BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Ohio State baseball team won both games of a doubleheader with the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (7-8) on Sunday to sweep the teams’ three-game series and improve to 8-6 on the season. The Buckeyes took game one, 19-6, and game two, 9-5. Over three games with the Roadrunners, the Buckeyes scored a total of 45 runs on 43 hits.
Game One: Ohio State 19, Cal State Bakersfield 5
Game Recap
- The Roadrunners took the early lead in game one, getting ahead of the Buckeyes, 3-0, in the bottom of the first inning.
- Ohio State answered in the second inning. Hank Thomas was walked to lead off the inning and then Cole Andrews crushed a homerun over the center field fence to leave OSU trailing by just one, 3-2. An RBI groundout from Henry Kaczmar and a score by Mitchell Okuley on a passed ball tipped the scales in the Buckeyes’ favor, 4-3.
- In the bottom of the third, Bakersfield scored to tie the score, 4-4.
- The Roadrunners reclaimed the lead, 5-4, in the bottom of the fifth frame after scoring on an Ohio State error.
- The Buckeyes, however, had a big sixth inning. With bases loaded, Kade Kern was hit by a pitch, sending a run home to knot the score, 5-5. Thomas was walked again, sending another run across the plate to put Ohio State back in the lead, 6-5. A two-RBI single from Andrews and an RBI single from Matthew Graveline added to the Buckeyes’ run count in the sixth inning and put them ahead of CSUB, 9-5.
- Ohio State added three more runs in the eighth inning off of RBI singles from Andrews, Graveline and Nick Erwin to extend its lead, 12-5.
- The ninth inning was a monster one for the Buckeyes. With bases loaded, Andrews doubled to left center field, sending in two runs. A third scored on a Roadrunner throwing error to give OSU a 10-run lead, 15-5. With bases loaded once again, Kaczmar was walked and Graveline scored. A sac fly from Hunter Rosson and an RBI single from Marcus Ernst added the final two runs of the day for the Buckeyes and put them ahead, 19-6.
- Jacob Gehring came in in the bottom of the ninth to close things out for the Buckeyes. He fanned three of four faced, all three of which were looking strikeouts, to secure the 19-5 win for Ohio State.
Buckeyes by the Numbers
- Ohio State’s 19 runs are a season-high and its 16 hits tied its season-best. 11 different Buckeyes scored in the win.
- Andrews led the Buckeyes at the plate, going a perfect 5-for-5. He batted in a career-high seven runs.
- Ernst and Graveline each added four hits for Ohio State.
- Graveline recorded three RBIs and Kaczmar had two.
- Andrews, Ernst and Kern led the team in runs scored with three each.
- Starter Gavin Bruni struck out four and gave up four runs on three hits in a 4.0 inning no-decision.
- Wyatt Loncar (1-0) earned the win. He struck out two and allowed one run on one hit in 2.0 innings tossed.
- Gehring fanned three in one scoreless inning of work.
Game Two: Ohio State 9, Cal State Bakersfield 5
Game Recap
- The Buckeyes got on the board first in the second game of Sunday’s DH. In the top of the second, Graveline hit a lead-off double and a sac bunt from Caden Kaiser advanced Graveline to third base. Tyler Pettorini tripled to right center, scoring Graveline to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead.
- The Roadrunners tied the score, 1-1, after an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning.
- Ohio State reclaimed the lead in the third inning, 4-1, after a two-RBI single from Okuley and an RBI single from Kaczmar.
- The seventh inning was a big one for the Buckeyes. Kern scored on a single from Graveline to put OSU up by four, 5-1. An RBI single from Kaiser scored Thomas and an RBI single from Pettorini sent Graveline home to give the Buckeyes a 7-1 advantage over the Roadrunners. A sac fly from Josh McAlister and another RBI single from Kaczmar put the Buckeyes in the lead by eight runs, 9-1.
- Cal State Bakersfield chipped away at the Buckeye lead in the bottom of the ninth, scoring four runs on three hits to get within four runs of Ohio State, 9-5.
- With two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth, Landon Beidelschies caught the last batter swinging to cement the win and the series sweep for Ohio State.
Buckeyes by the Numbers
- Graveline had a team-high three hits. Kaczmar, Pettorini and Thomas each added two.
- Kaczmar, Pettorini and Okuley led the Buckeyes in RBIs with two each.
- Graveline scored a team-best three runs and Kaiser scored two.
- Justin Eckhardt (1-2) had a phenomenal outing on the mound. In 6.0 innings pitched, he struck out three and gave up just one run on three hits. He did not issue any walks.
- Beidelschies fanned four and walked two in 2.0 scoreless innings.
Up Next
- The Buckeyes will play a single game at Marshall on Wednesday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. The teams were originally scheduled to play a game on Tuesday, March 14 as well, but it was canceled due to expected inclement weather.
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