Ohio State freshman outfielder Trey Lipsey (28) swings at a pitch during the Buckeyes’ game against Michigan State Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State won 13-5. Credit: Casey Smith | Assistant Lantern TV Sports Producer
Ohio State looked to stay in the win column after its walk-off win Tuesday against Youngstown State. The Buckeyes kept the momentum rolling with an offensive explosion as they defeated Michigan State by a score of 13-5 Saturday.
The Buckeyes (10-16, 1-4 in Big Ten) used a 20-hit performance to grab their first conference win of the season. The Spartans (12-14, 1-3 in Big Ten) were unable to find any answers for the Ohio State offense, as the Buckeyes put together their most complete performance of the season, highlighted by freshman outfielder Trey Lipsey going 5-for-5 — the most hits in a single game by an Ohio State batter this season — totaling four RBIs and falling a home run shy of the cycle.
“The triple down the line off the bag was a huge hit to break things open for us,” head coach Greg Beals said. “I really like how our ballclub strung things together today. No big fly balls or home runs or anything like that. Just high quality at-bat after at-bat strung together, and to put 20 hits together is an impressive offensive performance.”
After a two-hour delay due to inclement weather, Ohio State got off to a hot start and never looked back. The Buckeyes chased Michigan State sophomore right-hander Harrison Cook out of the game after tagging him for seven earned runs on seven hits in the second inning. Six different batters each had an RBI in the bottom of the second as the Buckeyes led the Spartans 7-0 after two innings.
“We were just ready to go,” Lipsey said. “It seemed like everyone on our team saw the ball pretty well. Hopefully this is the start of something but I think we’re rolling right now.”
Sophomore right-hander Nate Haberthier had a solid day on the mound for Ohio State. He retired the first nine batters he faced, but gave up a run in the fourth inning on an RBI infield single by redshirt freshman designated hitter Christian Williams to make it a 7-1 game after four innings.
The Spartans would not go quietly, however. After two runners reached on a hit by pitch and a single, sophomore infielder Mitch Jebb hit a soft line drive into center field for a two-run single to chase Haberthier out of the game. Haberthier ended his day with 4 2/3innings of work, three earned runs given up and seven strikeouts.
With the bases loaded, freshman right-hander Jake Johnson came into the game and escaped the fifth inning with a 7-3 lead for Ohio State.
Moreover, in the sixth inning, Johnson ran into trouble again after a leadoff double and a walk put runners on the corners with no outs. But, Johnson buckled down and induced a strikeout and double play to escape the jam and maintain the four-run lead.
“I had the slider I wanted pre-pitch,” Johnson said. “I knew I executed it and that it was headed right for (Colton) Bauer, and I knew we were going to have a chance to get out of that inning. Once I saw the double play turned, that just fired me up and I felt like it gave us a chance to roll throughout the game.”
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ohio State nearly repeated its performance from the second inning by batting through the order. After senior infielders Marcus Ernst and Zach Dezenzo led off the inning with a pair of singles, Lipsey drove both home on a two-run double. Sophomore right-hander Dominic Hann only lasted 1/3of an inning against the Buckeyes’ offense, giving up four earned runs in his outing.
A trio of RBI hits by sophomore outfielder Kade Kern, Bauer and senior catcher Archer Brookman extended the lead to 12-3 Ohio State after six innings.
Michigan State was down, but did not quit until the game was over. In the seventh, sophomore infielder Trent Farquhar ripped an RBI double into the outfield to score sophomore infielder Dillon Kark off of graduate right-hander Aaron Funk. Later, sophomore outfielder Jack Frank drove in Farquhar on an RBI single to make the game 12-5 after seven innings.
Ohio State added another run in the eighth inning on an RBI groundout by junior outfielder Mitchell Okuley. Funk finished with three innings pitched, three strikeouts, two earned runs given up and the save, as Ohio State won its second game in a row by a final score of 13-5.
“There’s a lot to like from our offense,” Beals said. “I think we left some on the table out there, so we could have got even more and that’s exciting.”
Ohio State continues its three-game series at home against Michigan State Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
