WKU Baseball hosted the Ohio University Bobcats in a four game weekend series Feb. 24-26 at Nick Denes Field. WKU had a great homestand against the Bobcats winning three of four games in the series.

Game 1

WKU opened the weekend with a 14-1 blowout win against Ohio. 

The Hilltoppers started hot in the ball game. Sophomore catcher Ty Batusich blasted a three-run bomb over the scoreboard in right field to put WKU up 3-0 early. 

Graduate Drew Reckart drove in another run on an RBI infield single to make it 4-0. Reckart followed up his single by scoring on a throwing error to cap off a five run first. 

The Hilltoppers continued to dominate in the second inning. WKU put another three runs on the board after a pair of doubles from Reckart and senior Brayden Johnson. 

WKU followed a scoreless Ohio top of the third with another run in the bottom of the inning. The scoring play was an RBI double from redshirt-junior Ty Crittnberger that drove in the lone run of the third.

WKU continued to dominate in the fourth. Sophomore Brett Blomquist brought in another run following an error from the Bobcat center fielder. Senior Matthew Mayer drove in the second run of the inning on an RBI groundout to make it 11-0. 

Freshman Lukas Farris drove in another two runs with a double in the bottom of the fifth.

Ohio scored their first and only run in the sixth as the Hilltoppers suffered their first scoreless frame of the ballgame in the same inning.

The final run of the ball game came from the Hilltoppers in the seventh. Batusich hit his second homer of the game to make it 14-1.

“I felt great,” Batusich said. “Coach Rardin put me in a good situation. It was a great experience.” 

Game 2

WKU took the first game of the Saturday doubleheader against Ohio 9-6

The Hilltoppers began the scoring in the game when Reckart came across the plate on an Ohio error in the second.

WKU opened up the scoreboard in the third with three runs in the inning. First it was Batusich with an RBI single. Freshman Camden Ross followed up Batusich with a two RBI single making it 3-0. 

The Bobcats began to claw their way back into the game with a two run homer in the fourth. The Hilltoppers responded with two runs of their own in the fourth following more Ohio defensive mistakes. 

WKU widened their lead even more in the fifth when Blomquist hit his first homer of the year to make it 7-2.

Ohio tried to put themselves back in the game as two Bobcat runs in the sixth cut the Hilltopper lead to three. However, history repeated itself as WKU responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Ohio scored two runs in the top of the seventh, but it would be too little too late as WKU took the first game of the doubleheader 9-6.  

Game 3

WKU clinched the series win with a 9-8 comeback victory in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader.

This time, it was Ohio getting off to the hot start. The Bobcats scored six in the top of the second to go up 6-0. The Hilltoppers began their comeback in the bottom of the second as WKU scored a run on a wild pitch followed by a Blomquist RBI single. 

Ohio extended their lead in the top of the third scoring two more. The Hilltoppers answered with a two RBI double from Reckart.

Junior Aidan Gilroy hit an RBI double to score Batusich and cut the Hilltopper deficit to three, 8-5. 

Senior Tristin Garcia and Gilroy continued to make the comeback look more realistic with two RBI’s in the seventh, making it 8-7.

WKU got their first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth. Three straight walks from Ohio pitching won the game for the Hilltoppers 9-8.

Game 4

WKU dropped the last game of the series Sunday 6-4.

Ohio jumped out to an early lead with a two RBI double in the first inning. Ohio added another run in the third inning to make the game 3-0. 

The Hilltoppers attempted to respond to the early deficit with a run in the third following an RBI single from sophomore AJ Fletcher making the score 3-1. 

However, the Bobcats widened their lead to 4-1 after an RBI single in the fifth. Ohio continued to control the game with another run in the sixth, 5-1.

WKU tried to battle back with a two run seventh. Graduate Kirk Liebert drove in a run in the inning, and later came around to score.

Ohio took the air out of Nick Denes field in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot into right field. WKU tallied another run in the ninth, but were unable to build on it as WKU lost 6-4. 

“They were getting two out hits. They were getting two out RBI’s, they were sac-flying and we weren’t,” Head Coach Mark Rardin said. “ It just added up.”

WKU will look to make it eight wins in their first nine games of the season when they host the Bellarmine Knights Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Nick Denes Field. 

Sports reporter Jake McMahon can be reached at [email protected] .