Buckeyes Shut Out Pitt, 8-0, in Snowbird Classic Finale – Ohio State Buckeyes

Sunday, February 15

Port Charlotte, FL (North Charlotte Regional Park)

Ohio State

3-0

Pittsburgh

1-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Ohio State	1	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	2	8	12	1
Pitt	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	4

Buckeyes Shut Out Pitt, 8-0, in Snowbird Classic Finale – Ohio State Buckeyes

2/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 15, 2015

Box Score

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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Ohio State baseball team completed its first weekend sweep of the 2015 season, defeating Pittsburgh, 8-0, Sunday afternoon at North Charlotte Regional Park. The Buckeyes scattered eight runs on the board, while senior pitcher Ryan Riga threw six scoreless innings to help the team claim a 3-0 record at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla.

“It’s great to get off to a good start to the season and win all three games this weekend,” head coach Greg Beals said. “Our pitching staff was the story today with four different guys pitching a combined shutout. I liked how we approached our at-bats and played defensively too. It was a team win and I’m proud of the way our guys competed from start to finish.”

Offensively, junior shortstop Craig Nennig had a career performance, going 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while junior third baseman Troy Kuhn was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Junior second baseman Nick Sergakis was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Five other Buckeyes also notched hits against the Pitt pitching staff.

Ohio State capitalized early against the Panthers when Kuhn scored the first run of the contest in the opening frame following a passed ball and an error by the Pitt third baseman. He knocked a one-out double down the right field line to set up the scoring opportunity. The Panthers tried to answer in the bottom half with the bases loaded, but Riga collected a groundball double play and his first strikeout of the morning to get out the early-inning jam.

In the top of the third, the Scarlet and Gray once again scored after a Pitt mistake. Sergakis walked and advanced to third after Pitt starter Aaron Schnurbusch threw the ball away at first base on a pickoff move. Sergakis then scored on an RBI single by senior right fielder Pat Porter.
Ohio State tallied a four-run fourth inning to extend its lead to 6-0. Back-to-back doubles off the left field wall by Nennig and freshman designated hitter Jordan McDonough, respectively, made it a three-run game. The double by McDonough, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, was his first career hit as a Buckeye. A RBI groundout by sophomore left fielder Ronnie Dawson and a two-run double by Sergakis ended Schnurbusch’s day on the mound for the Panthers.

That’s all Riga would need to work with. The senior lefty pitched six scoreless innings on four hits, one walk and four strikeouts to claim his first win of the year. He left seven Pitt runners on base and the OSU defense was strong behind him, turning two groundball double plays, while inducing seven fly outs.

Defensively, Nennig came up with a leaping catch in shallow left center in the bottom of the fifth to leave the bases loaded for Pitt and keep it a 6-0 game.

Two Brunswick, Ohio, natives pitched two scoreless innings for the Scarlet and Gray in the seventh and eighth frames, respectively. Redshirt freshman Kyle Michalik made his first career appearance in relief work in the seventh and had a strikeout, while redshirt junior Michael Horejsei stranded a runner with one strikeout. Freshman Tre’ Gantt made his first collegiate appearance as well in the eighth and made an incredible diving catch in deep center for the second out of the inning.

In the top of the ninth, pinch hitter Jake Brobst worked a walk with the bases loaded to make it a 7-0 contest. Gantt followed with his first career hit through the right side to give the Buckeyes an 8-0 lead. Redshirt freshman right-hander Adam Niemeyer pitched the bottom of the ninth and stranded two runners to close the door on the win.

UP NEXT Ohio State is back in Florida next week as the team will play a three-game series at FAU Friday-Saturday in Boca Raton, Fla.