The Ohio State baseball team (28-23, 12-11 Big Ten) earn an 11-5 win against Rutgers (27-25, 5-18 Big Ten) on Friday to secure a series win against the Scarlet Knights. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
With the season on the line, sophomore catcher Matthew Graveline delivered a crucial three-run home run to lift the Buckeyes over the Scarlet Knights.
In a game that took ten innings to decide, Ohio State (27-23, 11-11 Big Ten) outlasted Rutgers (27-24, 5-17 Big Ten) 6-3 to improve its Big Ten Tournament odds.
Ohio State was tied for eighth place in the Big Ten with Maryland and Michigan State coming into Thursday’s contest, so a win was important to help their chances of making the tournament.
As the night unfolded, not only did the Buckeyes pull away with a victory, but both the Terrapins and Spartans suffered losses, further increasing Ohio State’s chances to make the playoffs.
The Buckeyes now sit at 11-11 in the Big Ten, while Maryland, Michigan State and Penn State all sit one game below at 10-12. Two of the four teams will make the tournament.
Ohio State sophomore ace Landon Beidelschies and Rutgers graduate and starting pitcher Sonny Fauci dueled for seven innings apiece. Beidelschies struck out seven and gave up three runs on five hits, while Fauci struck out five and gave up two runs on three hits.
The Buckeyes grabbed an early lead in the first inning when freshman utility-man Isaac Cadena hit a ground ball to score junior outfielder Trey Lipsey.
In the second inning, Ohio State extended its lead after a Scarlet Knight throwing error plated graduate and second baseman Joseph Mershon, making the score 2-0.
Rutgers got on the board in the fourth inning after graduate and outfielder Pete Durocher hit an RBI double down the left field line to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to one.
The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the sixth inning when sophomore infielder Tony Santa Maria smashed a two-run homer over the left-field fence to give the Scarlet Knights their first lead at 3-2.
Rutgers remained in the lead until the top of the ninth inning when Ohio State was down to its final out. On a 3-2 count, sophomore shortstop Henry Kaczmar made just enough contact with the ball to force an error by Scarlet Knight second baseman Cameron Love. Junior outfielder Nick Giamarusti scored on the error to tie the game up at 3-3, sending the game to extra innings.
In the top of the tenth inning, with two men on base and two outs, Graveline stepped up to bat and placed a three-run, go-ahead home run over the right-field fence, putting the Buckeyes ahead 6-3.
Sophomore reliever Blaine Wynk came in to relieve Beidelschies in the eighth inning, and he went on to deliver three straight scoreless innings to shut down the Scarlet Knights and earn the win.
The Buckeyes will look to clinch a Big Ten Tournament berth in the final two games of the series. Both games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus, with the first Friday at 3 p.m. and the second Saturday at 11 a.m.
