Freshman catcher Mason Eckleman and graduate captain Justin Eckhardt after the Buckeyes’ 4-3 win against Oklahoma University Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten) went 2-0 in the Las Vegas Baseball Classic against the regional-seeking California Golden Bears (7-3, 0-0 PAC-12) and Oklahoma Sooners (5-5, 0-0 Big 12) at Las Vegas Ballpark in Las Vegas.
The Buckeyes opened the weekend with a 9-4 blowout victory over the Golden Bears Friday and a comeback win against the Sooners Sunday; both games featured great pitching performances.
“Our guys pitch whenever they are asked,” head coach Bill Mosiello said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to win.”
In his third start of the season, sophomore closer-turned-starter Landon Beidelschies retired three straight Golden Bears in just eight pitches to begin the game. His control remained dominant throughout the contest.
”I think overall, my command was the best it’s been so far this year,” Beidelschies said.
Ohio State jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first as catcher Matthew Graveline doubled home two runs to make the score 2-0. Outfielder Josh Stevenson followed up with a sacrifice fly to bring in Graveline, extending the Buckeye lead to 3-0.
The game remained quiet until the bottom of the third when the Buckeyes erupted for five runs, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple by junior outfielder Trey Lipsey. This hit helped land Lipsey onto the Las Vegas Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team.
After five scoreless innings, California finally got on the board in the top of the sixth with a solo home run and an RBI single to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to six, 8-2.
Ohio State added another run in the home half of the sixth inning with a blistering RBI single by graduate outfielder Mitchell Okuley, making the score 9-2.
The Golden Bears scored two more in the top of the eighth inning, but their comeback was unsuccessful, ending the game with a 9-4 final.
Beidelschies fanned a career-high eight batters in six innings pitched, which was good enough for a spot on the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team as the best pitcher.
Ohio State’s three-game tournament turned into two games after the cancellation of its matchup against the University of Pittsburgh due to weather on Saturday.
To end the Las Vegas tournament, the Buckeyes rallied in the ninth inning to give them a 4-3 victory over Oklahoma Sunday, giving Ohio State a 2-0 record at the Classic.
The Buckeyes’ offense started the game with a 1-0 lead after an RBI single up the middle by junior Tyler Pettorini.
In the top of the third inning, Okuley added another RBI to his weekend with an infield single to send sophomore infielder Henry Kaczmar home, making the score 2-1. In the home half of the third, the Sooners gathered two runs off of a Buckeye error, giving them a 3-2 advantage.
The next five innings saw the Buckeye bullpen face off against the Sooners as the game turned into a pitching duel. Both teams combined for a mere four hits and zero runs in the five innings.
The game remained 3-2 until the top of the ninth inning. Ohio State was down to its last out when Pettorini shot a hard ground ball to third, resulting in an error and an Oklahoma run. Okuley was next up, and he worked a seven-pitch walk to send the game-winning run home, making the score 4-3 Ohio State.
In his fifth year playing for the Buckeyes, Okuley now has his routine down for clutch opportunities, he said.
”In between every pitch, I’ll step out of the box and kind of sweep my feet on the ground,” Okuley said. “I hit my bat on the ground to release everything and then take a nice deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose.”
Captain pitcher Justin Eckhardt closed the doors in the bottom of the ninth to give the Buckeyes a 4-3 victory and earn his second save of the season.
Freshman reliever Gavin DeVooght tossed 1.1 innings for the Buckeyes and got the win. Senior pitcher Colin Purcell fanned four Sooners and allowed zero runs in his 3.1 innings on the mound, earning him a spot beside Beidelschies as the top reliever on the All-Tournament Team.
Kaczmar also found himself a spot on the All-Tournament Team after he singled in the ninth-inning rally. He remained on base yet still felt the energy in the clubhouse, he said.
”The atmosphere was awesome,” Kaczmar said. “It was one of the coolest wins I’ve ever been a part of.”
Mosiello scheduled these difficult games to find their identity, and Kaczmar knew this, he said.
”I told a few of the starters that we have an opportunity to really show people who we are with this trip,” Kaczmar said. “ And in this final game, I think we did that in a pretty positive way.”
The Buckeyes travel to California this weekend for a four-game series against the 3-7 Cal Poly Mustangs.
