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BaseBucks Swept Again

+11 HS
Bucks2K18's picture
by Bucks2K18
4/6/25 at 7:50p in the OSU Athletics Forum
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Well, so much for building on momentum. Defensive issues and offensive lulls just continue to plague the Buckeyes.

 

On Tuesday, Ohio State hosted West Virginia (#25 Coaches Poll) for a one-off matchup. Lee Ellis got the scoring going in the B1 as he hit a solo home run. West Virginia tied up the game in the T2, but Matthew Graveline responded with his own solo shot in the B2. However, things quickly turned against the Bucks as West Virginia tied it up in the T3 and then used a 4-run T4 to take a 6-2 lead. Ryan Miller scored on a fielder's choice and Mason Eckelman scored on a ground out in the B4 to cut the lead to 6-4, but West Virginia responded with 1 in the T5 and 2 in the T6 to take a commanding 9-4 lead late. Tyler Pettorini hit a sac-fly to plate Maddix Simpson in the B7 and Sal Mineo hit a sac-groundout to plate Eckelman in the B8, but it was too little too late as West Virginia held on for the 9-6 win. Reliever Charlie Giese recorded the loss, his first decision of the season.

4/1/25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
#25 West Virginia 0 1 1 4 1 2 0 0 0 9 10 3
Ohio State 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 6 7 1

 

Then, the Buckeyes headed out west for the second time this season, this time to Southern California for a conference series.

 

Game 1 on Friday was frustrating, if nothing else. Overall, it might have actually been the Buckeyes' best game defensively, but the offense could not get the bats going. USC opened the game up quickly with a 5-run B1. That was all they got, but that was all they needed. Eckelman hit a 2-RBI single to plate Lee Ellis and Pettorini in the T4, and Nick Giamarusti scored on a wild pitch in the T5 to cut the lead to 5-3, but that would be all as the Trojans would hold on for the series opening win. The pitchers combined for 9 strikeouts, but starter Drew Erdman recorded the loss, dropping him to 0-3 on the season.

4/4/25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Ohio State 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 7 2
USC 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 5 5 0

 

Game 2 on Saturday was pretty much the opposite of Friday in everything but the result. USC again got the scoring going in the B1, but this time was only limited to 1 run. The Trojans scored again in the B2, to double the lead, but Ohio State immediately responded as Reggie Bussey came home on a sac-groundout by Pettorini in the T3. The Buckeyes took the lead in the T4 as Giamarusti and Bussey were brought home on RBI singles by Simpson and Trey Lipsey, respectively, but USC tied it up at 3 in the B4. In the T5, Graveline hit a single to send Miller to 3rd, who then came home on a fielding error, to retake the lead. Then, in the T6, a sac-fly by Ellis brought Lipsey home as the BaseBucks took a 5-3 lead late. However, that's when things turned. USC scored 4 in the B7 - 2 of which on an error with 2 outs - to take a 7-5 lead. Ohio State immediately responded in the T8 as Lipsey launched a 3-run homer, plating Bussey and Simpson, and as Ellis came home on a wild pitch, to take a 9-7 lead. USC then responded with another 2-out rally in the B8, this time scoring 5 runs with the 2 outs to retake the lead, and this time they would hold on to it to close out the 12-9 series-clinching win. Reliever Blaine Wynk recorded the loss, dropping him to 1-2 on the season.

4/5/25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Ohio State 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 4 0 9 14 2
USC 1 1 0 1 0 0 4 5 X 12 14 4

 

Game 3 on Sunday played out very similarly to Saturday. This time, Ohio State got the scoring going as Pettorini hit a solo shot in the T1. USC took the lead with a 3-run B2, but Pettorini responded in the T3 with another home run blast, this time plating Ellis along with him to tie the game up, but the Trojans immediately retook the lead with 2 in the B3. A sac-fly by Lipsey in the T4 brought home Bussey and cut the lead to 1, but a 3-run homer by USC extended their lead to 8-4 after 5. But the Bucks did not give up. In the T6, Simpson hit an RBI double, plating Bussey. Then a few batters later, Ryan Miller turned the game on its head with a grand slam, scoring Lipsey, Ellis, and Pettorini to give the Buckeyes a 9-8 lead late. Ohio State threatened to extend the lead in the T7, loading the bases with one out, but they could not get anything across, leaving the bases loaded with the 1 run lead. That would prove fatal as only one other Buckeye would get on base the last two innings as USC would use this opportunity in the B9 to tie up the game with a solo home run and then walk it off with an RBI single, both with two outs, to win 10-9 and sweep the series. Reliever Gavin Kuzniewski recorded the loss, dropping him to 3-2 on the season. 

4/6/25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Ohio State 1 0 2 1 0 5 0 0 0 9 12 0
USC 0 3 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 10 11 0

 

After the 0-4 week, Ohio State dropped to 8-20 (2-10). West Virginia, with a Wednesday win against Pitt and a weekend sweep against Utah, improved to 27-4, and USC improved to 20-11 (9-6)

 

Up Next, Ohio State hosts another midweek one-off against a MAC team, this time against 19-11 Kent State on Tuesday before hosting 11-17 (2-10) Minnesota for a weekend conference series. All four games will be streamed on BTN+.

 

Looking ahead, these coming weeks may very well determine how the season shakes out. Over the next 4 weeks, 15 of the 18 games (minus series @MSU) will be played at Bill Davis Stadium, where the Buckeyes are currently 7-3.

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