Davis Hits Walk-Off Home Run in the Tenth to Defeat Ohio, 7-4 – Ohio State Buckeyes

Tuesday, March 31

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

19-7

Ohio

14-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Ohio	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	4	7	2
Ohio State	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	7	7	2

Davis Hits Walk-Off Home Run in the Tenth to Defeat Ohio, 7-4 – Ohio State Buckeyes

3/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 31, 2015

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — L Grant Davis had never hit a home run in his life. Not in Little League. Not in high school. Not in junior college. Not once.
But in a 4-4 ball game in the bottom of the tenth, the OSU second baseman sent a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right for a walk-off, three-run home run to give the Ohio State baseball team a 7-4 win over Ohio on a chilly and windy Tuesday night at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.
“I don’t hit home runs,” Davis said. “But tonight I was lucky enough to get a good swing on it.”
With runners on second and third and two down, Davis was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as he headed to the plate, but that didn’t bother the sophomore transfer. He sent his first home run into the night darkness vs. Ohio relief pitcher Logan Cozart to improve the Buckeyes’ record to 19-7 overall.
“Tonight was frustrating until the last at-bat but I knew I might have another chance late in the game,” Davis said. “I wanted to hit the ball hard in play and I was able to do that. I love my teammates to death and I’m really happy to be a Buckeye. “
The native of Newport, Calif., Davis was mobbed by his first-year teammates at home plate and then looked up at the crowd and saw his father, Lenny Davis, an Ohio State alum (football manager from 1976-77) who made the trip to Columbus, hold up his first home run ball ever. Davis transferred to Ohio State after spending a season in junior college and one year with Arizona State.
“If there was one person that deserved to see my first home run, it’s my dad,” Davis said.
Head coach Greg Beals knew the Buckeyes won the ball game on Davis’ swing, but had no idea it would go over the wall.
“L Grant Davis strikes out three times and pops-out to the catcher. You can’t have a worst game than that,” head coach Greg Beals said. “Give him credit. He kept his head in the game and he knew he was going to get a slider. The fact that it got out of the ballpark is icing on the cake.”
Ronnie Dawson began the rally with a lead-off single and then stole second. After Ryan Leffel walked, Aaron Gretz bunted his teammates over for the sacrifice. The Bobcats got Craig Nennig to ground out for the second out to try and extend the game, but Davis had other plans.
“I thought Ohio played well with both teams dealing with tough weather conditions,” Beals said. “It’s always a big game when other state schools come in here and it’s something our guys talk about. We have to be ready to defend The Ohio State University and we did that tonight.”
Senior closer Trace Dempsey bounced back and claimed the win to improve to 4-1, throwing two scoreless innings with a strikeout. Ohio used eight different pitchers in the contest and Cozart received the loss to fall to 2-1 overall.
Down 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Gretz slapped a single up the middle to plate Ronnie Dawson to tie the ball game headed to the ninth inning. Dempsey pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, but Ohio State could not push a run around in the bottom half, leaving Pat Porter on second base to send it to extra innings.

Both teams scored a run after both defenses committed errors in the field in the second inning. In the top half with two runners on, John Adryan scored Cody Gaertner on a RBI single to left to put Ohio ahead, 1-0. The Buckeyes answered in the bottom of the second when Dawson scored on a RBI groundout by Leffel. Dawson reached third base following a bunt single and throwing error by Ohio reliever Evan Geist, who replaced the Bobcat starter Connor Sitz after one inning of work.
The Scarlet and Gray took a two-run lead in the bottom of the third as the Ohio pitching had trouble with finding the strike zone. With the bases loaded, Pat Porter got a free pass on a four-pitch walk vs. Geist to push Nennig across. A fielder’s choice by Troy Kuhn scored Troy Montgomery to make it 3-1.
In the fifth, Ohio cut the lead in half when Ohio State starter Jacob Niggemeyer walked in a run with the bases loaded, but the freshman kept the lead on a grounder to Davis at second to end the top half of the fifth. Right-hander Jake Post relieved Niggemeyer to begin the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Buckeyes had two runners on base, but stranded them when reliever Logan Cozart got the strikeout to keep it 3-2.
In the eighth, the Bobcats regained the lead, 4-3. With two runners on, a wild pitch allowed both runners to move up to second and third. A RBI groundout by Gaetner tied the contest, 3-3. A dropped ball at shortstop allowed a fourth Bobcat run to cross the plate to give the away team its second lead of the night.
Niggemeyer tossed five innings and allowed two runs, one earned, one walk with three strikeouts in a no decision performance. Post pitched the next three frames and allowed two runs, one earned, one walk and two strikeouts..
Ohio State welcomes Penn State for a three-game series in Columbus Friday-Sunday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. First pitch for game one is set for 6:35 pm. ET Friday and will be streamed on BTN Plus ($) as well on the radio on AM 1460 ESPN. There will be postgame fireworks on Friday night.
GAME NOTES · The contest was the first extra-inning game for Ohio State. · L Grant Davis posted his first career home run at any level of baseball. · Aaron Gretz collected his second multi-hit game of 2015. · Ronnie Dawson had a career-high three runs scored and also had his eighth multi-hit game. · Troy Montgomery picked up his team-best 21st run scored of the year. · Trace Dempsey made his 87th career appearance, which is now tied for sixth-most all-time.