The Ohio State baseball team (7-8) lost all three games in the Greenville Drive First Pitch Invitational. The drive from Greenville, South Carolina to Spartanburg, South Carolina did not prove to be refreshing, as the Buckeyes also dropped their fifth-straight game on Tuesday.
Michigan State
The Buckeyes fell to a Michigan State squad fueled by early runs and stellar pitching.
Michigan State (3-10) defeated Ohio State 7-1 on Saturday. Spartans junior pitcher Mike Mokma went the distance in the 11-strikeout win.
Mokma allowed seven hits in his nine innings of work, leaving with a 2.05 ERA on the year.
The Spartans added three runs in the first inning to give Mokma early run support. Senior third baseman Ando Royce had two hits and three RBIs.
Ohio State freshman pitcher Garrett Burhenn picked up his first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 on the year. Burhenn allowed seven runs in five innings.
Freshman pitcher TJ Brock put in three hitless innings of relief for the Buckeyes. He recorded five strikeouts in the process.
Western Carolina
A big inning plagued the Buckeyes, as they dropped their third straight game.
Ohio State fell to Western Carolina (8-5) in a score of 8-5. A five-run seventh inning propelled the Catamounts to a comfortable four-run victory.
Junior right fielder Dominic Canzone hit a solo home run for the Buckeyes, his fourth of the year, to put the Buckeyes up 4-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Ohio State freshman pitcher Mitch Milheim allowed four runs in the bottom of the inning, picking up his first loss of the year.
Despite producing 11 hits, Ohio State stranded 12 baserunners in the loss.
Western Carolina junior pitcher Jacob Corn received his second win of the season, as he allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief.
Furman
Despite producing 10 runs, Ohio State dropped its fourth straight game in dramatic fashion Monday.
The Buckeyes were outscored 11-10 in 10 innings against Furman (4-9). A solo home run by senior first baseman John Boswell ended the game, giving the Paladins its second win in three games.
The Buckeye offense recorded a season-high 15 hits. Four Buckeyes produced at least three hits in the loss.
Ohio State junior first baseman Conner Pohl recorded four hits and one RBI. Senior left fielder Brady Cherry added three RBIs, hitting his fourth home run of the season.
The Buckeyes led 10-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. After two throwing errors put two runners in scoring position, a ground out reduced the lead to one with two outs and put a runner on third.
A single knocked in the tying run to extend the game.
Ohio State freshman pitcher Will Pfenning received the loss. Furman freshman pitcher Rob Hughes picked up his second win of the season; he has no earned runs in 15 innings of work.
Wofford
The Buckeyes could stop the bleeding, dropping their fifth straight in a loss to Wofford.
Ohio State lost 8-6 to Wofford (11-6), despite jumping out to a 5-1 lead through three innings. The Terriers’ offense produced seven runs in the next four innings to secure the lead and ultimately the win.
Wofford sophomore starting pitcher David Yourke struggled early, allowing five earned runs in four innings. The relief for the Terriers rebounded, however, allowing only one run in the final five innings.
The pitching for Ohio State did not excel against a talented Wofford batting order. Freshman third baseman John Dempsey produced three RBIs, including a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Senior left fielder Brady Cherry had a three-hit performance for the Buckeyes that included two RBIs and two doubles. Cherry is now batting .344 on the season.
Ohio State junior pitcher Andrew Magno received the loss, while Wofford junior pitcher Rasesh Pandya earned the win.