Ohio State senior infielder Tyler Pettorini (42) celebrates his home run to make it 2-0 against Eastern Michigan Tuesday. The Buckeyes beat the Eagles 13-7. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes finished off their home slate in convincing fashion.
Behind a 13-run, 16-hit performance, Ohio State downed Eastern Michigan, 13-7 Tuesday at Bill Davis Stadium.
The first five in the Buckeye batting order finished a combined 8-for-22, with each player recording a multi-hit game.
Head coach Justin Haire credited his players’ desire to be coached for their success at the plate.
“They want to get better and improve,” Haire said. “They show up every day with that attitude, and I think that when they do that, they feel prepared when they go into the game.”
Ohio State played from in front all game as it struck for three runs in the first, led by a two-run homer from second baseman Tyler Pettorini.
The Buckeyes followed that with five runs in the second, thanks to a two-run double from Pettorini and a two-run single from first baseman Will Carpenter.
Pettorini finished the day 4-for-6 with 4 RBI, tying a career-high in both hits and RBI. And the senior credited his focus for his explosive afternoon.
“I was focused on staying back and swinging at the right pitches,” Pettorini said. “Relaxing in the box.”
Ohio State continued to score over the next three innings, adding five runs between the third and the fifth, but the Eagles got on the board and scored four in that span. However, Eastern Michigan still trailed 12-4 going into the sixth.
That’s when the big inning came for the Eagles, though, as they loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and struck for three runs to cut their deficit to five, flipping the momentum.
But it was quickly halted.
The Western Michigan offense went dormant, and the Buckeyes added an insurance run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from catcher Matthew Graveline before claiming a 13-7 victory.
“Baseball is a game of momentum,” Haire said. “The more we keep it on our side, the better.”
Ohio State (5-9) heads on the road to open Big Ten play against Indiana (8-9, 1-2 Big Ten) for a three-game series, beginning Friday in Bloomington, Indiana, at 6 p.m. The game streams on Big Ten+.
