Ohio State junior left-handed pitcher Seth Lonsway (11) pitches during the Ohio State-Indiana game on Apr. 3. Ohio State won 6-0. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Former Chicago Cubs infielder Ernie Banks famously said, “Let’s play two!”
If the Buckeyes could repeat their Saturday success, they would share Banks’ enthusiasm.
Ohio State (11-7) swept Indiana (11-6) in the two-game set Saturday, getting contributions from the offense, the pitching staff and a few gifts from Indiana’s poor defensive play. Similar to Friday, the Buckeyes struck first and buried the Hoosiers in each of the two matchups.
“As a team that’s what we’re trying to do, we’re trying to collectively climb,” head coach Greg Beals said. “We’re climbing in the standings, but we’re climbing towards our peak.”
Game 1:
Redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Seth Lonsway said he had the same thing for breakfast, not changing his routine, but there was nothing normal about his performance.
Lonsway, appropriately nicknamed “LonsK,” set a new career high with 17 strikeouts — one shy of Ohio State’s seven-inning strikeout record — in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, charging the Buckeyes to a 6-0 win over Indiana. Beals said Lonsway’s performance was stellar.
“It speaks for itself, he was dominating,” Beals said. “Seth has got dynamic stuff and he was absolutely on today.”
Lonsway started out the game by striking out the side in each of the first three frames, recording an immaculate inning in the second — when a pitcher throws nine strikes on nine pitches, striking out all three hitters.
The only blemish on Lonsway’s start came when he allowed a pair of baserunners in the third inning on a single and a walk.
Senior catcher Archer Brookman came out and calmed him down after a four-pitch walk and a 2-0 count to Indiana junior designated hitter Drew Ashley. Lonsway responded by sitting Ashley down on the next three pitches and striking out freshman left fielder Sam Murrison.
“We’re working together, talking things out and understanding what’s working, what’s not, attacking different batters,” Lonsway said. “We’ve been in a really, really good relationship working together. I love working with him, he did a great job today behind the plate.”
The Buckeyes struck early like Friday’s performance, putting the Hoosiers on their heels after scoring three runs in the first two frames.
Junior shortstop Zach Dezenzo hit a no-doubt home run in the top of the first, followed in the fifth by redshirt senior first baseman Conner Pohl, who hit a solo blast of his own.
The other three runs for Ohio State were unearned, as Indiana committed four errors.
The first came on a safety squeeze bunt by Brookman in the second with Indiana redshirt senior first baseman Jordan Fucci committing a throwing error on the flip to the catcher.
The other two unearned runs came on a double down the left field line from senior designated hitter Sam Wilson, following a dropped infield popup by Indiana freshman second baseman Paul Toetz.
Game 2:
In a 3-2 game in the bottom of the seventh and the bases loaded, Pohl stepped to the plate.
The Hoosiers were shifted toward the right side of the infield and Pohl hit a hard grounder up the middle that went between the legs of Indiana junior shortstop Grant Macciocchi, allowing two runs to score on Indiana’s sixth error of the afternoon.
That propelled the Buckeyes to a 5-2 victory over Indiana, sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader and moving to two games back for first in the Big Ten.
“Whenever you’re in a one-run game, things are a little tight,” sophomore outfielder Mitchell Okuley said. “If you can bring it to a little more than that, you can definitely bring some weight off your shoulders.”
The start of the second game was very similar to the first.
Ohio State junior right-handed pitcher Jack Neely struck out the side in the top of the first, then the first two Buckeye batters got out in the bottom half.
Then, with two outs in the bottom of the first, Dezenzo snuck a ball over the wall in the right field corner — his second of the day and third of the year.
Okuley followed three batters later with a chopping RBI single to right field, plating Pohl.
“In the first inning, we set the tone in both games today,” Dezenzo said. “It was really good for us to come out hot out of the gates.”
Ohio State’s second solo round-tripper of the game came in the bottom of the fourth off the bat of Okuley, tying Pohl for the team lead at five home runs.
Indiana picked up a pair of runs, both coming via the long ball in the fourth and fifth innings from Macciocchi and junior infielder Cole Barr, respectively.
The second home run chased Neely, but senior left-handed reliever Griffan Smith, who earned the win, tossed 3.1 innings of one-hit ball and kept the game in the Buckeyes’ hands.
“How big was that for our ballclub? To bridge from your starter to the back-end of your bullpen, and Griffan did that,” Beals said. “It’s a heck of a commodity out in the bullpen to have a guy like that.”
The Buckeyes are going for the four-game series sweep against Indiana Sunday at 2:05 p.m. Junior right-handed pitcher Will Pfennig is slated to toe the rubber for the Buckeyes against sophomore right-hander Gabe Bierman on BTN+.
