Rutgers Hit Walk-Off Home Run to Defeat Ohio State, 4-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes

Saturday, March 28

Piscataway, N.J.

Ohio State

17-7, 3-2

Rutgers

8-15, 3-2

Ohio State

Rutgers

Rutgers Hit Walk-Off Home Run to Defeat Ohio State, 4-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes

3/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 28, 2015

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers’ Kyle Walker posted a walk-off three-run home run against Trace Dempsey in the bottom of the ninth to give the Scarlet Knights a 4-2 victory in game two of a three-game B1G series on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Bainton Field. With the loss, the Buckeyes fall to 17-7 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play, while Rutgers improves to 8-15 and 3-2 in the conference.

Each starting pitcher — Ohio State’s Travis Lakins and Rutgers’ Howie Brey — pitched great games from the opening pitch, but both received no decisions. Lakins threw six innings and allowed just two hits on one run, no earned runs with two walks and five strikeouts, while Brey pitched 7.1 scoreless innings, limiting the OSU bats to five hits with five walks and four strikeouts.

Down 1-0, the Buckeyes finally struck the scoreboard and took a 2-1 lead in the top of eighth. The Knights went to their bullpen with one down after Brey picked up his fourth strikeout. Nick Sergakis started the rally with a one-out single to left. With runners on the corners, Craig Nennig put down a safety squeeze and Sergakis then beat the throw at the plate by reliever Ryan Wares with a head-first dive to even the tides, 1-1. Two freshmen then gave the Scarlet and Gray the lead they were looking for. Pinch runner Tre Gantt scored all the way from second base on a sac fly by pinch hitter Jordan McDonough on a ball to deep right center to make it a 2-1 advantage.

Ohio State had several chances vs. Rutgers and left 11 baserunners vs. the Knights in game two. Ohio State had an early chance vs. Brey in the top of the first, but left a bases loaded situation when he got Sergakis to roll over on a grounder to third base. In the fourth, Ryan Leffel tagged a two-out double to right center followed by a walk to Nennig. But Brey got Zach Ratcliff to lift a fly ball to center to leave them stranded. In the fifth, Ohio State had two on and no down, but failed to push anything around the dish. Troy Montgomery was caught stealing third base and Brey then left a runner on first after back-to-back fly outs. In the sixth, Ohio State had the tying run on second with one down, but a force out play at third base and a great over-the-shoulder grab by the RU first baseman down in foul territory denied OSU in the frame.

In the third, Lakins left two on base when he induced a foul out on the first base side caught by Leffel. Lakins shook off that tough-luck fourth inning when he punched out Milo Freeman on a fastball on the outside corner for his fourth strikeout to keep it a 1-0 deficit. Rutgers threatened to extend its lead in the sixth with runners on the corners and no down vs. Lakins, but the OSU sophomore denied the Knights again. He struck out his fifth batter of the day and got a crucial fly out to left field to leave runners on second and third.

The Knights got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth after capitalizing on an OSU error in left field. Tom Marcinczyk reached third base after the ball was dropped by Dawson. Chris Suseck pushed him around on a RBI groundout to second base.

Lakins was relieved by Jake Post in the seventh. He allowed a two-out double, but stranded him at second base on a pop-up to Sergakis. With a 2-1 lead, Post put the Knights down in order in the bottom of the eighth. He threw two innings and allowed no runs on one hit with two strikeouts. Dempsey receives the loss to fall to 3-2 overall, allowing three earned runs on two hits and a walk in 0.1 innings.

The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights conclude the series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bainton Field. LHP Ryan Riga (4-1, 0.94 ERA) takes on RHP Gaby Rosa (1-1, 8.25 ERA) in game three. The contest will be streamed on BTN Plus ($) and can also listen on AM 1460 ESPN.

GAME NOTES · Ronnie Dawson extended his hit streak to eight straight games. · Travis Lakins limited the Knights to two hits (season-best) in six innings. · Tre’ Gantt scored his second GW run of the season and fifth overall. · Jordan McDonough picked up his fifth RBI.