BECKLEY, W.Va. (Interstat) — On a night when the odds and recent history were stacked firmly against them, the Ohio Bobcats rode a dominant starting pitching performance and a clutch late home run to a 5-3 victory over the Marshall Thundering Herd on Tuesday at Linda K. Epling Stadium.

The win, just Ohio’s sixth of the season against 22 losses, defied projections. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a 5-2 Marshall victory, and its ELO system gave the Thundering Herd a 75.3% probability to win.

The story of the game was Ohio starter Evan Lichtenauer. The right-hander delivered five perfect innings, retiring all 15 batters he faced with three strikeouts. This outing was a stark turnaround for Lichtenauer, who had been tagged for four earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in his previous start last Friday at Ball State. His dominance set a tone the struggling Bobcats desperately needed.

Ohio scratched across the first run in the fourth inning against Marshall starter Blaine Albright, who allowed one run on one hit over three innings. Dylan Shepherd walked, advanced to third on a single by Will Henson, and scored on Tyler Stack’s groundout.

The Bobcats doubled their lead in the fifth when Cameron Boyd led off with a solo home run to center field off reliever Hunter Richardson, making it 2-0.

Lichtenauer’s departure after five innings opened the door for a Marshall rally. Reliever Rylan Sams immediately struggled in the sixth, walking Jackson Halter before AJ Havrilla launched a two-run homer to left field, tying the game at 2-2. The Thundering Herd threatened for more, putting the potential go-ahead run on base, but could not take the lead.

Ohio reclaimed control for good in the top of the ninth. With two outs and a runner on third, Will Henson connected for a two-run homer to left-center field off Marshall reliever A.J. McAninch, pushing the Bobcats ahead 5-3. The blast was Henson’s second hit of the night and provided critical insurance.

Dillon Masters secured the win for Ohio with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless relief, striking out two after entering in the seventh. Marshall’s only run after the Havrilla homer came in that seventh inning, when Tyler Kamerer drove in Mason Onate with a two-out single.

The most important part of the game was Lichtenauer’s perfect five-inning start, which provided stability and confidence for a Bobcats team that entered with a 5-22 record and had been outscored 41-14 in a three-game sweep at Ball State just days earlier. It stifled a Marshall lineup that had averaged over seven runs per game in its previous series and allowed Ohio to play from ahead.

Ohio finished with eight hits to Marshall’s six. The Thundering Herd used seven pitchers in the loss, which dropped their record to 13-14.

Ohio travels to face Kent State for a three-game series starting Thursday. Marshall opens a series at Appalachian State on Thursday.