In a series full of great individual performances, it was the bat of junior shortstop Zach Dezenzo that capped off a dominant weekend for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State (12-7) overcame some costly mistakes early to win the series finale against Indiana (11-7) 4-3 Sunday on Dezenzo’s walk-off single to sweep the four-game set and move into third in the Big Ten.
“That was once in a lifetime for me,” Dezenzo said. “That’s my first walk-off, honestly, in my life, and to do it at this level, at this university for Buckeye nation — even though we had limited capacity — that was such a great experience for me.”
Dezenzo squared up an 0-1 pitch and smacked it into left field for his fourth hit and only RBI of the game, capping off his weekend where was 8-for-15 at the plate with two home runs and four RBI.
Things did not start out so smoothly for him, though.
There were two outs and the bases were loaded for the Hoosiers in the fourth after a single, hit-by-pitch and walk. Senior righty reliever Joe Gahm induced the ever-so helpful groundball, but Dezenzo — ranging to his right — dropped the ball on his transfer, allowing Indiana senior designated hitter Grant Macciocchi to score the game’s first run.
The score stood at 1-0 until head coach Greg Beals had some motivating words for his team in the sixth inning.
“I just said, ‘Guys, man if I’d had told you on Thursday that you had four innings, you’re down one, four innings to go to sweep Indiana,’ and on Thursday you’d have taken it,” Beals said. “I said, ‘Let’s put the first five innings of this game behind us and let’s play these last four innings like we’re playing to sweep the series.’”
Ohio State did just that, responding in the bottom of the sixth on heads-up baserunning from sophomore outfielder Mitchell Okuley.
The bases were loaded for freshman outfielder Kade Kern who popped a ball into foul territory back behind first base. Usually that’s the second baseman’s territory, but Indiana senior first baseman Jordan Fucci ran straight back, making the grab, colliding with freshman second baseman Paul Toetz, allowing Okuley to score.
In the top of the eighth, the Buckeyes were on their heels yet again following another costly error, this time from junior right-handed reliever Bayden Root, who fielded a bunt and made a throwing error to first.
After Root was pulled, graduate lefty reliever Patrick Murphy came out of the bullpen and allowed an RBI double on the first pitch he threw to make it a 3-1 deficit.
Ohio State responded once again in the home half of the eighth, following three hits — one of them from Dezenzo — to tie it 3-3 on Kern’s RBI single.
The Archbold, Ohio, native quietly finished atop the team in RBI on the day with two.
“Up 2-0, as a batter, you’re expecting that fastball, so I was just sitting on that and luckily he threw it to me,” Kern said.
Dezenzo took care of the rest and got the Gatorade bath in the ninth.
“To celebrate with us guys out there, those are my brothers, I love each and every one of them,” Dezenzo said. “It was just an amazing, amazing feeling, a little bit cold, but it was awesome.”
The Buckeyes look to ride their four-game hot streak into Ann Arbor, Michigan, next weekend where they will take on the new conference standings leader in the Wolverines Friday through Sunday.
Photos by Mackenzie Shanklin and Gretchen Rudolph
