Buckeyes Drop Doubleheader Saturday against Minnesota
3/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 25, 2017
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team dropped a Saturday doubleheader against Minnesota at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes lost, 15-5, in game one before dropping game two by a score of 6-5. With the losses, the Scarlet and Gray fall to 9-14 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play, while the Golden Gophers improve to 14-8 overall and 3-0 in conference action.
“First game just got away from us,” head coach Greg Beals said. “We need to get healthy to help us on the mound so that we can keep ourselves in ball games better than we did there in game one. Offensively, we’re always searching. We need to get better. I thought we had some quality at-bats, but we didn’t have, we’re missing the hit when we really need one. As far as game two goes, I really liked how our guys competed. I thought we came out with energy and we were locked in and competing really well. Ryan was up in the zone again and that’s the critical element for him. We hit a lot of balls hard in game two and a lot of balls right at them. We’ve just got to stick to the process. I think guys are pressing a little bit and this is the time of the year when you’re struggling and you’re not winning games where that pressing can come into play and we’ve got to fight that.”
GAME 1: MINNESOTA 15, OHIO STATE 5
The Gophers posted a season-high 17 hits for 15 runs to win 15-5 in game one of the doubleheader at Bill Davis Stadium. Toby Hanson went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, double and two RBI, while Jordan Smith was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, four RBI, double and home run for Minnesota. For the Scarlet and Gray, Tyler Cowles went 2-for-3 with a home run, run scored and walk. Noah West and Jacob Barnwell each hit their first career home runs in the loss.
On the mound, right-hander Brett Schulze received the win to improve to 3-2, throwing five innings and gave up five runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. Ohio State left-hander Connor Curlis allowed seven runs on nine hits with two walks and three strikeouts to drop to 2-1 on the year. Minnesota reliever Tim Shannon registered three straight scoreless innings to claim his second save of the season.
BUCKEYES STRIKE FIRST
Ohio State chalked up the first run on the board in the bottom of the first vs. when Noah McGowan drove in a run on a RBI ground out up the middle. Tre’ Gantt led off the inning with a walk and was moved over by a sacrifice bunt by Jalen Washington.
MINNESOTA SCORING PLAYS
The Gophers put up five runs in the fourth, three runs in the fifth and seven runs in the eighth vs. the OSU arms. After a lead-off walk to start the fourth, a bunt single and two throwing errors scored the first run. A RBI double made it 2-0 in favor of Minnesota. With two on, a three-run home run by Cole McDevitt pushed the Gopher score to 5-0. A three-run home run by Jordan Smith in the top of the fifth made it an 8-4 contest. The Gophers blew the game open in the eighth with a seven-run spot. Terrin Vavra knocked a RBI single vs. right-handed reliever Reece Calvert. A two-run double by Hanson made it 10-5. A single to the left side and throwing error plated the 12th run. Jordan Kozicky hit a two-run double for the 14-5 lead. A passed ball followed to push the final run home.
THREE DINGERS FOR THE BOYS
Ohio State scored its final four runs all by the long ball. West connected on a 2-1 pitch vs. right-hander Brett Schulze for a solo shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the third. Cowles crushed his third home run of the year in the bottom of the fourth vs. Schulze for a two-run shot. Barnwell blasted his first career homer in the top of the fifth on a 3-1 pitch off Schulze.
THE BULLPEN
Calvert relieved Curlis to begin the fifth. He pitched 3.2 innings and gave up seven run on seven hits with two walks. Right-handed reliever Austin Woodby tossed the final 1.1 innings and gave up one run, unearned on one hit.
GAME 1 NOTES
- West and Barnwell each hit their first career home runs.
- Cowles knocked his third home run in game one.
- Multi-hit game: Cowles: (6).
- West extended his hit streak to six straight games.
GAME 2: MINNESOTA 6, OHIO STATE 5
Minnesota registered 13 hits for six runs in game two and always had an answer for a Buckeye run to help lead them to the series sweep. Toby Anderson got the win, throwing 6.2 innings and allowed four runs, two earned with three strikeouts to improve to 3-2, while Ryan Feltner received the loss to drop to 0-4, tossing 4.2 innings and allowed 10 hits on four runs with two strikeouts and three walks. At the plate, Dominic Canzone went 2-for-3 with three RBI in the defeat.
BACK AND FOURTH BATTLE
For the second time on the afternoon, the Buckeyes scored first vs. the Gophers. After Feltner left a runner on third base in the top half of the second, a sacrifice fly by Cowles pushed Ratcliff around the dish. Ratcliff reached on a throwing error by the Minnesota third baseman. The Gophers answered with a run in the top of third when Alex Boxwell sent a sacrifice fly to center for the 1-1 score. Minnesota took its first lead of the day in the top of the fourth when Jordan Kozicky doubled down the left field off Feltner. A RBI single followed by Eduardo Estrada to push the Gophers lead to two runs.
Ohio State rebounded with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Dominic Canzone pulled the first pitch he saw off right-handed starter Toby Anderson through the right side to score Ratcliff, who reached again on a throwing error to start the frame. However, the Gophers swung right back with a run in the fifth on a solo home run by the red-hot bat of Boxwell to make it 4-2. But a RBI two-out RBI single by Washington in the bottom half put the Buckeyes back within one run.
Minnesota continued to put pressure on the Buckeye defense and plated two more runs in the sixth. After a lead-off double, Estrada singled to left center to make it 5-3. With a runner on first, a sac bunt was put down, but the throw to get the lead runner at second base was offline to put two aboard. A second sac bunt moved both runners before a wild pitch tallied the sixth run for the Gophers.
Canzone drove in his second run of the day in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out single through the right side to score Brady Cherry. Canzone plated in his third run of the game in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game, but Minnesota reliever Brian Glowicki left the bases loaded with a called strike three and tossed a scoreless ninth to claim his eighth save of the year.
ON THE MOUND
Feltner falls to 0-4 on the year after throwing 4.2 innings, 10 hits, four runs, four earned, three walks and two strikeouts. Right-handed reliever Yianni Pavlopoulos threw the next 2.1 frames and gave up two runs, one earned with one walk. Right-hander reliever Seth Kinker finished the game for the Buckeyes on the mound, pitching two scoreless innings with one strikeout and one hit.
GAME 2 NOTES
- Washington leads the team with 21 RBI.
- Canzone posted his third multi-hit game of the season. He had a season-high three RBI in the contest.
- Washington registered his seventh multi-hit contest of 2017. He knocked his third triple in game two.
- Kinker made his 65th career appearance in game two.
ZACH FARMER MEMORIAL GAME
Ohio State held a Zach Farmer Memorial Game today at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. In the summer of 2015, the Buckeyes lost their teammate and friend Zach Farmer after his battle with leukemia. Joining the team Saturday was his family, including his dad, Farmer, and wife, Kelsie. During his fight, Zach helped raise awareness for the bone marrow registry through Be The Match, starting a campus drive with help from his Buckeye teammates. The organization provides transplants from volunteer unrelated donors to leukemia patients. Be The Match was on hand Saturday to help fans sign up and swab to become national register donors at the entrance of Bill Davis Stadium.
Before the contest Zach’s father, Larry, threw out the first pitch throwing to 2017 captain Adam Niemeyer. It was a special moment as both teams wore orange wristbands for the doubleheader for cancer awareness. Minnesota’s pitching coach Todd Oakes passed away last year after a courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He spent 18 years with the Maroon and Gold.
UP NEXT
Ohio State hosts Ohio at 6:35 p.m. ET Tuesday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.
