Sports

Another rough week continues to show the cracks in Ohio’s foundation

By: Marc Goldstein
Posted on: Monday, March 31, 2025

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Winning baseball games is not an easy thing. A lot of things have to go right in order for a team to find its way into the win column. For Ohio (9-17, 3-9 MAC), little has gone right during its most recent stretch of games. Ahead of its midweek matchup with Morehead State, there are far more questions than answers at nearly every spot. 

Week in review

In its midweek contest against Northern Kentucky, Ohio had a great opportunity to topple a quality team on its own turf. The Bobcats led 7-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Then, another collapse by the bullpen sent them back to Athens on the wrong side of the ledger. 

The first game against Eastern Michigan looked promising. Blake Gaskey gave the Bobcats a solid start. He left the game with his team ahead 3-2. The Eagles eventually tied the game before the Bobcats took the lead late with an RBI single byNick Dolan for a 4-3 victory. 

Ohio lost its final two games against Eastern Michigan this weekend after a bullpen collapse in the top of the ninth watched a four-run lead turn into a four-run deficit in a matter of minutes. The second game of the doubleheader on Saturday was a pure bloodbath for the pitching staff despite the offense giving its best effort to erase a nine-run disadvantage. 

Close games 

The losses are not the problem for this team; rather, it is the manner in which the losses are coming. For six innings of a game, the Bobcats are playing well and, in many cases, leading. In the final three frames, that lead disappears faster than sand in an hourglass. 

If this definition of Ohio this season sounds familiar, that is because it has been said time and again. The bullpen has faltered at nearly every juncture of the season. Friday’s win marked a stark contrast in the performance of the relief corps. Unfortunately, there is not an easy solution to these struggles. The only way to punch out of this paper bag is to keep throwing jabs and attempting to land a haymaker and breakthrough. 

When the bullpen does not falter, the clutch hitting has also failed in big moments. Bunting, getting runners over and stealing bases have not been a strength for this Ohio team. For a team that is content to outslug its opponents, being able to rely on small ball is crucial when the ball is not going over the fence. This issue, though, can be cleaned up and help Ohio win some close games as the season continues. 

Week ahead 

Ohio plays arguably its easiest week of the season. The aforementioned game at home against Morehead State pits two teams that struggle to pitch, but can hit homers as well as anyone in the country. The team faced off in Morehead, Kentucky, earlier in March with Ohio holding on to win a 20-17 slugfest that looks like it was played on the gridiron instead. 

The weekend series for Ohio sees it makes its way to DeKalb to face Northern Illinois. This series will be played between teams that carry 3-9 and 1-8 records in MAC play. To say that picking up a couple of road wins this weekend could be the difference between making the postseason and watching from home is an understatement. 

A strong week is likely what the Bobcats need in order to keep this season from getting out of hand. In all likelihood, they need to go 2-2 at the least in order for their hopes of playing for a MAC title to be realized and legitimate. As head coach Craig Moore attempts to keep this season on the rails, a week against some relatively weaker competition is when results will be a must.