Comeback Falls Short at Bethune-Cookman Friday Night

Friday, March 1

Daytona Beach, Fla.

Ohio State

5-4

Bethune-Cookman

4-4

Ohio State

Bethune-Cookman

Comeback Falls Short at Bethune-Cookman Friday Night

3/1/2019 11:22:43 PM | Baseball

Box Score

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite a season-high 11 strikeouts by redshirt freshman left-handed starting pitcher Seth Lonsway, the Ohio State baseball team fell, 4-3, at Bethune-Cookman in the opening game of a four-game series at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Buckeyes rallied with a run in the seventh and two in the ninth, but reliever Brandon Wilkes got a pop-up to claim the save for the Wildcats. Lonsway received the loss to drop to 1-2, while Bethune-Cookman starter Anthony Maldonado improved to 1-0 with 10 strikeouts in a one-hit performance over seven innings of work. Ohio State falls to 5-4, while the Wildcats improve to 4-4.

QUOTE FROM COACH
“Seth obviously has great stuff and we struck them out a lot tonight,” head coach Greg Beals said. “We pitched the ball pretty well, but I think the inning they scored two runs off Seth, there were two walks. That seeing-eye groundball got through, but give their hitter credit for putting the ball in play. We need to do a better job of that offensively. My message to the guys after the game was that we need to play with a little more toughness in the middle of the game. Their starting pitcher did a great job tonight, but we need to compete a little tougher and get that lead-off guy on base.”

BIG HIT FOR THE WILDCATS
With the bases loaded, Zach Spivey came up with the big two-out, two-run single through the left side on a 3-1 count vs. Lonsway to make it a 2-0 contest. Bethune-Cookman scored two more runs in the fifth on A RBI singles up the middle.

STARTER TALK
Besides the infield single in the second that scored two runs, Lonsway looked strong on the mound, limiting the Bethune-Cookman bats to five hits, all singles in 4.1 innings of work with three walks and three runs allowed. In all, the Buckeye pitching staff struck out 16 BCU hitters.

OHIO STATE GETS ON THE BOARD
Brady Cherry hit an infield single to start a string of hits for the Buckeyes in the seventh. Conner Pohl singled to put runners on the corners before Brent Todys knocked a two-out RBI single to make it a 4-1 deficit.

TWO RUNS IN THE NINTH
The Scarlet and Gray got within one run in the ninth following a two-out RBI single by freshman Zach Dezenzo. Dominic Canzone and pinch runner Ridge Winand scored on the base hit. Unfortunately, Ohio State suffered its third one-run loss in a week as Wilkes recorded the final out.

BULLPEN TALK
Will Pfennig relieved Lonsway with one out in the fifth. He pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Right-handed reliever TJ Brock relieved Pfennig with two outs and runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth and induced a ground out to end the inning. Brock kept the Wildcats off the board for 2.1 innings of relief with three strikeouts and one walk.

GAME NOTES

Seth Lonsway struck out a season-high 11 strikeouts tonight. He became the first Buckeye to strike out at least 11 in a game since Alex Wimmers fanned 11 vs. Penn State (April 23, 2010).
The OSU pitching staff struck out 16 batters. It’s the first time the Buckeyes have struck out 16 batters in a single since the 2016 campaign when the staff fanned 20 against Pitt (Feb. 20, 2016).
Reached base streaks extended: Canzone (5), West (4), Dezenzo (4) and Pohl (3).
Hit streaks extended: Dezenzo (4).
Dezenzo had his second multi-RBI game of the season.
Brock pitched a season-high 2.1 innings with a season-high three strikeouts.

UP NEXT
Ohio State and Bethune-Cookman meet at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Freshman right-hander Garrett Burhenn (1-0, 2.08) is on the mound for the Buckeyes.