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[Payton Brooker | WOUB]

Ohio earns its third straight series sweep with a pair of victories over Ball State

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Ohio (19-14, 10-2 MAC) continues to stay red hot with its eighth and ninth straight win over the Ball State Cardinals (16-16, 6-5 MAC).

The Bobcats set the tone early in game one. After a one-two-three top half of the inning, senior first baseman Alexis Dawe hit a ball into the gap to score the game’s first run.  

“I knew I was going to see both inside and outside and I just wanted to take it where it was supposed to go,” she said.

Again in the second inning, the Bobcats found themselves with scoring opportunities. They added two more runs to take a commanding 3-0 lead into the third inning by capitalizing on Ball State errors.

“When an offense like ours is clicking on all cylinders it puts defenses on their heels a little bit,” head coach Jenna Hall said. “I attribute that to our consistency of putting good balls in play and taking advantage of it.” 

The Bobcats continued to pounce on the opportunities in the next inning. Yasmine Logan hit a sacrifice fly that scored two after a throwing error. Logan continues to be a dominant presence in Ohio’s lineup. The junior center fielder finished the weekend with eight RBI’s.

The Bobcats controlled the game from start to finish walking away with a 10-2 victory in just six innings. 

Game two had a completely different feel.

The ballgame started out slow. Both sides were solid defensively and Ohio’s pitcher Skipp Miller was dealing. The sophomore turned in her second complete game in as many days.

Bobcats pitcher Skipp Miller throws a pitch during the second game against Ball State in Athens, Ohio on Sunday April 2; 2023.
Bobcats pitcher Skipp Miller throws a pitch during the second game against Ball State in Athens, Ohio on Sunday April 2; 2023. [Kevin Casey | WOUB]
“Skipp is just a competitor,” Hall said. “She just wants to win. To go after a team a second time, and have two complete games against the same lineup, a really good offensive team in Ball State, I’m just really proud of them and trusting their pitches and throwing them to the best of their ability.”

The Bobcats woke up in the fourth inning with clutch at bats from the top of the order. The first four hitters in Ohio’s lineup all had an RBI in the inning to give it a 4-0 lead. 

Miller continued her dominance and the Bobcats gutted out a 4-2 win to complete the series sweep.

“Winning can happen in so many different ways,” Hall said. “I think you saw that out of us this weekend between the first two games and this game. Anytime you play somebody three times it’s a dogfight to the end.”

The Bobcats carry their momentum into a big midweek matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes on April 4.

“I think right now we just have a lot of confidence on the field and in the batter’s box,” catcher Emma Hoffner said. “I think all of us just have a lot of confidence in ourselves right now and that’s helping. As we get more wins, that confidence is building more and more.”