Ohio State Downs Hofstra, 12-1, in Home Opener – Ohio State Buckeyes

Friday, March 18

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

9-6-1

Hofstra

5-12

Hofstra

Ohio State

Ohio State Downs Hofstra, 12-1, in Home Opener – Ohio State Buckeyes

3/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 18, 2016

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team tallied 12 hits on 12 runs in the 2016 home opener to defeat Hofstra, 12-1, in game one of a three-game, non-conference series Friday night at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. Junior outfielder Ronnie Dawson had another big day at the plate with a pair of triples, home run and five RBI, while senior co-captain infielder Nick Sergakis had two doubles, triple, two runs scored and three RBI in the first meeting vs. the Pride. Junior left-handed pitcher Tanner Tully improved to 3-1, tossing six scoreless frames to help the Buckeyes improve to 9-6-1 in 2016, while the Pride falls to 5-12.

“When you have your three and four hitters do what our guys did tonight, you’re going to score some runs,” head coach Greg Beals said. “The thing I was really pleased with was how clean we played. We only gave up one free base on a wild pitch. No walks, errors or stolen bases allowed. That something we’ve been fighting as of late and we were clean tonight. Hopefully it’s a trend we can continue. We have a talented team and it’s going to be hard to beat us when we play clean baseball.”

HAVE A DAY, RD4
One of the big points coach Beals talked about postgame was Dawson’s home run at-bat in the bottom of the first. On the 12th pitch after a half of dozen foul balls, Dawson pulled a ball to right that bounced on top of wall and over for his fifth home run of the year and went on to go 3-for-3 with two triples, a home run, five RBI, a walk and three runs scored. The home run set the stage for the OSU lineup, which registered seven extra-base hits and committed no errors in the field. Dawson posted a team season-high 11 total bases in the win over the Pride and became the first Buckeye to register two triples and a home run in the same game (since 2004).

“That was the game-changing at-bat,” Beals said. “He taxed the pitcher and then he hit a home run on the backend of it. It set the tempo for the rest of our offense for the rest of the day.”

SERGAKIS CONTINUES THE HOT BAT
Sergakis didn’t miss a beat after the long plane ride back to Columbus from Vegas this past Wednesday. The OSU captain registered a career-high eight total bases on two doubles and one triple to extend his reached base streak to 16 games. He tied his career-high with four hits, going 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Ohio State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first against Hofstra right-handed starter Alec Eisenberg, who falls to 1-4. Montgomery scored the first run when he reached on an error and scored on an infield single by junior catcher Jalen Washington. Dawson then worked a 12-pitch at bat before he blasted his fifth long ball over the off the top of the new-padded wall in right field for the 3-0 lead. With the bases loaded senior second baseman L Grant Davis pushed a run home on a fielder’s choice.

Sergakis doubled for the second time vs. Eisenberg on a 1-0 pitch to the gap in right center to plate Dawson, who tripled to left center field in his second at bat. In the third, Dawson continued to crush when emptied the bases on a 1-2 pitch with a liner to right center field for his second stand-up triple, scoring three unearned runs to open the game at 8-0. In the sixth, a triple by Sergakis plated both Washington and Dawson to move it to 10-0. Senior infielder Troy Kuhn hit a sac fly to left field for the 11th run.

MEMORABLE NIGHT FOR WINAND
Redshirt freshman Ridge Winand won’t forget the 2016 opener anytime soon. In his first career at-bat in the eighth, he knocked a two-out double to center field to score freshman catcher Jacob Barnwell. In the top of the ninth, Winand back pedaled and made a nice snag off the new-padded outfield wall for the first out.

“Ridge Winand maybe isn’t a household name for the Buckeyes but he is a guy that does all the work that everybody else does and has a lot of respect in the clubhouse for the work he puts in,” Beals said. “From a coaching standpoint, it was great to see him step up like he did. It was also great to see his teammates behind so much and they recognize the work that he does and the opportunity that he got.”

STARTER TALK
Junior left-handed starter Tanner Tully notched the team’s fifth quality start of the season, throwing six innings and allowed no runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks to improve to 3-1. He sent down the first 10 batters he faced in his fifth start of the year.

“Tanner was efficient and that’s what he’s best at,” Beals said. “He pitched the bottom of the strike zone and was really sharp today.”

ABOUT THE BULLPEN
The combination of redshirt sophomore right-hander Kyle Michalik and freshman left-hander Connor Curlis continued where Tully left off. Michalik pitched the seventh and eighth and allowed one run on three hits with a strikeout, while Curlis threw a scoreless ninth to close the door on Hofstra.

UP NEXT
Ohio State continues its three-game series vs. the Pride at 3:05 p.m. ET Saturday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Adam Niemeyer (1-1, 4.30 ERA takes the hill vs. right-hander Chris Weiss.

WORTHY NOTES

Ohio State improves to 1-0 all-time vs. the Pride.
The Buckeyes are now 315-161 all-time at Bill Davis Stadium.
The Scarlet and Gray lead the Big Ten with 19 home runs.
Dawson posted his sixth multi-hit game and team-best fourth multi-RBI game of the year. He’s notched 11 RBI in the last there games. He becomes the first Buckeye to collected two triples and a home run in a single game (since 2004).
Dawson’s 11 total bases is a team-high in 2016.
Sergakis has reached base safely in all 16 games. He posted his first triple in two years and had a career-high eight total bases.
Sergakis also tied his career high with four hits vs. the Pride. His hit streak extends to six.
Washington notched his fourth multi-hit game of the year and tied his career-high with three runs scored. He also leads the team with five stolen bases.
Montgomery collected at least two runs scored for the third time in 2016.
Montgomery and Ratcliff have each reached base safely in seven straight games.
Winand posted his first career hit, double and RBI in his first appearance as a Buckeye tonight.
Barnwell plated his first career run.
Michalik made his fourth appearance of the year, while Curlis had his third appearance.
Tonight was the first game with the new-padded outfield wall. The new gray padding also stretches around home plate at Bill Davis Stadium.
Ohio State baseball supporter Bill Wells tossed the first pitch in honor of the start of the 20th season at Bill Davis Stadium. Wells threw out the first pitch during the inaugural game at Bill Davis Stadium in 1997.