Baseball Defeated By GCU, 7-5, in Series Finale

Saturday, February 25

Phoenix, Ariz.

12:00 am

Ohio State

2-5

Grand Canyon

6-2

Ohio State

Grand Canyon

Baseball Defeated By GCU, 7-5, in Series Finale

2/26/2023 1:21:43 AM | Baseball

Box Score

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Despite leading as late as the eighth inning, the Ohio State baseball team (2-5) fell to Grand Canyon (6-2), 7-5, Saturday night to close out its two-game series with the Lopes.

Game Recap

The Buckeyes got on the board in the top of the second inning. Cole Andrews, playing at the DH spot, singled through the left side to lead-off the inning. Mitchell Okuley then singled through the opposite side to put runners on first and second. Josh McAlister singled to third base, and an error from the GCU third baseman advanced all the runners, sending Andrews across the plate to put the Bucks in the lead, 1-0.
With one out on the board, Marcus Ernst singled up the middle in the top of the third to get on base, but a double play from the Lopes ended the away half of the inning.
A lead-off homerun from Andrews, his first as a Buckeye, gave Ohio State a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth, Hank Thomas singled, and Matthew Graveline was walked to put two runners on, but there was nothing doing for the Buckeyes in the rest of the inning as they held onto their 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, with GCU runners on first and second, Ohio State turned a 6-4-3 double play to keep the Lopes off the board.
Andrews picked up his third hit of the game in the top of the sixth with a lead-off single through the right side.
With bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, the Buckeyes had their second double play of the game to keep Grand Canyon scoreless.
McAlister led off with a single to right in the seventh and a single from Graveline put two runners on base for the Bucks, but McAlister was caught stealing and Graveline was picked off for the final two outs of the inning.
The Lopes tied the score, 2-2, after a two-RBI double, in the bottom of the seventh.
In the top of the eighth, Ernst was hit by a pitch and Kade Kern was walked to put runners once again on first and second for the Buckeyes. Andrews reached base on a fielder’s choice and a Lopes error prevented an out and loaded the bases. Okuley was walked, scoring Ernst to put OSU back in the lead, 3-2. A sacrifice fly from Nick Erwin put Ohio State back ahead by two, 4-2, and Andrews scored one more run for the Buckeyes to give them a three-run lead, 5-2.
The Ohio State lead, however, was short-lived; a solo homerun and a two-RBI double from GCU in the bottom of the eighth tied the score once again, 5-5.
Hunter Rosson was walked to lead-off the ninth, but a double play and a pop up ended the inning for the Buckeyes.
A two-run homerun from the Lopes in the bottom of the ninth inning clinched the 7-5 walk-off win and a series sweep.

Buckeyes by the Numbers

Andrews led the Buckeyes at the plate, going 3-for-4. He also scored a team-high three runs.
McAlister had two hits on the night.
Starter Gavin Bruni had a strong outing; he tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and gave up just three hits. He fanned three in the no-decision.
Jacob Gehring (0-2) took the loss, giving up two runs on one hit.

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