Ohio State junior catcher Matthew Graveline makes a catch in the outfield during the game against Rutgers Sunday. The Buckeyes fell to the Scarlet Knights 13-5. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
It’s been a Big Ten season to forget for the Buckeyes. And they certainly want to forget this weekend
Ohio State dropped two out of three games to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Bill Davis Stadium, with its lone win coming Saturday in dominating fashion, 16-8.
The Buckeye defense, which already sat dead last in the Big Ten in runs allowed, gave up another 29 runs on the weekend.
Game One
Behind 17 runs and 13 hits, Rutgers cruised to a 17-4, eight-inning win Friday.
The Scarlet Knights jumped on the board early, loading the bases in the first before designated hitter Jack Sweeney drove in a run on a walk.
Rutgers brought three more runs home in the second, highlighted by a two-run double from center fielder Peyton Bonds.
Ohio State got on the board in the third, as a two-RBI single from second baseman Tyler Pettorini made the score 4-2.
But Bonds struck again, smashing a three-run homer in the fourth to extend the lead to five.
The Buckeyes got one back in the bottom half, as center fielder Reggie Bussey drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to four.
The Scarlet Knights put the game out of reach over the next two innings, plating five more runs to make it 12-3.
Ohio State first baseman Ryan Miller clobbered his fifth homer of the year in the sixth, but that’s all the Buckeyes could muster as Rutgers scored the next five runs, capping off a 17-4 win.
Game Two
The Buckeyes bounced back in Game 2 of the series, defeating Rutgers, 16-8.
Head coach Justin Haire said the team’s all-around ability to bounce back was the difference in Saturday’s game compared to Friday’s.
“The difference was our offense continued to play and continue to score runs and continue to respond,” Haire said. “Then the bullpen was able to come in and stop their momentum.”
The Scarlet Knights raced ahead in the first, taking a 2-0 lead on a wild pitch and a walk before Ohio State responded in the bottom half, scoring four runs, including a two-RBI infield single from designated hitter Sal Mineo.
Rutgers responded in the second, scoring two more runs to tie the game at four.
In the third, Miller hit his second homer of the weekend, scoring two to make it 6-4. The home run marked Miller’s fourth game in a row with a hit and second consecutive with a homer. He credited the hot stretch to the work he’s put in off the field.
“Just getting to work and practice every day, working with Coach Holcomb and Sampler,” Miller said. “Building off days, and putting in good reps, and just taking the positives and the success I’ve had in the past, and melding that with the things I need to work on.”
In the fourth, Rutgers tied the game on a rare two-RBI sacrifice fly after left fielder Matthew Graveline and Bussey collided trying to make the catch.
That’s as close as the Scarlet Knights got, as the Buckeyes scored 10 of the last 12 runs in the game, securing a 16-8 victory.
Game Three
Rutgers secured the series win Sunday, taking the rubber game 13-5.
The Scarlet Knights took advantage of every opportunity, collecting 13 hits while walking six times. Ohio State didn’t help its cause, committing four errors in the field.
Haire said the Buckeyes’ poor defense was a reason for the loss.
“It can be characterized by the fact that we played atrocious defense in the infield, and those errors don’t even account for all the other miscues that don’t get scooped up in the fielding percentage,” Haire said.
The Buckeyes scored the first runs of the game, as Pettorini plated two on a single in the first.
Rutgers came back the next inning and tied the game, as third baseman Pablo Santos lined a single to the outfield, bringing home two runs.
Ohio State regained the lead in the bottom of the second, as a two-run double from Graveline made it a 4-2 game.
That would be the Buckeyes’ last runs until the eighth inning.
The Scarlet Knights dominated the middle innings, holding Ohio State scoreless for five frames while scoring eight runs in that span.
The Buckeyes got a run back in the bottom of the eighth on Graveline’s third hit of the game, but the game was never in doubt for the Scarlet Knights, as Rutgers scored three more runs in the ninth to take the game 13-5.
Haire blamed himself for the team’s misfortunes during the weekend.
“It’s my fault because we clearly don’t have these guys as prepared as we thought we did,” Haire said. “We’ll continue to work on that over these last three plus weeks and do the absolute best we can down the stretch.”
Ohio State (11-30, 3-18 Big Ten) returns to action Tuesday against Central Michigan (17-27, 9-12 MAC) at 6 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. The game will stream on Big Ten+.
