Senior outfielder Mitchell Okuley (24) runs around the bases during a 9-3 win for Ohio State on the road against Nebraska. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
A win is a win when it comes to high-level collegiate baseball.
After the Ohio State baseball team (13-14, 3-3 Big Ten) suffered two straight losses on Friday and Saturday, the Buckeyes left Nebraska with a much-needed momentum booster after taking game three against the Cornhuskers (22-7, 2-4 Big Ten) at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.
On Friday, the Buckeyes were shut out against the Cornhuskers, resulting in a 3-0 loss.
In the top of the first, Ohio State got one of its two hits of the game from junior outfielder Trey Lipsey, but he was stranded on base. Nebraska jumped right on sophomore Landon Beidelschies in the bottom of the first, after a bases-loaded double play resulted in a Cornhusker run, making the score 1-0.
In the bottom of the third inning, Nebraska extended its lead to three on a two-RBI single, which was ultimately the last real offense of the night.
For the next six innings, Nebraska junior starting pitcher Brett Sears and the Buckeye bullpen demolished each other’s respective lineup.
Sears went on to record a very impressive stat line in his complete-game shutout of the Buckeyes. He went nine innings while only giving up two hits and accumulated a season-high 10 strikeouts. Sears also went on to earn his sixth win of the season, which puts him at a flawless 6-0 record.
Beidelschies took his fifth loss on the mound, but the Buckeye bullpen kept the offense in the game. Freshman Chase Herrell delivered two strong innings in relief of Beidelschies, while senior Logan Jones and graduate Jacob Morin fanned all five batters they faced.
Morin came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh with runners on the corners, but he fanned two to come out unscathed. Morin said he is more comfortable with such high-pressure situations now at Ohio State.
“I don’t really try to let the moment get too big,” Morin said. ”I try not to take in the atmosphere too much and kind of stay zoned in with the catcher.”
When Mosiello’s team needs an out, he said Morin has become the top pick.
In game two of the series, Ohio State squandered a two-run lead to Nebraska in the fifth inning to lose 7-3.
After going 16 straight innings without a run, junior Josh Stevenson cranked a home run over the right fielder in the top of the third, to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead.
Ohio State added one more in the fourth behind an RBI single from captain Mitchell Okuley, increasing the momentum for the Buckeyes.
Junior pitcher Gavin Bruni carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before the Cornhuskers struck Bruni for three consecutive hits, including a two-run home run. Nebraska wasn’t done there and slashed three RBI doubles and an RBI single against the Buckeye bullpen, flipping the game to a 6-2 Cornhusker lead.
Nebraska added on a run in the bottom of the eighth off of an RBI triple, stretching its lead to 5, 7-2.
In the top of the ninth, Ohio State rallied for one run from graduate second baseman Joseph Mershon’s RBI single, but that would be all for the Buckeyes, losing the game 7-3.
Bruni took his first loss of the season after the fifth-inning blunder.
On Sunday, in a crucial game to avoid the sweep, the Buckeyes’ all-around effort combined with an Okuley grand slam propelled them to a 9-3 victory.
Mosiello changed the lineup on Sunday as he offered three freshmen chances to get some at-bats.
”We gotta get a little grittier and a little tougher, so it was nice having three freshmen in the lineup,” Mosiello said. “It’s a way to say, ‘Hey man, this is what we got, we got some future guys who have a chance to be really good players.’”
In the first inning, freshman Isaac Cadena led off with his first career triple to right field, immediately proving Mosiello right. An RBI groundout from sophomore shortstop Henry Kaczmar drove Cadena in to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead. Okuley followed that up with an RBI double, paving the way to a 2-0 Buckeye advantage.
In the top of the third, Ohio State added three more runs off of a Kaczmar long ball and a two-RBI single by Mershon, extending the Ohio State lead, 5-0.
The Cornhuskers added a two-run home run in the bottom of the third and an RBI double in the fourth to close in on the Buckeye lead, 5-3.
Both offenses went cold until the top of the ninth when pinch hitter Nick Giamarusti and Kaczmar each had bunt singles. Two more walks and Okuley stepped up to the plate. In the first pitch of the at-bat, he delivered a towering slapshot over the center field fence to give the Buckeyes some extra cushion, 9-3.
Closer Justin Eckhardt struck out two in the bottom of the ninth as the Buckeyes secured the 9-3 victory.
Okuley’s grand slam was his first home run of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time, he said.
”For it to be a big moment like a grand slam made it feel really good,” Okuley said. “To be able to come back to Columbus on a high note and get us rolling for Iowa was huge.”
It’s about midway through Okuley’s final season and the one thing he knows for sure is the Buckeyes can compete, he said.
“The big thing is just knowing that we can beat the best teams,” Okuley said. “Being able to go into every game with that mindset and having the confidence to do that is key for the rest of the season.”
Mosiello preaches confidence to the players, but to go out and perform is the most important step, Mosiello said.
”At this point, it really is put up or shut up,” Mosiello said. “That’s where we are at right now.”
The Buckeyes return to Columbus for a six-game homestretch, starting with two midweek games, a Tuesday bout against Bowling Green and a Wednesday match against Morehead State. Both games begin at 6 p.m.
