Ohio State junior Noah West (8) runs towards third base as he scores the first run of the game against the Lipscomb Bison on March 15, 2019 at Bill Davis Stadium. Credit: Sal Marandino | For The Lantern
The Ohio State baseball team was plagued by sloppy play, as it dropped Game 2 at home to Lipscomb.
Ohio State (8-10) fell to Lipscomb (10-7) 9-3. In a game that included 17 walks, Bisons sophomore pitcher Max Habegger provided consistent pitching to keep the Buckeyes at bay to record his second win of the year.
Habegger entered the game in the sixth inning, with Lipscomb leading 5-2. He would go on to strikeout six batters in three innings of work.
“Their guys came in and executed and we got out pitched in the backend of the ballgame,” Ohio State head coach Greg Beals said.
After sophomore starting pitcher Noah Thompson walked five batters and provided the Buckeyes with multiple scoring opportunities, Habegger did not surrender a single walk.
“We were offensively in a couple positions where we could’ve made a difference,” Beals said.
The Ohio State pitching staff hit two batters and walked 12, the most this season.
Beals noted that his team only surrendered four free bases in the win on Friday.
Two walks and an error put Ohio State sophomore pitcher Griffan Smith in a one-out jam in the first inning. With the bases loaded, a hard ground ball hit to redshirt junior second baseman Matt Carpenter resulted in a double play to prevent any damage.
Three consecutive walks loaded the bases for the Buckeyes with one out in the bottom of the second inning. Thompson struck out the next two batters in order to keep the game scoreless.
A diving catch by Lipscomb sophomore center fielder Maddux Houghton kept the game hitless after three innings.
After Thompson’s fifth walk of the game, the Buckeyes had the bases loaded for the second time in the game. A sacrifice fly ball by redshirt senior designated hitter Nate Romans broke the deadlock and allowed senior left fielder Brady Cherry to score the first run of the game.
Thompson was able to prevent any further damage in the inning. He would finish the game with one run allowed and one hit in four innings pitched.
A pair of walks brought Smith’s total up to six walks on the day and put runners on first and second with two outs. A double off the wall in left center field by redshirt senior left fielder Tevin Symonette brought in two runs to take the lead.
Symonette scored off a double by senior third baseman Zeke Dodson to increase the score to 3-1 before Smith could record the third out by strikeout to stop the bleeding.
Smith would finish the game with three earned runs and two hits in five innings pitched. Coming into the game with only five walks allowed on the season, he walked six against Lipscomb.
Ohio State junior right fielder Dominic Canzone was able to bring in junior shortstop Noah West with a sacrifice fly ball to right field, cutting the deficit in half.
After a wild pitch allowed another run to score, a blooper to center field by junior catcher Jarrett O’Leary resulted in a single and another run, increasing Lipscomb’s lead to three heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
A one-out double off the wall in right field by West put a runner in scoring position for the Buckeyes. Canzone produced a big two-out triple off the center field wall to make the score 5-3 through seven innings.
A silver lining for the Buckeyes came in the eighth inning when senior second baseman Kobie Foppe pinch hit for Romans and recorded his third hit of the season on a two-out single.
“I’ll take anything at this point right now. I just want to see something go through. Anything. A little bit of confidence will help out,” Foppe said.
Foppe had come into the game hitting only .056 on the season.
After a single and a pair of walks loaded the bases with no outs, Lipscomb senior first baseman Cade Sorrells crushed a grand slam down the right field line to balloon the score to 9-3 in the ninth inning.
Ohio State and Lipscomb will play for the series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.
