Senior utility player Hunter Rosson scores to ensure the Buckeyes’ fourth consecutive game with a home run during Ohio State’s matchup against the University of Cincinnati Tuesday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
In their 100th all-time matchup, the Buckeyes outlasted the Bearcats to win 12-6 at Bill Davis Stadium Tuesday night.
Ohio State (21-20, 7-8 Big Ten) got back over .500 after back-to-back wins, while Cincinnati (25-20, 11-10 Big 12) fell behind early and only accumulated five hits.
After surrendering 34 runs against Michigan State in three games, the Buckeye pitching unit only gave up one earned run spanning nine innings. Head coach Bill Mosiello said this was a much-needed momentum booster heading into other high-competition games.
The rise of Hunter Rosson, however, has proved to be the Buckeyes’ biggest storyline over the last week. The senior utility man has slashed four home runs in four straight games while recording 22 RBIs in the past six games.
”I’ve never really seen a run like this,” Mosiello said. “I’m just gonna keep rolling him out there and keep feeding some magic.”
In the bottom of the first inning, an RBI single from Rosson gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the contest, followed by an RBI hit-by-pitch from graduate second baseman Joseph Mershon.
The Bearcats came storming back in the top of the second inning, as a sacrifice fly and a pair of two-run home runs from junior pitcher and first baseman Tommy O’Connor — who has also pitched throughout the season — and redshirt senior catcher Alec Jones put Cincinnati up 5-2.
Ohio State quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from sophomore shortstop Henry Kaczmar and a sacrifice fly from Rosson to right field, which effectively cut the Bearcat lead to one.
The Buckeyes’ bats wouldn’t stop there. An RBI triple from Mershon hit off the outfield wall, starting an Ohio State rally in the third inning.
Freshman catcher Mason Eckelman continued the scoring with a single to plate Mershon. Junior outfielder Nick Giamarusti kept up the Buckeyes’ success with an RBI triple of his own to score Eckelman.
Rosson then stepped up to the plate and blasted a three-run bomb, giving him his fifth RBI of the game and Ohio State a commanding 10-5 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, Bearcat graduate left fielder Hunter Jessee smashed a single to right field to score one, shrinking the Buckeye lead to four at 10-6.
Both offenses were held scoreless from the fifth to the seventh inning behind strong pitching performances from two freshmen, Ohio State’s Chase Herrell and University of Cincinnati’s Drew Erdmann.
In the bottom of the eighth, a sacrifice fly from Mershon and Eckelman’s second RBI single of the day extended the Buckeye lead to six.
Eckelman has sat behind sophomore starting catcher Matthew Graveline for the majority of the season, and he said he feels as if their relationship has only helped him grow defensively and offensively.
“[Graveline] is one of the best guys I’ve ever met, and I couldn’t be more happy to be trailing somebody like him,” Eckelman said. “It’s been awesome having a guy that has such a high level of skill take me in.”
Captain and graduate pitcher Justin Eckhardt came in to close the game in the ninth, forcing a double play to end the Ohio in-state battle with a final score of 12-6.
Herrell subsequently earned his second win of the season, striking out four batters and allowing one run on two hits in just over three innings pitched.
The Buckeyes’ offense has been nearly unstoppable as of late, scoring 72 runs in the past seven games. Giamarusti, who went 2-3 to raise his average to .314, said it’s much easier to win when everybody’s hitting well.
”Momentum is hard to stop,” Giamarusti said. “You see everyone else hitting around you and it just makes you want to lock in more and help your team out to win.”
The Buckeyes will be back in action at Nick Swisher Field Wednesday at 6 p.m. versus Akron before heading to Illinois for a series against the Fighting Illini this weekend.
