AVON, Ohio — After Ohio’s second Mid-American Conference tournament game Thursday, four baseballs sat within 30 feet of one another beyond the left-field fence at All Pro Freight Stadium.
Although half those balls came off Ohio bats, Buffalo escaped with a 6-5 extra-inning win to end the Bobcats’ season and Joe Carbone’s 24-year career at Ohio.
“In a fairy tale, we win the game,” Carbone said. “But this isn’t a fairy tale. This is real baseball, and we have to give Buffalo credit.”
Buffalo (19-35) is playing in its first-ever MAC Tournament and lost its first game to Kent State, meaning Thursday’s win against the Bobcats was the Bulls’ first postseason win since it joined the conference in 1998.
Ohio freshman third baseman Logan Cozart, who started his first game since April 27, got the Bobcats going offensively with an RBI single in the second to score freshman catcher Cody Gaertner.
Ohio (28-29) nearly struck again in the fourth when freshman second baseman Ian Mezlak popped what seemed to be a routine fly ball to shallow center. But as the Buffalo center and right fielders closed in on the ball, second baseman Jon Mestas called them off, took a stab at the ball and allowed it to drop in over his shoulder.
Even though Mezlak made it to second base standing up, he broke for third when center fielder Jason Kanzler overthrew his cut-off man.
On a bang-bang play, Mezlak was called out at third. Carbone came out to argue the call, pulling an irritated Mezlak away in the process, for what would be his last confrontation while wearing “OHIO” across his chest.
In the bottom of the inning, the Bobcats saw their lead slip away for the first of six lead changes, when Buffalo catcher Tom Murphy belted a two-run homer.
Ohio senior center fielder Ethan Newton got the Bobcats going again in the following frame by knocking a one-out sacrifice fly to center that scored junior second baseman Ben Otto.
The sixth inning brought more good news for the Bobcats, as Cozart pounded the Bobcats’ first home run of the tournament.
The tide turned again in the seventh, though, when Ohio starting pitcher Jason Moulton was replaced by junior Brett Barber with runners on first and second.
The Bulls’ Mike Scarcello and Russ Carone moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and capitalized on a sacrifice fly and single to score.
Down 5-4 heading into their final at-bat, the Bobcats’ Tyler Wells walked to the plate with his back against the wall.
“Coming up to the plate with two outs, you’re just trying to get on base so they can work you around,” he said.
Instead, he connected for his fifth home run of the season to tie the game.
The Bobcats were alive again.
“Guys believed that we were going to come back, but when Tyler hit that home run, that whole dugout thought we were going to come out on top,” said associate coach Andrew See.
But, as Carbone points out avidly, baseball is not a game of momentum. It’s about making the most of your opportunities.
Buffalo first baseman Alex Baldock did just that in the bottom of the tenth inning, taking a two-out pitch from junior Seth Streich to right-center to score left fielder Matt Pollock to end the game and Ohio’s season.
“I thought we had it, but it’s baseball, so it always happens like that,” Moulton said.
jr992810@ohiou.edu
