Buckeyes Keep Title Hopes Alive at B1G Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes

Saturday, May 28

Omaha, Neb.

Ohio State

41-18-1

Michigan State

36-19

Ohio State

Michigan State

Buckeyes Keep Title Hopes Alive at B1G Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes

5/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 29, 2016

OMAHA, Neb. – Twenty-four hours ago, the Ohio State baseball team left TD Ameritrade Park with a bitter taste in their mouths. The Buckeyes suffered a gut-wrenching, walk-off blow against Iowa for the second straight year in the Big Ten Tournament to set up a second matchup against conference-rival Michigan Friday night in an elimination game. Then came the rain. Today, at 8:24 p.m. local time, the Buckeyes completed a doubleheader that included their fifth win in 2016 over the Wolverines and a dramatic extra-inning victory over Michigan State to send the team into the final day of the tournament.

“This team has a lot of character and to take a tough loss like we did yesterday and bounce back was great to see,” Beals said. “Last night we went down 2-0 vs. Michigan and we answered with a five spot. To play all day long today again showed our competitiveness. The talent of this ball club is there, but the thing I’m most proud is how we competed as a team. Our pitching staff grinded it out and we are going to do that again tomorrow. We are going to keep battling.”

The Buckeyes (41-18-1) pounded out 18 hits, while freshman right-hander Ryan Feltner struck out a team-high 10 in an 11-4 win over Michigan in game one that was postponed overnight due to weather. There was no time to celebrate as a second elimination game followed on day No. 10 of the team’s longest trip of the season away from Columbus. The Scarlet and Gray then fought to a 3-2 victory in 10 innings over Michigan State in the nightcap behind a go-ahead home run by junior left fielder Ronnie Dawson in the top of the tenth. The Buckeyes hit the 40-win mark for the first time in seven years, claimed a 5-0 mark vs. the Maize and Blue in a single-season for the first time in school history and head coach Greg Beals left the ball park with his 200th win at the helm of the Scarlet and Gray. What a day for the boys.

The fourth-seeded Buckeyes will now prepare for a second game vs. No. 7 seed Michigan State at 10 a.m. ET Sunday with a tournament final spot on the line. The winner will face No. 8 seed Iowa at 2 p.m. ET in the Big Ten tournament championship. Both games will be live on BTN.

GAME 2: OSU 3, MSU 2 (10 Innings)
WHAT A FINISH
With the score knotted at 2-all, Dawson, from Grove City, Ohio, blasted a lead-off home run into the right field bleachers off right-hander Walter Borkovich in the top of the tenth to put the Buckeyes ahead, 3-2, for the eventual game-winning run. It was Dawson’s 13th home run of the season and 10th hit of the tournament.

The momentum really started in the bottom of the ninth on thrilling inning-ending double play. With the Spartans threatening with the winning runner on second and one down, right-hander Seth Kinker fielded a hard-hit ground ball back on the mound, turned and froze Marty Bechina between second and third to start a rundown. Kinker sprinted at Bechina before throwing to third baseman Nick Sergakis who forced the Spartan runner back to second. Sergakis fired to Nennig halfway up the baseline, who tagged out Bechina for the second out. The OSU shortstop then reversed his motion back to second base and fired over to Troy Kuhn for the 1-5-6-4 double play to retire the side. Kinker received the win to improve to 6-1. In the bottom of the tenth, right-hander Yianni Pavlopoulos walked the lead-off hitter but struck out the next Spartan hitter and induced two fly outs to Troy Montgomery to end the game. Montgomery went 3-for-4 with a run scored and walk, while Dawson was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, RBI and walk.

HOW WE GOT THERE
Both teams played the small ball game well early on. Ohio State struck first when Ryan Leffel drove in a run from the right side on a ground ball to plate Montgomery, who singled to start the at-bat. Jacob Bosiokovic singled through the left side before Washington moved the runners over on a sac bunt. The Spartans answered with a bunt single down the third base line to score a runner from third. The Green and White took a 2-1 lead in the third on a RBI single to right field by Matt Byars. But the Scarlet and Gray answered with a run in the top of the fourth on a RBI ground out by Washington. Kuhn and Montgomery singled before a sac bunt by Bosiokovic set up the scoring chance.

The game was dead locked at 2-all for the next five frames behind good bullpen work and solid defense all around the diamond.

ON THE MOUND
Senior left-hander Daulton Mosbarger came up big in his fifth start of the season. He gave pitching coach Mike Stafford and the Buckeyes 4.1 strong innings, scattering six hits on two runs with five strikeouts and two walks in a no decision. Right-hander redshirt sophomore Kyle Michalik followed with 2.2 scoreless innings allowing no hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Kinker threw the next two stanzas on two hits, no runs or walks and two strikeouts. Pavlopoulos closed the door on Michigan State with a hit and one strikeout in a scoreless tenth inning to claim his 14th save of the year.

200 WINS FOR BEALS AT OHIO STATE
Head coach Greg Beals became the fourth coach in OSU history to claim 200 wins at Ohio State in game two vs. the Spartans.

WORTHY G2 NOTES

Ohio State improves to 56-44 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament and 3-2 against Michigan State.
The 41 wins are the most by a Big Ten school this year and ranks 10th in school history. Ohio State reached the 40-win mark for the first time since the 2009 season and 13th time in program history.
Head coach Greg Beals picked up his 200th win at Ohio State becoming the fourth OSU coach to reach the 200-win milestone.
The Buckeyes are now 14-4 in the month of May.
Ohio State leads the Big Ten with 56 home runs and 124 doubles this year.
The Buckeyes have 92 steals this year – four shy of the single-season record held by the 2001 team.
Ohio State had a season-high three sacrifice hits tonight.
Hit streaks extended: Dawson (10) and Bosiokovic (4).
Reached base streaks extended: Dawson (16), Kuhn (7), Nennig (7), Sergakis (5) and Bosiokovic (4).
Multi-hit games: Dawson (21) and Montgomery (15).
Nennig swiped his 17th bag of the season. Nennig has five stolen bases at the tournament which is one shy of tying the tournament record (Kurtis Muller, Iowa, 2010 – 6).
Dawson has 13 home runs this season to lead the team. He has 24 in his OSU career good for 19th all-time. Dawson’s 21 doubles rank third on the single-season list with former Buckeye Johnathan Sweet (1993).
Dawson is batting .588 (10-for-17) at the tournament with four doubles, one home run and 1.000 slugging.
Montgomery’s 47 walks ranks in 2016 is fifth-most in OSU single-season history.
Mosbarger tied his career-high with 4.1 innings pitched.
Kinker has appeared in a team-high 34 games this season, which is fourth on the OSU single-season list.
Pavlopoulos has 14 saves and is tied with former Buckeye Matt Davis (2003) for third-most in OSU single-season history. His 14 saves in his career is tied for fifth all-time.

GAME 1: OSU 11, UM 4
It would take two days to beat the Wolverines for the fifth time in 2016 and second time of the tournament. No other Buckeye squad has gone 5-0 vs. Michigan in a single season. Feltner picked up his third win of his rookie season and became the first Buckeye to strike out 10 batters in a game since former Buckeye Ryan Riga accomplished the feat back in 2014. At the dish, all nine OSU hitters recorded a hit with seven Buckeyes recording multi-hit games. Kuhn went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, four RBI and one walk, while Dawson was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base. Nennig tied the Big Ten tournament single-game record with three steals on a 2-for-5 game with four runs scored and walk.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was unusual start to the night cap of day three at TD Ameritrade. The right field lights above the scoreboard went out just before first pitch to delay the game seven minutes. Right-hander starter Adam Niemeyer hit the first two batters he faced before a bloop single loaded the bases with no down. With one down, Dawson made a running catch on a fly ball slicing away from him, but the UM runner tagged up to score the first run. The Wolverines scored again when a runner crossed the plate before a tag was applied for the final out between a pickoff attempt between first and second base.

After a tough loss earlier in the day vs. the Hawkeyes and a two-run deficit in the first, the Buckeyes did not have a hangover. The Scarlet and Gray batted around the lineup and hung a five-spot off right-hander Ryan Nutof on six hits to take a 5-2 lead. With the first two aboard, Dawson drove in the first run on a line drive single to right followed by an infield RBI single Kuhn. A bunt single was laid down by Montgomery and Nutof tried to get the lead runner at third, but the throw was off target allowing Dawson to score to give the Buckeyes the lead, 3-2. Jalen Washington ripped a two-run single to right field to push the lead to three runs.

The game was halted with one down in the bottom of the second with Dawson at the dish. Nutof lasted just 0.1 innings on five runs, six hits, one walk and one strikeout and was relieved by left-hander William Tribucher in the bottom of the first.

On Saturday with a 5-2 lead, the Buckeyes extended their lead to four runs in the bottom of the fourth on an infield single by Bosiokovic with two down vs. Tribucher. In the fifth, the Wolverines trimmed the lead to two runs vs. Feltner on two hits and one OSU fielding error. Michigan put the first two aboard on a walk and single. A sac bunt attempt was not fielded cleanly to load the bases. The lead was cut to three on a RBI single by Ako Thomas before a fielder’s choice on a ground ball up the middle scored the second UM run to make it a two-run game. However, Feltner got out of the jam when fired in three straight pitches to strikeout Drew Lugbauer and leave them loaded.

The big strikeout got the bats fired up at the plate for the OSU hitters, answering with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Dawson singled to left field to push Leffel home. Following a double steal by Nennig and Dawson, a controversial call went to instant replay at TD Ameritrade Park. Kuhn hit a fly ball down the right field line and was originally called foul by the first base umpire, but after further review from the umpires, the play was reversed allowing both runners to score for a 9-4 lead. Ohio State tacked on two more runs in the seventh when Kuhn drove in Nennig with a double down the left field line and Montgomery scored Kuhn on a RBI single to center field to make it the 11-4 score

CAREER DAY FOR FELTNER
From Hudson, Ohio, Feltner started on the mound on to begin Saturday action and dominated the Wolverine hitters. He struck out a career-high 10 batters and limited the UM hitters to two runs, one earned on four hits and three walks in 6.1 innings of work. He left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth with three straight strikes that ended when hammered off a great off-speed pitch for his sixth strikeout of the game. Feltner became the first Buckeye this year to tally 10 strikeouts in a game to earn his third collegiate victory.

OTHER OSU PITCHING LINES
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Adam Niemeyer threw the first two innings before the rain hit in Omaha Friday night. Niemeyer allowed two runs on one hit with no walks and three strikeouts in a no decision. Michalik tossed 0.2 scoreless innings to end the game.

WORTHY G1 NOTES

Ohio State improves to 164-102-1 all-time vs. the Wolverines and 12-7 in the Big Ten Tournament vs. Michigan.
Ohio State becomes the first team in school history to post a 5-0 record vs. Michigan in a season.
The Buckeyes outscored Michigan, 37-14, this season, while the OSU pitching staff struck out 49 UM hitters to nine walks in the five games.
The Buckeyes have won 10 of the last 12 meetings vs. the Wolverines, including five straight.
Head coach Greg Beals is 10-2 vs. the Wolverines at the helm of the Scarlet and Gray.
Nennig tied the Big Ten tournament single-game record with a career-high three stolen bases. He crossed the plate a career-high four times.
Kuhn had a season-high four RBI in the contest. He knocked his 47th career double to tie former Buckeye Steve Caravati for fifth in the OSU record book.
Hit streaks extended: Dawson (9), Washington (4), Leffel (3) and Bosiokovic (3).
Reached base streaks: Dawson (15), Washington (11), Nennig (6), Kuhn (6), Sergakis (4) and Leffel (3).
Multi-hit games: Sergakis (22), Dawson (20), Kuhn (17), Montgomery (14), Nennig (14, Gantt (10) and Leffel (2).