Sunday against the Sooners the Buckeyes came back from a 3-0 deficit with a five-run third inning and, despite repeated attempts and threats by Oklahoma, never surrendered the lead while securing one of the more significant wins for the program in the last few years. The Buckeyes added three runs in the fifth and seventh innings, and an insurance run in the ninth to build upon an 11-9 lead.
Ohio State was terrific at the plate with 16 hits, including six doubles and a home run. Six Buckeyes had multiple hit games: Tyler Pettorini had 3 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored; Matthew Graveline had 3 hits, a run and an RBI; Nick Erwin had 2 hits, 3 RBI and scored a run; Kade Kern had 2 hits, 3 RBI and a run scored; Mitchell Okuley had 2 hits and 2 runs scored; and Marcus Ernst had 2 hits and an RBI. Henry Kaczmar scored twice.
Jonah Jenkins pitched 3.2 innings of two-hit, two-run ball to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the season. He was the first of five relief pitchers for the Buckeyes who combined to pitch 7.1 innings and hold the lead against a potent Sooner offense that left 13 runners on base. Freshman Landon Beidelschies pitched 1.2 innings without allowing a run to pick up the save.
How This Win Happened …
- Oklahoma scored three times in the first inning off three walks, two errors, a hit batter and a lone single off Ohio State starter Gavin Bruni.
- Ohio State staggered the Sooners in the third inning with five runs off three hits. Catcher Matthew Graveline singled to left center to score Ohio State’s first run.
- Then Tyler Pettorini doubled to right to score two more and Nick Erwin singled to score yet two more runs and Ohio State clawed back to take a 5-3 lead.
- After Oklahoma tied it with two runs in its half of the fourth inning, Ohio State came right back with three in the fifth to reclaim the lead at 8-5.
- Back-to-back, fifth-inning doubles by Pettorini and Irwin and a single from Josh McAlister plated two runs. McAlister then stole second and scored on Marcus Ernst’s double down the right field line.
- Jonah Jenkins kept the Sooner bats rather silent through 3.2 innings pitched into the sixth inning. He allowed just two hits and two runs after relieving Bruni in the second inning.
- Jenkins was removed following a one out walk in the sixth inning with LHP Blayne Robinson coming into the game. After walking the first batter he faced, Robinson then got out of the jam with an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
- A two-out, three-run home run by Kade Kern increased Ohio State’s lead to 11-5 in the seventh inning with Mitchell Okuley and Henry Kaczmar, who had previously singled and walked, respectively, also scoring on the play.
- Nolan Clegg relieved Robinson in the bottom of the seventh. He allowed a couple of Sooner runs on three hits but got an inning-ending strikeout to keep the Buckeyes in front by four, 11-7.
- Oklahoma chipped away at the lead again in its half of the eighth against Ohio State pitchers Wyatt Loncar and Landon Beidelschies. The Sooners scored twice off two hit batsmen, a walk and two singles to close to within 11-9.
- Big time play and clutch play by the Buckeyes followed. Mitchell Okuley lead off the ninth with a single and was sacrificed to second by McAlister. Kaczmar then singled on the first pitch to score Okuley and the Buckeyes went into the bottom of the ninth with a 12-9 advantage.
- Beidelschies soon found himself in a tough predicament in the bottom of the ninth: two men on with nobody out thanks to a leadoff single and a walk. But he struck out the next two batters and got a fly out to right to end the game and give him his second save as a Buckeye.
Game/Season Notes
- A crowd of 5,410 was on hand for the game.
- Pitcher Isaiah Coupet, outfielder Kade Kern and DH Tyler Pettorini were each named to the Frisco Classic All-Tournament team.
- Ohio State’s five-run fifth inning tied its highest-scoring inning of the season. The team previously scored five in the fifth inning of the 10-5 win over UConn in Game 4 of the season. Twice – in a loss to UConn and the win Friday over Mississippi State – the team scored four runs in one inning.
#GoBucks
