Ohio State continues its season Friday in State College as they take on Penn State. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes took a step in the right direction after Ohio State’s comeback win Wednesday against Dayton.
Head coach Bill Mosiello and the Buckeyes have won their last three games, beating Maryland, Miami (Ohio) and Dayton. They hope the winning streak continues this weekend against Penn State in State College.
“We got to get out there on Friday night at Penn State and start to put together a good conference record,” Mosiello said. “We need to start sustaining and get some good baseball.”
Ohio State won the season series over the Flyers, battling from behind and scoring four runs in the eighth inning, giving Mosiello and the Buckeyes the confidence they needed heading into the weekend.
“When we do swing the bat, get to the next pitch and try to learn from it,” Mosiello said. “It’s nice to be able to come from behind and get the win.”
The Buckeyes’ strong plate discipline, ability to take walks and timely hitting power them past opponents. Against Dayton, the Buckeyes had 14 walks as a team compared to only 11 strikeouts.
Ohio State also scored all four eighth-inning runs against Dayton with two outs, led by graduate infielder Marcus Ernst’s two-run single that tied the game. The Buckeyes have a plus-seven run differential over the past three games, and their offense has scored at least eight runs in each.
“Hopefully it becomes really contagious, as we need some momentum heading into Friday night against Penn State,” Mosiello said.
Ohio State takes on Penn State for the first time since last season, where the Buckeyes won the series in Columbus, taking two of three games.
Penn State enters the series after winning 10-8 in a midweek game Tuesday against Youngstown State after a series loss to Purdue, losing two out of three games. However, the Nittany Lions get the Buckeyes at home, where they are 10-3 overall.
Leading the pitching staff is Nittany Lions junior right-hander Travis Luensmann, who is 5-2 with 46 strikeouts and a 3.05 ERA.
Graduate utilityman Thomas Bramley and graduate infielder Grant Norris lead the Nittany Lions in batting average, with Bramley batting .331 and Norris .329 for a Penn State team that is third in the conference with a .307 team batting average.
The Buckeyes are led offensively by freshman infielder Henry Kaczmar and graduate catcher Cole Andrews with a combined 57 RBIs.
Junior outfielder Kade Kern will make his third appearance on Friday after being sidelined from April 8 to Tuesday with an injury. Kern said Wednesday returning to the diamond and regaining his form helped him in his 2-for-3 performance, which saw him hit a double and draw two walks.
“It was hard missing the last five games not being out there with the team,” Kern said. “But it’s good getting back out there and competing.”
Kern has not missed a beat since returning, getting four hits in eight at-bats in the last two games with an RBI and two doubles.
Heading into the weekend, Kern said he and the team must remain confident after two come-from-behind victories.
“Two wins from behind shows the character of our team and shows that we can still come back and that’s a big thing,” Kern said. “Confidence is kind of a big thing going into the weekend. We all have high confidence right now.”
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions square off Friday at 6 p.m. BTN+ will broadcast the series.
