On paper, it looked like Ohio (26-12, 9-4 Mid-American Conference) had clear advantages over Toledo (12-23, 5-9 MAC) in both pitching and hitting. The Bobcats won the first game of the series 3-2 Friday before returning to Ohio Softball Field the next day to compete in the final two games.
Although the pitching was proven to be yet again stellar thanks to the likes of freshman Anna Wise, redshirt junior Skipp Miller and sophomore Mikie Lieving, what the Bobcats were severely lacking was their offensive explosion they occasionally have.
Ohio fell to the visiting Toledo Rockets 5-8 in game one of the doubleheader and 4-0 in game two. Game two was more than forgettable for the Bobcats, but game one provided one of the most exciting innings that they’ve played all season.
For most of the contest, Ohio and Toledo played neck and neck with each other. Toledo proved itself to be a worthy opponent for the Bobcats, and with the score tied 1-1 going into the top of the eighth inning, they added up more runs in ways an average sports viewer wouldn’t expect.
After Ohio failed to take both the lead and win in the bottom of the seventh, the Rockets turned up the heat and delivered by scoring 7 runs on seven hits, which included four home runs. Toledo then took a commanding 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth.
If that wasn’t enough, Ohio had its own freakish offensive play in the bottom of the frame. Senior Emma Hoffner contributed the Bobcats’ second run of the game — her 100th career RBI — and later senior Maddie Wilcox followed up with a 3-run homer of her own.
The score at this point was 8-5, and Ohio still had scoring opportunities but unfortunately couldn’t convert due to the Rockets’ staggering defense. Ohio put up an incredible score in the inning, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome what it had surrendered in the top half of the inning.
As the score suggests, the final game of the series saw zero runs from Ohio and only four from Toledo. These two games are something the Bobcats have to quickly learn from and adapt to going into their next competition.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been through this experience, through this season especially,” Ohio coach Jenna Hall said. “And so how do we now learn from this? How do we come together as a team? We lean in more, we don’t back away. We just have to go back and work.”
