Ohio had an up-and-down weekend against Northern Illinois. There were multiple instances where Ohio stood at the bad end of the deal, but it found a way to push through to its second series win of the season.
The Bobcats ran into another series adjustment due to the weather this weekend. They had to play a doubleheader on Sunday after Saturday’s game was postponed due to snowy conditions in DeKalb, Illinois.
Here’s how the weekend went:
Friday
There was nothing that could stop Ohio in its 11-2 win. Ohio took a five-run lead in the first inning that Northern Illinois could barely touch.
The Huskies gave the Bobcats a boost by walking and hitting batters for runs. Two of the Bobcats' first five runs came off of those errors. The Bobcats later scored in the second inning on an error by the shortstop.
Ohio improved on its pitching efforts in the win, too. Luke Olson gave up eight hits in his six innings, but only allowed two runs on a single and a sacrifice fly. Jacob Tate followed Olson with three innings, where he struck out four batters for a save.
Sunday
Game one
Ohio did not have it easy in its 16-12 win. Northern Illinois took Ohio for all its worth in the first inning by scoring 10 runs.
The Bobcats did what they always do, though. They pieced together an abrupt comeback, started by Alex Finney’s second home run of the weekend in the second inning.
Ohio would not have made a full comeback without Gideon Antle’s grand slam. The junior’s home run to right center put Ohio within two runs of Northern Illinois in the third inning. Antle bought Ohio just enough time.
Seven Bobcats had multiple hits in the win, capped by Alec Patino with five and Cole Williams with four. Patino, Finney, Antle and Mason Minzey each had a home run, while Patino added a double and Finney a triple. Finney’s triple was the hit that tied the game and Patino’s home run gave Ohio an extended lead.
Game two
The Bobcats weren’t expecting game two to go the way it did. They took the lead at the beginning of the game on a solo home run by Minzey, and everything seemed to be on the up. However, that was the only run the Bobcats scored in the 11-1 loss.
Trent Spoon got dragged for nine runs on 11 hits over four innings. Spoon managed to strike out four batters, however, that could not undo the Huskies’ two home runs in the first inning.
Ohio’s offense didn’t help Spoon, either. After Minzey’s home run, Ohio didn’t have a hit until the fifth inning when Patino knocked a single through the right side. Although Ohio did reach on walks and errors, there wasn’t any firepower to bring the runners around the bases. Minzey and Patino’s two hits were all Ohio had in game two.
