Buckeyes line up for the National Anthem in a 10-3 loss versus Grand Canyon University Tuesday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten) took two out of the four games against Arizona State (5-3, PAC-12) in a powerful offensive weekend at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
This marked the eighth game in 10 days for the Buckeyes, as they faced tough competition in Arizona with the MLB Desert Invitational from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18 and five away games.
Head coach Bill Mosiello said the hard schedule was intentional.
“I want to go into great venues to create environments against really good teams,” Mosiello said. ”And to also create memories that we are going to have for the rest of our life and memories that are going to help us get better.”
Buckeye graduate captain Mitchell Okuley led the team with nine hits and two three-hit performances. He is hitting .403 through eight games.
“Starting off strong is very important; it’s something that I’ve really never done in my career,” Okuley said. “So being able to go into my last year, start off strong and be able to get a good base under me is definitely huge to set up for the rest of the season and give myself momentum going into the Big Ten schedule.”
In his last season for the Buckeyes, he simply wants to have a good time, Okuley said.
“I just wanna go out and enjoy every minute,” Okuley said. “Enjoy the last ride one more time. And I think that’s kind of something that’s kept me more relaxed in the box. To have fun and kind of be a kid again.”
Arizona State and Ohio State combined for 68 runs, 94 hits and 16 home runs in a hitter-friendly ballpark.
Game one
The Buckeyes took the series opener Thursday against the Sun Devils as multiple home runs led to an 11-4 victory.
The game started with three consecutive strikeouts by the top of the Ohio State lineup, instantly handing sophomore ace Landon Beidelschies the ball in his second start of the season.
The Sun Devils took an early 1-0 lead on a groundout in the bottom of the first inning. The next three innings resulted in zero runs for both teams until junior transfer Nick Giamarusti tripled to right-center, sending home Okuley to knot the score 1-1. Next up was junior outfielder Trey Lipsey, who ripped a no-doubt home run out of the Sun Devils’ Phoenix Municipal Stadium, giving the Buckeyes the lead 3-1.
LSU transfer junior outfielder Josh Stevenson and sophomore shortstop Henry Kaczmar joined the long-ball barrage, both ripping their first home runs of the season in the top of the seventh inning, making the score 6-1.
Beidelschies finished with a career-high seven innings pitched, with a final statline of one earned run, three hits given up, seven strikeouts and zero walks, delivering a much better start than his first of the season.
Beidelschies was a closer for the 2023 Buckeyes, so going over the 80-pitch mark meant a lot for him, he said.
“There’s a lot of people out there that are like, ‘Oh, he’s just a closer he doesn’t have the legs to go 5, 6, 7 innings,’” Beidelschies said. ”So that was a big thing for me. I was just trying to prove to other people and to myself that I could do it.”
Being the Buckeyes’ ace is an honor for Biedelschies and the faith in him is high on the team, he said.
Ohio State continued to score as Stevenson came up big again for the Buckeyes in the top of the eighth, doubling to the right-center gap to drive in two runs, extending the Ohio State lead to seven, 8-1. The Sun Devils answered back with a three-run home run off of Buckeyes senior reliever Logan Jones, making the score 8-4.
The Buckeyes added a few more insurance runs in the ninth as Lipsey scored on a wild pitch and Okuley singled home two, making the score 11-4. Buckeyes senior pitcher Tim Baird closed out the game as he caught two batters swinging and induced a groundout to secure the 11-4 win to start the series for Ohio State.
Beidelschies earned his first win of the season in an impressive offensive performance by the Buckeyes. Stevenson, Kaczmar and Lipsey all recorded their first home runs of the season.
Game two
Buckeye pitchers gave up 17 hits to the Sun Devils Friday, evening Ohio State’s overall record at 3-3.
Lipsey got the Buckeyes out to a 1-0 lead after a lead-off home run, giving him back-to-back games with a blast over the fence. The Sun Devils quickly answered in the bottom of the second inning, scoring on a solo home run, a Buckeye error and two RBI singles, giving the 4-1 advantage to Arizona State.
The Sun Devils tacked on another run off of an RBI single, increasing their lead to 5-1. In the top of the fifth, the Buckeyes got the run back on a Stevenson dinger to right center, tightening the score to 5-2 Sun Devils.
An Arizona State sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning gave the Sun Devils a four-run lead, 6-2. Arizona State continued its strong offensive performance with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, with another RBI single and a two-run bomb to put the Sun Devils ahead 9-2.
The Buckeyes showed some life in the top of the seventh, scoring two off of a wild pitch and an RBI single by junior infielder Tyler Pettorini, making the score 9-4. However, Arizona State had a big bottom of the seventh and eighth as they added 5 more runs to finish off the Buckeyes with a final score of 14-4.
Transfer senior pitcher Colin Purcell took the loss on the mound for the Buckeyes, giving up five runs on six hits in 3.1 innings pitched, a sharp contrast from his impressive performance against Brigham Young University in his Ohio State debut.
Game three
Ohio State came from behind Saturday to win 13-4 against Arizona State with five home runs to take the series lead 2-1.
The Buckeyes swiftly got started with a runner in scoring position after speedy Lipsey singled and swiped the bag at second. Pettorini delivered with an RBI single to send Lipsey home and put Ohio State in the lead 1-0.
The Sun Devils battled right back against the Buckeyes in the bottom of the first, scoring on an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk. Ohio State graduate transfer Joseph Mershon blasted his first four-bagger as a Buckeye out of the park in the top of the fourth to even the score at 2-2.
The back-and-forth clash continued in the bottom of the fourth as Sun Devils senior infielder Steven Ondina ripped a solo home run to give Arizona State the lead 3-2. The Sun Devils gained a two-run after an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
The Buckeyes’ bats erupted in the top of the seventh, starting off with back-to-back home runs by Pettorini and sophomore catcher Matthew Graveline to put Ohio State up 5-4. A double steal put runners in scoring position for the Buckeyes and an infield single by Giamarusti scored one more to make the score 6-4.
The game remained calm until the top of the ninth when the Buckeyes scored seven, adding to their lead and blowing out the Sun Devils. The half-inning was capitalized by a grand slam over the left field fence from Giamarusti and Graveline going deep, giving Ohio State a 13-4 lead.
Ohio State freshman reliever Zach Brown earned his first career win on the mound and the Buckeyes recorded a season-high 17 hits to outlast the Sun Devils.
Game four
Ohio State fell to Arizona State on Sunday, 10-8, in seven and a half innings to split its four-game series against the Sun Devils.
The Buckeyes scored all eight of their runs with two outs, which was something Mosiello said he loved
“We are not going to quit,” Mosiello said. “I’m just hoping that becomes a part of who we are offensively.”
The first two innings saw the Sun Devils get out to a quick lead with two RBI doubles and an RBI single to put them up 3-0 before the Buckeyes stormed back, scoring on an Arizona State error, a two-RBI single to right field by Kaczmar and a bases-loaded walk to put the Buckeyes up 4-3.
Another two-RBI single in the bottom of the second put the Sun Devils back in the lead at 5-4.
Two scoreless innings passed until University of Tennessee junior transfer Ryan Miller sent a three-run big fly over the Buckeyes bullpen to give the 7-5 advantage to Ohio State.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Sun Devils cut the lead to one run after an RBI single. In the top of the sixth, the Buckeyes got the run right back following a ground-rule double by Graveline and a double down the left-field line by Pettorini to send Graveline home.
The Sun Devils hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead at 10-8 which would end up being the final score as Ohio State had a flight to catch, forgoing the final two innings.
Ohio State transfer sophomore pitcher Hunter Shaw took the loss after giving up the four-run shot, ending the Buckeyes’ Arizona trip with a 2-2 series split against the Sun Devils.
The Buckeyes continue their 20 consecutive games away from Columbus as they travel to Nevada this weekend to participate in the inaugural Las Vegas College Baseball Classic at the Las Vegas Ballpark in Clark County, Nevada.
Ohio State will face three ball clubs over .500 with the Universities of California, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma. Three more challenging opponents for the Buckeyes.
“I want us to be challenged and try to win ball games at the same time,” Mosiello said.
Ohio State’s first game is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., Friday against California, followed by a 4 p.m. contest Saturday against Pittsburgh. On Sunday, the Buckeyes will close out the weekend against Oklahoma at 3 p.m.
