Buckeyes Bounce Back with 5-3 Win Over Cal Poly

Sunday, March 10

San Luis Obispo, CA

4:00 PM

Ohio State

7-6

Cal Poly

6-8

Ohio State

Cal Poly

Buckeyes Bounce Back with 5-3 Win Over Cal Poly

3/10/2024 7:49:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Ohio State baseball team (7-6) bounced back with a 5-3 victory over Cal Poly (6-8) on Sunday after falling behind 2-0 in the teams' scheduled four-game series.

Game Recap

In the top of the first inning with one out on the board, Henry Kaczmar picked up the first hit of the game for the Buckeyes, singling up the middle and extending his hit streak to 12 games. Matthew Graveline followed that up with a single through the left side. A single from Tyler Pettorini scored Kaczmar to put the Buckeyes on the board. Graveline, who advanced to third on the Pettorini single, scored on a wild pitch to give Ohio State a 2-0 lead. A long two-out double to right center field from Joseph Mershon plated Pettorini and gave the Buckeyes the early 3-0 lead over the Mustangs.
The Mustangs got one across on an RBI single in the bottom of the first, but the Buckeyes led by two, 3-1.
Ryan Miller smoked a double down the right field line with one out on the board in the top of the second inning. Trey Lipsey then singled to left field, advancing Miller to third base. Lipsey stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Miller scored on a groundout from Kaczmar to put the Buckeyes back ahead by three, 4-1. A double from Graveline that hit the wall in right field sent Lipsey home and gave Ohio State a 5-1 lead over the Cal Poly.
In the top of the third, Zach Fjelstad hit a two-out single up the middle, but there was nothing else doing for the Buckeyes and the score remained the same.
In the bottom of the fourth, Cal Poly added a run on and RBI double to cut the Buckeye lead back to three, 5-2.
Mershon picked up another hit in the sixth frame, singling up the middle to lead off the inning.
A solo home run from the Mustangs in the bottom of the seventh inning put them within two runs of the Ohio State lead, 5-3.
In the top of the ninth, Kaczmar singled to right center, but the Mustangs got the next two outs to end the away half of the inning.
Closer Justin Eckhardt came out to the mound for the bottom of the ninth. He faced four batters, striking out one and allowing one hit, but the Buckeyes held Cal Poly off to earn the 5-3 victory.

Buckeyes by the Numbers

Kaczmar, Graveline and Mershon led the Buckeyes in hits with two each.
Lipsey, Graveline and Pettorini each had one stolen base.
Gavin Bruni (2-0) earned the win. He struck out two and gave up two runs on four hits in 5.0 innings pitched.
Reliever Blaine Wynk fanned a career-high five batters in 3.0 innings tossed. He allowed one run on two hits.
Eckhardt earned his third save of the season.

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