Ohio State junior outfielder Reggie Bussey (4) prepares to take an at-bat during the Buckeyes 12-10 loss to the No. 9 Beavers Sunday. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
It was another tough weekend for Ohio State’s baseball team.
The Buckeyes traveled to Arlington, Texas, for the 2025 College Baseball Series but dropped all three games they played, falling to Auburn, Baylor and No. 9 Oregon State.
Ohio State’s pitching woes continued as the Buckeyes surrendered 33 runs over three days, with 31 of the runs being earned.
Game 1: Auburn
Domination.
Auburn jumped out in front early to defeat Ohio State, 13-0, in seven innings Friday.
The Tigers struck for eight runs in the second inning, sent 12 batters to the plate and grabbed a lead they would never relinquish.
Auburn’s pitching cruised the rest of the way, keeping the Buckeyes off the board. In the fourth through sixth innings, the Tigers added five more runs to secure their commanding victory.
Game 2: Baylor
The Buckeyes battled but couldn’t get over the hump Saturday, dropping an 8-6 game to Baylor.
Ohio State pitcher Chase Herrell gave the Buckeyes three scoreless innings, before he gave up a two-run homer in the fourth inning to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
The Buckeyes got one back in the fifth inning on an error, but another two-run shot for Baylor made it 4-1.
Ohio State then scored three unanswered runs as infielder Marc Stephens singled home a run in the sixth. In the eighth, infielder Tyler Pettorini crushed a two-run blast to tie the game at four.
Still, Baylor never wavered.
Boosted by two walks to begin the inning, the Bears came back in the bottom of the eighth with some timely hits to plate four runs.
The Buckeyes fought hard in the ninth as outfielder Nick Giamarusti cut Baylor’s lead in half with a two-run homer, but that was all they could muster, as Ohio State ultimately fell 8-6.
Game 3: No. 9 Oregon State
Another late lead lost.
After they took a two-run lead in the seventh inning, Ohio State gave up five runs in the eighth en route to a 12-10 loss to No. 9 Oregon State Sunday.
The Beavers jumped on the Buckeyes early and scored four runs in the bottom of the first, but Ohio State quickly struck back to cut the lead in half on a solo homer by catcher Mason Eckelman.
Oregon State responded with three unanswered runs in the second and third innings to build a 7-2 lead.
Even so, the Buckeyes continued to battle.
Infielder Lee Ellis started the Ohio State rally with a solo homer in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to four.
The Buckeyes’ offense exploded in the sixth inning to score five runs and take the lead, highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Matthew Graveline.
Ellis came through with his third RBI of the game, recording a bases-loaded walk in the seventh to give Ohio State a 9-7 lead.
The Buckeyes’ biggest lead, however, would also be their final lead.
Powered by five runs in the bottom of the eighth, Oregon State roared back to take a 12-9 lead.
Ohio State plated one run and brought the tying run to the plate, but it wasn’t enough, as the Buckeyes fell 12-10 to finish the weekend winless.
Ohio State will return home for its home opener against St. John’s (1-8) at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Bill Davis Stadium. The game is set to stream on Big Ten+.
