Ohio State junior infielder Zach Dezenzo (4) fist bumps senior first baseman Archer Brookman (29) after he scored a run during the Ohio State-Purdue game on May 2. Ohio State lost 15-16. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes offense came to play in their first meetings with Purdue this season, scoring 38 runs in the three-game set.
However, like last weekend against Penn State, Ohio State (17-14) claimed the first two games against Purdue (11-20), but failed to complete the sweep in the finale.
Game 1
The Buckeyes scored in the first inning for the seventh time in 12 home games this season and never looked back.
Ohio State claimed the series opener against Purdue 11-3, scoring in each of its first six innings at the plate.
“I was really happy with the total engagement and energy that our ballclub had on the field, in the dugout, all around,” head coach Greg Beals said. “We just finished exams this week and maybe that’s the load off the back, and our guys certainly acted like it and played like it tonight.”
Purdue junior left-handed pitcher Calvin Schapira helped Ohio State’s offense get going in the first, walking the first two batters he faced, then hitting freshman center fielder Kade Kern with a curveball that caught him in the foot.
Redshirt senior catcher Brent Todys stepped up to the plate with one out, and clubbed a 2-2 pitch to right field to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead after the first.
In the second inning, three consecutive singles with the final blow coming off the bat of junior shortstop Zach Dezenzo scored the Buckeyes’ third run.
Then, to lead off the bottom of the third, redshirt senior first baseman Conner Pohl hit a solo blast to extend the lead to 4-0.
Pohl grabbed his second RBI of the day after swatting a line drive to the gap in left-center field in the bottom of the fourth.
The Arcanum, Ohio native finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and the home run.
“He’s a fifth-year senior, he’s our captain and we need a guy like him to embody the program and how we’re going to go about playing,” Beals said. “He’s hitting home runs because he’s taking good at-bats.”
Also in the fourth, Todys stepped to the plate with one out and runners on second and third. He grounded out to shortstop, but grabbed an RBI on the play.
“I just see [Todys] being a lot more confident,” Pohl said. “For him, confidence is everything. I see his confidence is through the roof right now.”
The back-breaking blow came in the bottom of the sixth, courtesy of Dezenzo’s bases-clearing triple.
Dezenzo finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs.
That was enough for junior right-handed pitcher Garrett Burhenn to work with. He scattered eight hits and four walks across six innings — he has gone at least five innings in each of his nine starts in 2021.
“He’s our Friday guy,” junior third baseman Nick Erwin said. “He goes out there and every week he gives us the same thing: He gives us a really competitive start, grinds to the end and doesn’t give up.”
He ran into some trouble in the sixth, allowing a two-out, two-RBI single from Purdue redshirt freshman outfielder Jack Firestone. With his pitch count up over 120 pitches and Firestone on third, Burhenn struck out sophomore designated hitter Mike Bolton Jr. to get out of the inning.
“I wanted him to work out of that, I wanted him to get six innings and three runs or less and have a quality start,” Beals said. “He had to do a little more work, but we got him to that spot and really happy. Again, a workman-type performance from Garrett Burhenn.”
Game 2
Ohio State hitters were just 4-for-17 at the plate heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but pulled it together, scoring four two-out runs to put the game out of reach.
The Buckeyes claimed Saturday’s affair 12-2 after another four-RBI day from Dezenzo and two homers from senior catcher Archer Brookman.
“We were looking for opportunities to complement our offense, and when you do that, I think it takes a little bit of pressure off the bats,” Beals said. “When our bats are not under pressure and feel a little freer and know that there’s other things going on to complement our offense, our bats are feeding off of that as well.”
Brookman stepped to the dish with two outs in the sixth with a slim 2-1 lead, entering the day just 2-for-30 on the season.
The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native showed off the offensive prowess he was recruited for by clubbing a 1-0 fastball over the wall in right center for his first career home run.
Ohio State wasn’t done yet.
Erwin singled to center field despite being down 0-2 and sophomore right fielder Mitchell Okuley was hit by a pitch, bringing Dezenzo to the plate.
He smacked a three-run homer with a nice bat flip to follow, busting open the game to a 6-1 Ohio State advantage.
“I don’t normally pimp home runs like that, so that kind of just happened,” Dezenzo said. “I’m just playing well and having fun with it, and that’s just part of the game.”
The Alliance, Ohio native added an RBI single to left field in the seventh to make it 8-2, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBIs — the second consecutive day he collected that many.
Brookman added a no-doubt, two-run halfway up the batter’s eye in center field to cap off the offensive explosion in style.
“That was awesome, super happy for Arch,” redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Seth Lonsway said. “He deserves it, he’s a workhorse behind the plate for me. Lot of love for him.”
Lonsway cruised through his first two innings of work, taking only four minutes in the first and fourth pitches in the second to retire the first six Boilermakers in order.
In the top of the third, though, the Celina, Ohio native walked junior catcher Steve Ramirez on four pitches. Ramirez stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single from senior center fielder Skyler Hunter — Purdue’s first base hit of the ballgame.
In the bottom of the fourth, Pohl took advantage of a wild pitch, scoring Ohio State’s first run of the game to tie it at one run apiece.
Then, an inning later, Pohl continued his hot streak, doubling off the wall to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game, legging out his second close play at second.
“I’m very proud of the baseball player that Conner Pohl has become,” Beals said. “Kudos to our program, the culture of our program, what my coaching staff and I are doing to help these guys become complete baseball players, and Conner Pohl has gone from a big, left-handed bat to an elite defender at first base and a really good baserunner.”
Game 3
When the 296 fans planned on coming to Ohio State and Purdue’s series finale, they could not have expected the ballgame they saw.
There were 31 combined runs, 37 combined hits and only one inning without at least two runs scored by both teams. The only problem: the Buckeyes lost by a run with the tying man 90 feet short.
Ohio State failed to complete the three-game series sweep over Purdue, losing the finale 16-15 in a back-and-forth affair that is arguably the game of the year in college baseball.
Just when Ohio State thought it was in the clear ahead 12-8 after the fifth, Purdue came roaring back.
The Boilermakers picked up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth on back-to-back solo home runs from senior left fielder Ben Nisle and senior catcher Zac Fascia.
Then, just an inning later, the Boilermakers pulled ahead for the final time.
Hunter doubled home a pair of runs to tie it 12-12. The next batter, senior outfielder Miles Simington, grounded out to sophomore second baseman Nate Karaffa to score a run, and Nisle singled home a run to complete the comeback.
Purdue added two unearned runs in the top of the eighth after a ball scooted under Erwin’s glove at third to start off the inning to extend the Boilermakers’ lead to 16-12.
In the bottom of the eighth, Ohio State cut into the deficit on a pair of RBI groundouts to second base from Todys and Karaffa, respectively.
Junior righty TJ Brock came in to work the ninth and loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single. Then, he induced the first double play of the weekend to keep the Boilermakers from tacking on more.
Brookman led off the bottom of the ninth with a double — his fifth hit in two games of the weekend — scoring on Erwin’s career-high fourth hit of the ballgame to cut it to 16-15.
Erwin advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on Okuley’s groundout.
The next two Buckeyes grounded out and struck out, falling just short of extending the game that featured three lead changes and eight home runs.
Ohio State jumped Purdue for five runs in the first two frames, scoring for the eighth time in the first inning at home this season.
Pohl — on his 23rd birthday — blasted his second home run of the weekend and 10th of the season, as the three-run bomb hit halfway up the scoreboard in right field in the first, extending his hit streak to 13 games.
Purdue fought back, though.
In the top of the third, the Boilermakers blasted a three-run home run and a solo round-tripper on back-to-back pitches to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
An inning later, Purdue redshirt junior infielder Justin Walker walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. He stole third handily, before being knocked in on an infield single from Hunter to tie the game 5-5.
Junior right-hander Jack Neely was pulled after that, surrendering six hits and two walks over a short 3 2/3 inning stint.
The Boilermakers had three more cross on a two-RBI single from Fascia, with Nisle scoring on a wild pitch from senior lefty reliever Griffan Smith.
The Buckeyes found themselves down 8-5 after Purdue scored eight unanswered runs heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Karaffa led off with a single and Brookman followed that up with his third home run of the weekend. It could not have come at a better time for the Buckeyes — a two-run shot to give them a 9-8 lead.
Erwin singled before being hit home on Okuley’s two-run round-tripper — his seventh of the year — to extend the lead.
Dezenzo — the hottest of the plethora of Buckeyes this weekend — capped off the five-run fifth one pitch later on a solo blast to right field, making it 12-8.
He made a case for Big Ten Player of the Week, finishing his weekend 8-for-15 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and four runs scored.
Ohio State looks to string its consecutive series wins heading to Minneapolis to face off against Minnesota Friday through Sunday.
