Ohio State Splits Saturday Doubleheader at Rutgers
3/30/2019 8:14:31 PM | Baseball
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Ohio State baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader at Rutgers at Bainton Field. Redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher Seth Lonsway recorded a complete game shutout in game one, striking out 12, in a 2-0 victory in his B1G debut. The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights played a marathon in game two with Rutgers winning, 3-2, in 15 innings. Tyler McNamara hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 15th, scoring Kevin Welsh who reached earlier on an error. Freshman right-handed reliever Will Pfennig tossed seven scoreless innings of relief in game two. With the split, the Buckeyes move to 16-12 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play, while Rutgers goes to 7-17 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
GAME 1 RECAP: OHIO STATE 2, RUTGERS 0
BRILLIANT START
Lonsway, from Celina, Ohio, had a memorable Big Ten debut as the Buckeye left-handed pitcher was dominant all afternoon long with a season-high 12 strikeouts to claim his first collegiate complete game win. He limited the RU bats to three hits on two walks in nine innings of work. Lonsway became the first Buckeye to throw a complete-game shutout victory since Ryan Riga tossed a complete game at Rutgers March 29, 2015. Lonsway received the win to improve to 4-2.
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Go the distance @SethLons #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/I6XpV51Qz0
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) March 30, 2019
CHERRY BOMB
Cherry launched a 1-0 pitch off RU right-handed starter Tommy Genuario over the right field wall for a two-run shot to give the boys the early 2-0 lead. It was the only score of the first game of the doubleheader.  Carpenter singled in the frame. Cherry’s seventh homer put the OSU senior over the 100 career RBI mark.
CAREER DAY AT THE PLATE
Fifth-year senior captain Ridge Winand had a career performance at the plate in game one, going 4-for-4, in his sixth start of the year. Redshirt junior Matt Carpenter also had a two-hit game with a run scored.
GAME ONE NOTES
- Ohio State claimed its third straight series win and first of the 2019 Big Ten season.
- The Buckeyes have collected at least 10 hits in a game 14 times in 2019.
- The Buckeyes left 11 on base, while the Scarlet Knights stranded five runners.
- Lonsway struck out a season-high 12 in a complete-game win. He became the first Buckeye to strike out at least 12 batters in a game since Alex Wimmers fanned 14 vs. Indiana on April 9, 2010. He also became the first Buckeye pitcher to throw at least seven innings in his B1G debut since Tanner Tully tossed seven in his debut back in 2014.
- Cherry launched his seventh homer of the season and 19th of his career. He has 101 career RBI with the long ball.
- Multi-hit games: Carpenter (5) and Winand (3).
- Multi-RBI games: Cherry (6).
- Winand had a career-high four-hit game.
@SethLons had a memorable B1G debut — see what he had to say about the CG shutout victory #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/N62pVdiiDr
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) March 30, 2019
GAME 2 RECAP: OHIO STATE 2, RUTGERS 3 (15)
TIE GAME EARLY ON
Cherry gave the Scarlet and Gray a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with a two-run homer in the top of the second down the left field line for his eighth of the year. The Scarlet Knights scored a run in the second and one in the third on RBI singles. The next 12 innings went scoreless until the game-winning hit by McNamara in the 15th.
ON THE MOUND
Ohio State left-handed starting pitcher Griffan Smith worked five innings and gave up two runs, two earned, on five hits, two walks and five strikeouts in a no decision. Right-handed reliever Will Pfennig tossed a career-high seven scoreless innings of relief, scattering three hits. Â Left-handed reliever Andrew Mango received the loss to fall 1-3, giving up one unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of relief.
THIRTEEN LEFT ON BASE
The Buckeyes stranded 13 runners in the game. The Scarlet and Gray left them loaded in the second and fifth innings. Canzone reached third base in the top of the 14th, but RU shortstop Carmen Sclafani made a diving stop in the throw to keep it tied at 2-all.
GAME TWO NOTES
- The 15-inning game vs. the Scarlet Knights was the longest game since the Buckeyes played 16 innings vs. Purdue back in 2004.
- Dominic Canzone extended his reached base streak to 24 games (career-high).
- Other reached base streaks extended: Carpenter (10), Dingler (4) and Winand (3).
- Hit streaks extended: Carpenter (10).
- Cherry hit his team-best eighth homer of the year and 20th of his career (leads all active Buckeyes).
- Pfennig tossed a career-high seven innings today.
UP NEXT
Ohio State returns home next with four straight home games. The Buckeyes host Cincinnati Wednesday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes then open their home Big Ten schedule with a three-game set vs. Northwestern April 5-7.
to start a Saturday #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/q0aFJwiSRP
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) March 30, 2019
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