Ohio State Downed By Sun Devils

Friday, February 23

Tempe, AZ

8:30 PM

Ohio State

3-3

Arizona State University

4-2

Ohio State

Arizona State

Ohio State Downed By Sun Devils

2/24/2024 1:08:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Ohio State baseball team (3-3) was defeated by the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-2), 14-4, on Friday night, evening the teams' series at one game apiece with two games left to go.

Game Recap

The game started quickly for the Buckeyes, with Trey Lipsey hitting a lead-off home run deep over the wall in right center field to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the second, however, the Sun Devils answered. A solo home run, a score on a Buckeye error and two RBI singles gave Arizona State the lead, 4-1.
With one out on the board in the top of the fourth, Mitchell Okuley hit a line drive to right field, but there was nothing else doing for the Buckeyes and they remained behind by three.
The Sun Devils took a 5-1 lead over Ohio State after another RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth, Josh Stevenson homered to right center to cut the Sun Devil lead to three, 5-2. Zach Fjelstad was next at the plate, and he singled to right field. With two outs, Henry Kaczmar doubled to left field to put himself and Fjelstad in scoring position, but the next Buckeye up grounded out and they were stranded.
Arizona State tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth, sending one across on a sacrifice fly to take back a four-run lead, 6-2. The Sun Devils continued their offensive momentum in the sixth, scoring three runs off an RBI single and a two-run home run to get ahead, 9-2.
With one out in the top of the seventh, Fjelstad reached base and advanced to second on an ASU error. Lipsey was walked with two outs and he and Fjelstad advanced bases on a wild pitch. Kaczmar then walked to load the bases for the Buckeyes. Another wild pitch from the Sun Devils scored Fjelstad and an RBI single from Tyler Pettorini sent Lipsey home, bringing the Buckeyes within five runs of the lead, 9-4.
Arizona State, however, had a big bottom of the seventh, scoring four more runs to get ahead of Ohio State, 13-4. The Sun Devils added one more run in the bottom of the eighth and held the Buckeyes scoreless in the ninth to come away with the 14-4 win and tie the series, 1-1.

Buckeyes by the Numbers

Lipsey and Stevenson have each homered in both games of the series so far.
Lipsey, Kaczmar, Pettorini, Okuley, Stevenson and Fjelstad combined for the Buckeyes' six hits on the night.
Lipsey scored a team-high two runs.
Colin Purcell (1-1) took the loss on the mound. He struck out two and gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits in 3.1 innings pitched.

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