Freshman Chase Herrell (34) pitches during the matchup against Iowa on April 13th, 2024, at Ohio State. The Buckeyes fell to the Hawkeyes 3-2. Credit: David Skovira | Lantern Reporter
The Buckeyes achieved a winning record in conference play this weekend after a windy series with the Hawkeyes.
Ohio State (17-15, 5-4 Big Ten) took the series opener before losing a heartbreak loss on Saturday. However, the Buckeyes mercy-ruled Iowa (18-15, 6-6 Big Ten) on Sunday in eight innings to capture a series win and a much-needed step in the right direction, head coach Bill Mosiello said.
“We’re starting to sustain playing really good baseball,” Mosiello said. “It’s great for us. We’ve got to keep stacking winning series.”
On Friday, behind aggressive baserunning and graduate second baseman Joseph Mershon’s best game as a Buckeye, Ohio State beat Iowa 8-5.
In the bottom of the second, the Buckeyes struck first when junior designated hitter Nick Giamarusti sent a fly ball to right field which ended up getting blown by the 40 mph wind gusts, resulting in a home run to give Ohio State a 2-0 lead.
The Buckeyes added two more on aggressive baserunning in the third. Sophomore shortstop Henry Kaczmar sent a ball down the right field line to start the inning before getting waved onto third to give him a sliding triple and put him 90 feet away from scoring.
Catcher Matthew Graveline followed a Kaczmar hit-up with a double of his own, making the score 3-0. With one out, Mershon hit a single to left to advance Graveline. On the next play, Mershon baited a throw to first base before Graveline sneaked in for a run-scoring double steal.
Sophomore ace Landon Beidelschies was storming through innings before an Iowa lead-off solo home run by third baseman Raider Tello in the top of the fourth inning cut the Buckeye lead to three. To start the fifth, the Hawkeyes scored two more on an RBI double and RBI groundout to put the score at 4-3.
In the back half of the inning, the Buckeyes scored two after an RBI single from captain Mitchell Okuley plated Graveline. Mershon swiped home on a wild pitch.
The Hawkeyes crept back within two in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, leaving the score at 6-4.
A single by Mershon scored third baseman Tyler Pettorini in the home half of the sixth and Mershon followed that up in the eighth, smacking a double to left center to bring in Kaczmar and give the Buckeyes an 8-4 lead.
The Hawkeyes grabbed one more in the ninth, but the game ended with an 8-5 victory.
Beidelschies earned the win on the mound, fanning seven and allowing four runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Sophomore Blaine Wynk gave up one run and earned a rare three-inning save.
The real hero of the game was Mershon, who swiped three bags and ended the game with a season-high four hits and two RBIs. Mosiello said this was the reason why Mershon was recruited.
”He’s doing it all,” Mosiello said. “This game is looking easy for him right now, so we’ll take advantage of that.”
For the stolen bases, Mershon said Mosiello always preaches confidence on the basepath.
“Coach Mo just talks all the time about being aggressive and playing them, not letting them play us,” Mershon said.
In game two, the Buckeyes lost a very even battle between the teams’ pitching units.
The game remained quiet until the top of the third when the Hawkeyes scored on a catcher’s interference and a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0.
Ohio State crawled back within one in the bottom half of the inning when Kaczmar hit a towering home run shot to dead center, putting the score at 2-1.
Junior Gavin Bruni had his best start of the season, fanning six and allowing two runs on three hits in 5.0 innings pitched.
In the top of the seventh, the Hawkeyes brought the lead back to two after an RBI fielder’s choice. In the bottom of the seventh, freshman designated hitter Isaac Cadena hit his first home run of his collegiate career over the right field fence.
The Buckeyes fought in the bottom of the ninth but were shut down by Iowa reliever Benjamin DeTaeye, losing the game in devastating fashion, 3-2.
For Mosiello, this loss was just the definition of college baseball, he said.
”We had a great baseball game; we played really good defense, pitched really, really good today, we just didn’t find a way to win,” Mosiello said.
In the rubber match on Sunday, blue skies and 70-degree weather covered Bill Davis Stadium as the Buckeyes earned an 11-1 dominating victory.
The pitching bout was between freshman Buckeye Gavin DeVooght and junior standout Brody Brecht for the Hawkeyes. Brecht was seen as a top MLB prospect coming into the 2024 season.
The first inning saw the Hawkeyes score their only point of the game off an RBI single to make the score 1-0.
In the bottom of the second, the Buckeyes captured the lead after center fielder Josh Stevenson drew a walk to send Okuley home and junior Trey Lipsey hit a single to drive in Mershon, ending the second with a 2-1 Ohio State advantage.
DeVooght threw his longest outing of the year, but he ran into trouble coming out in the fifth inning. Pitcher Jacob Morin came in for relief and pitched his way out of the jam. Trust is important when it comes to the pitching staff, DeVooght said.
“I walked two, which is not ideal, but the guys behind me, I trust them to get out of it so that was great,” DeVooght said.
Morin continued his dominance out of the bullpen in his fourth-straight, no-run appearance. Mosiello said Morin’s work ethic is what stands out.
”He wants to pitch every day,” Mosiello said. “He’s a fantastic competitor and he’s got a huge track record.”
The Buckeyes scored again off of a walk in the bottom of the fourth, which doubled their lead to two, 3-1.
Ohio State exploded for three hits in the bottom of the fifth, first a solo shot from Okuley; next a two-run, 453-foot bomb from first baseman Ryan Miller; and Lipsey followed it up with a two-run home run from himself. This gave the Buckeyes an 8-1 lead.
Miller’s ball struck the parking lot over the left field fence of Nick Swisher Field. This was his first home run at Bill Davis Stadium and the longest the stadium has seen in years. Miller said he built confidence from his teammate’s performance.
“Seeing your teammates do well and having kind of a team-first mentality to support my teammates is only going to help myself,” Miller said.
He came back up in the seventh and singled. Stevenson then wanted to be part of the long-ball crew, cracking a ball over the left-field fence to extend the lead to nine, 10-1.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Buckeyes grabbed one more off an RBI fielder’s choice by Stevenson to solidify a 10-run lead and give the Buckeyes a mercy rule win.
What was more important than the win for Ohio State was a 5-4 Big Ten record heading past the midway point of the season. They are currently tied for fifth in the Big Ten. At this time last season, the Buckeyes were 2-7 in the Big Ten and had little to no chance to compete in the tournament.
“It shows you we’re right there with everybody,” Mosiello said.
The Buckeyes are set to battle against Wright State on Tuesday and Kent State on Wednesday before traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the Wolverines with big stakes on the line.
