of reliability on offense and a new Sunday starter, the Bobcats finished 1-2, with losses Friday and Sunday sandwiching a 12-inning victory Saturday.
In game one, Ohio had its best pitching day of the week despite a 5-0 loss. Senior pitcher Blake Gaskey turned in five-and-two-thirds innings, surrendering 4 of Northern Illinois’ 5 runs on six hits. On the other end, Ohio’s bats failed to capitalize despite just one less hit than its opponent.
Sophomore first baseman Trae Cassidy turned in the best night offensively, going two of four at the plate. On the other end, despite starting with three shutout innings, the Huskies made big plays frequently in the middle of the game.
Against Gaskey in the fourth, a single was turned into 2 runs. In the fifth, Northern Illinois once again scored 2 with a home run. Ohio continued to find little success at the plate, as Northern Illinois retired its offense early after nine shutout innings.
Saturday saw the flashiest offensive game of the day, as sophomore outfielder Ben Slanker had one of his best games in the 17-16 Ohio win. Slanker finished with seven RBIs and 4 runs, two off his own homers.
On the mound, it was senior Hudson Boncal pitching a struggle of a game in five-and-two-thirds innings. Boncal surrendered 11 hits and 7 runs on his 105 pitches, clearly fatiguing after three shutout innings to start.
The first two innings also saw Ohio fail to complete runs, unable to foreshadow the offensive onslaught that would take place going forward. Ohio took a 7-1 lead heading into the fifth on the back of a Slanker grand slam in the fourth, before Boncal surrendered 6 runs to tie in the fifth and sixth innings.
Sophomore Jack Geiser was the first to relieve Boncal, giving up 4 more runs in the bottom of the seventh to see Ohio down 11-9 heading into the eighth. Cassidy would double in the following inning, tying the game by scoring Slanker and sophomore outfielder Pauly Mancino.
Regulation would end on the back of a scoreless eighth and ninth from Northern Illinois, pitched by freshman Luke Bryant and graduate student Jacob Tate. Sophomore Trey Barkman would pitch the 10th and 11th innings, as well as part of the 12th, before a 3-run homer, bringing the Huskies within a single run, brought out freshman Julian Robertson to secure the save.
In game three, without its typical Sunday starter, senior Dillon Masters – who had suffered an injury the previous week – Ohio didn’t need extra innings for its opponent to score in the mid-teens. The designated bullpen game ended in a 17-7 Northern Illinois victory.
In Masters’ absence, senior Tyler Peck had a good start, opening with a shutout inning. However, in the second, he would concede 4 runs on four hits, following it up in the third with 3 more on two hits. For this portion of the game, Ohio would keep relative pace, tying it up at 4-4 in the top of the third before an 8-run fourth for Northern Illinois forced Ohio to try three pitchers.
Freshman Hunter Winston started the inning with 3 runs before being subbed out by freshman Jimmy Cerha, who conceded 4 more runs, 3 credited to Winston. Sophomore Ethan Stewart would have the best stretch, only allowing 1 run before getting the final out, now down 15-4.
Fifth-year catcher Blake Reed, starting at designated hitter, would bring Ohio back within 10 on a 3 RBI home run, but, in the following innings, Northern Illinois would retake the 10-run advantage, finishing the game and weekend in eight innings.
