Well that was not an ideal start to the season. The Buckeyes largely were competitive, but previously recurring issues of baserunning and pitching returned and kept Ohio State from closing out the games.
The Buckeyes started out hot in game 1 on Friday as Marc Stephens hit an RBI double to bring in Tyler Pettorini who then scored on a RBI single by Mason Eckelman to put Ohio State up 2-0 in the T1. However, Arizona State quickly responded with a 3-run B1 to take the lead. Nick Giamarusti then tied the game in the T2 on an RBI double, bringing Ryan Miller home, but a 3-run homer by Arizona State gave them a 6-3 lead through 3 innings. A home run by Miller in the T4, followed by an RBI single by Reggie Bussey, scoring Giamarusti; a sac-fly by Pettorini, scoring Bussey; and a 2-RBI double by Eckelman, scoring Trey Lipsey and Matthew Graveline all in the T7 gave the Buckeyes the late lead. The Sun Devils took the lead right back with a 3-run B7, which they held on to for the rest of the game. Ohio State threatened to make some noise in the T9, getting men on 1st and 2nd, but ASU turned a double play to end the game and preserve the 9-8 Sun Devil victory. Relief pitcher Hunter Shaw recorded Friday's loss.
| 2/14/25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
| Arizona State | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 9 | 8 | 0 |
TOP 4 | THAT BALL IS GONE @Miller_Ryan5 with the first home run of the season for the Buckeyes!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/OGU7vDUyCJ
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) February 15, 2025
Game 2 on Saturday played out very similarly to Friday night. The Buckeyes immediately got on the board in the T1 as Stephens brought Pettorini home on an RBI single, but Arizona State immediately took the lead on a 2-run B1. A homer by Lee Ellis and an ASU error allowed Miller to score in the T2, then a sac-fly by Lipsey to score Giamarusti in the T5 gave the Buckeyes a 4-2 lead at the halfway point. Arizona State tied the game with a 2-run B6, and it was back and forth from there. Pettorini scored in the T7 and Giamarusti scored in the T8 off wild pitches to give the Buckeyes a 6-5 lead heading into the final frame. The Buckeyes worked their way to the final strike, but a 2-RBI double by ASU gave them the 7-6 walk-off win to clinch the series. Closing pitcher Nik Copenhaver recorded Saturday's loss.
| 2/15/25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Ohio State | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Arizona State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 1 |
TOP 2 | SEE YA, BALL @yungluth89 hits his first home run as a Buckeye to tie the score, 2-2!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/8VMw1yTVLT
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) February 15, 2025
The game yet again started out with the Buckeyes taking a 2-0 lead in the T1 off an RBI-triple by Graveline to score Lipsey and an RBI-double by Pettorini to score Graveline. Yet again, Arizona State took the lead in the B1, responding with three runs of their own. Combined with a plethora of Buckeye errors and base-running mishaps, the Sun Devils blew the game wide open, extending the lead to 10-2 after the 5th. Ohio State closed the gap as Giamarusti scored on a Bussey RBI-single in the T6. Then RBI-singles by Ellis, scoring Stephens and Miller, scoring Stephens, a groundout by Giamarusti, scoring Ellis, and a wild pitch to bring home Miller in the T7 cut the deficit to 10-7. Arizona State regained some separation with a 3-run B7. But the Buckeye offense did not fold. Immediate back-to-back home runs by Graveline - scoring Lipsey - and Pettorini in the T8 cut the deficit back down to 3. Yet, the defense again provided no help as the Sun Devils scored 4 more runs in the B8 to effectively seal the 17-10 win and sweep. Starting pitcher Jake Michalak recorded Sunday's loss as the Buckeyes used 11 pitchers, 7 of whom did not last a full inning on the mound.
| 2/16/25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Ohio State | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 6 |
| Arizona State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | X | 17 | 10 | 2 |
TOP 8 | THAT BALL IS GONE @MGraveline09 with a two-run home run for the Buckeyes!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/pyPABVRNj3
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) February 16, 2025
TOP 8 | BACK-TO-BACK @TPettorini with a solo homer to bring the Buckeyes within three runs of the Sun Devils!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/0aitWcG9CS
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) February 16, 2025
Up Next, Ohio State travels down to Jacksonville to play 3-0 NC State on Friday, 3-0 Coastal Carolina on Saturday, and 3-0 Alabama on Sunday in the Jacksonville Baseball Classic. The games will be streamed on https://2025jaxclassic.d1baseball.com/#sub-options, subscription required
