Although Ohio (9-23, 4-11 Mid-American Conference) has the luxury of treating its weekend against Virginia Military Institute (17-17, 4-5 Southern Conference) as a bye week with no MAC Tournament implications, it can come away happy with the results. The Bobcats’ pitching staff threw six shutout innings, including a perfect ninth from sophomore Jack Geiser, to win 8-5.
Senior Blake Gaskey got the start on the mound for Ohio, beginning the game with a one-two-three inning in which he got two of his four strikeouts.
“(Gaskey) kept them off-balance,” Ohio coach Craig Moore said. “He was able to set the tone.”
Ohio’s offense didn’t slouch after Gaskey's impressive start, either. Although the Bobcats ended the inning scoreless, singles from freshman infielder Matt Ineich and sophomore outfielder Pauly Mancino were signs of things to come. The duo combined for five hits and three walks, scoring 1 run in three at-bats each.
After another shutout inning from Gaskey, the offense began to turn hits into scores. Senior catcher Jackson Cauthron and graduate designated hitter Blake Reed both singled to start the second, earning runs on Ineich’s second at-bat, resulting in a double.
Reed was Ohio’s offensive standout for the game, going three-of-four with three RBIs and 2 runs of his own on the day.
“(When I get hits) it fires everybody else up,” Reed said. “It’s pretty cool because I can play a part in that after not having as much success in the past.”
While slotting in as designated hitter, Reed has had a standout season for Ohio, hitting .363 with 21 hits on the season after coming into 2024-25 with just four hits in his first three years.
“Blake’s been doing great for us the last several weeks since he’s been in the lineup on a consistent basis,” Moore said. “He’s a hard worker, and he puts time and effort into the craft of hitting … he’s getting rewarded (for it).”
After the pair of runs Ineich knocked in the second, Ohio didn’t go an inning without a score until the seventh. In the third, Reed came through with his biggest hit of the game, scoring three on a double he got out on trying to stretch to a triple.
The fourth inning saw VMI put its first 2 runs on the board, with a home run lined out of right field from senior infielder James Newsome. Ohio was quick to continue protecting its lead, however, as senior outfielder Trenton Neuer ran home on a passed ball, bringing the score to 6-3 in favor of Ohio.
A quiet fifth and sixth saw Ohio score its final 2 runs, with Gaskey conceding just 1 run in the sixth to a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, he’d be relieved by sophomore Ethan Stewart, who quickly got three outs, and was replaced by senior Adam Beery to start the eighth.
Beery showed Ohio’s first signs of struggle in the closing moments of the game, walking VMI’s first before doubling its second and third batters, netting 2 runs to bring the score to 8-5. With no outs and a runner on third, Ohio subbed in Geiser.
Geiser made quick work of the next three batters, picking up groundouts on the first and third and striking out the second. In the closing inning, holding onto an 8-5 lead, Geiser struck out all three, closing the game without question.
“Something I did well today was going at guys with my best,” Geiser said. “I think that’s what I do well … throwing it at him and asking him to hit it. I feel like my stuff is better than what they have to offer.”
