Although it was cloudy and cold Saturday at Bob Wren Stadium, Mason Minzey was on fire.
Many of the players on Ohio’s roster contributed to its 16-12 win against Kent State on Saturday, but Minzey played exceptionally well. After Ohio lost to Kent State 14-7 in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, Minzey knew the team needed to up its energy in order to compete in game two.
So, Minzey decided he was to take matters into his own hands and get Ohio started.
In his first at-bat of game two, Minzey stepped up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park. It was the perfect boost for the Bobcats who already found themselves down 4-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Minzey’s home run brought in two runs and cut Kent State’s lead to one.
The home run lit a spark in the rest of the team. The Bobcats followed Minzey’s first home run with a solid defensive inning. They forced the Golden Flashes to leave a runner stranded on base. Then, the Bobcats turned around and scored two more runs.
Minzey continued his success at the plate in the fifth and sixth inning. In the fifth, he hit an RBI-single to left field to tie the game after Kent State took the lead again. In the sixth, he hit another home run. Minzey finished the game 3-for-4 at-bats with three hits and four RBIs.
The three hits tie his most in a single game this season. Minzey also had three hits March 6 at Evansville. Additionally, his three runs and four RBIs on Saturday were his most in a nine-inning game this season.
Not only did Minzey lead Ohio in runs alongside Xavier Haendiges, he also led both Ohio and Kent State in slugging percentage. Minzey finished game two with a slugging percentage of 2.25%
Minzey is no stranger to playing well and bringing the energy. Because he is a catcher, he has to be loud. He can see the whole field, and everyone can see him. During a long day with two games, it’s important to have a strong player with this quality that can keep the team going.
“He's a leader, Ohio coach Craig Moore said. “He's one of our harder workers too so, when he has a good day like this it's just not by coincidence. It’s for a reason because he works at it.”
In addition, because he is a switch-hitter Minzey was especially valuable to Ohio on Saturday. Kent State utilized both left-handed and right-handed pitchers in the double header, and Minzey was able to go against both.
Minzey was just happy that he could play such a key part in Ohio’s win Saturday. Kent State is a strong MAC opponent, and it means a lot to Minzey to be able to contribute in a big game.
“I was just excited to be able to help my team, Minzey said. “It was a close game the whole game, and I was just excited to be able to put runs on the board.”
