Buckeyes Roll Past Purdue, 13-2, Friday Night

Friday, March 31

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

11-14, 1-3

Purdue

13-12, 1-3

Purdue

Ohio State

Buckeyes Roll Past Purdue, 13-2, Friday Night

3/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 31, 2017

Box Score Watch Highlights

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team claimed its first win in conference play with a 13-2 victory over Purdue on a cold, windy and rainy Friday night at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. With the win, the Scarlet and Gray improve to 11-14 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play, while the Boilermakers fall to 13-12 overall and 1-3 in conference action. Yianni Pavlopoulos tossed five scoreless innings to claim his second win of the season.

“For him to just be process-driven and execute the fastball in the bottom of the strike zone was really good and what we needed,” head coach Greg Beals said. “Just putting up the zeroes. We score, we put up a zero. We score, put up a zero. Score, put up a zero. And that just is deflating to a team when you don’t let them back in. They score and we pop three back in. It’s just like we were on. Tonight was a night and the season hasn’t been this way very often, but tonight was a night it was all Buckeyes. The guys really embraced the weather conditions and that’s what I told them pregame.”

In the box score, Noah McGowan went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, triple and walk, while Zach Ratcliff and Dominic Canzone each crossed the plate twice and drove in a run.

SEVEN-RUN LEAD FOR THE BOYS
The Scarlet and Gray jumped out to a seven-run lead against the Boilermakers through three frames. The Buckeyes scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the first in tough conditions vs. Purdue right-handed starter Tanner Andrews, who fell to 4-2 on the year. Jalen Washington started the momentum with a line-drive single up the middle. A hit and run followed to put runners on second and third when Noah McGowan fisted a single through the right side. After Zach Ratcliff was hit by a pitch, a wild pitch in the turf by Andrews bounced heavy and rolled down the first base line, allowing two runs to score. A RBI single to the gap in left center by Brady Cherry made it a 3-0 advantage.

Pavlopoulos left a runner on third for the second straight inning in the top of the second and Ohio State added to its lead in the bottom half. Andrews continued to struggle with his control and walked both Dominic Canzone and Noah West to start the at-bat. A run scored on back-to-back wild pitches by Andrews to make it 4-0.

After a 1-2-3 by Pavlopoulos in the top of the third, Ohio State opened the game with three more runs in the bottom half. West drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to score Tyler Cowles. A two-out RBI single up the middle by Jacob Barnwell made it 6-0 before Tre’ Gantt crossed home plate after a throwing error by the Purdue center fielder.

MORE BUCKEYE RUNS
Ohio State added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. A RBI single by Ratcliff pushed the eighth run home. He scored on a fifth wild pitch on night by the Boilermaker pitching staff, this time by left-handed reliever Hunter Wolfe, for the nine-run game.

The Buckeyes touched home plate four more times in the game with a four-run eighth. A double down the right field line for Bo Coolen plated two runs. McGowan was awarded with his third run scored on an error by the Purdue right fielder. Coolen made it a 13-2 game when he was drove in by a RBI ground out by Canzone.

PAVLOPOULOS GETS THE VICTORY
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Yianni Pavlopoulos had an efficient night on the mound in his third start of the season. The Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week earlier this season, Pavlopoulos limited the Boiler bats to two hits, working five scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no walks.

PURDUE SCORES TWO IN THE EIGHTH
The Boilermakers scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth vs. Curlis. A fielder’s choice by Nick Dalesandro and throwing error pushed a run home before a RBI single by Skyler Hunter made it 9-2.

TO THE BULLPEN
Right-handed reliever Reece Calvert came in to start the sixth inning. He threw two shutout innings and scattered two hits with no strikeouts or walks. Left-handed pitcher Connor Curlis relieved Calvert in the eighth. Curlis gave up two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks in two innings of work.

UP NEXT
Ohio State and Purdue meet in game two of the three-game series at 6 p.m. ET Saturday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The contest vs. the Boilermakers will be televised live on BTN.

GAME NOTES

Ohio State is now 146-61-1 all-time vs. the Boilermakers. The Buckeyes have won 10 of the last 11 meetings vs. the Black and Gold.
This marked the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Boilermakers in Columbus since the 12 campaign.
The Buckeyes claim their first Big Ten win of the season tonight.
The Boilermakers gave up six wild pitches in the opener.
Barnwell extended his career-high hit streak to eight straight games.
McGowan tied his season high with three runs scored.
Pavlopoulos earned his second win of the year.
Andrew Fishel recorded his first collegiate hit.