Ohio State sophomore infielder Lee Ellis (1) runs to third base during the game against Valparaiso Saturday. The Buckeyes defeated the Beacons 15-4 in the second game of the series. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
It was the bounce-back Ohio State needed on Saturday.
Behind six unanswered runs over the first four innings, the Buckeyes cruised to a 15-4 victory in eight innings over Valparaiso at Bill Davis Stadium.
The Ohio State pitching staff shined, holding the Beacons scoreless in seven out of the eight innings played. Starting pitcher Chase Herrell gave the Buckeyes five scoreless innings, working around trouble by stranding nine runners on base in his outing.
Head coach Justin Haire said he was proud of Herell’s ability to carve out a win, especially through adversity.
“Man, he just grinded that out,” Haire said. “I think it’s his first win for the year. So, man, I was happy to get that for him because he’s given us four really good outings, and he found a way to navigate some traffic and get out of some jams.”
Ohio State struck first in the first inning, loading the bases with three straight singles before an out was recorded. A sacrifice fly by designated hitter Mason Eckelman brought right fielder Trey Lipsey home to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead.
Ohio State pushed another four runs across over the next two innings, highlighted by a two-run homer in the third inning by first baseman Will Carpenter for his first Buckeye homer.
The Beacons had chances over the first three innings, but Herrell wiggled out of every jam, stranding seven runners in that time frame.
The sophomore pitcher cited staying in the moment during those situations.
“Thinking about past walks or innings isn’t going to help anything,” Herrell said. “Just got to stay in the present moment when I’m pitching.”
The Buckeyes added another in the fourth, as an RBI double from shortstop Lee Ellis brought home Lipsey to make it 6-0.
Valparaiso made it interesting.
Behind a three-run homer and a solo homer in the seventh, the Beacons cut the deficit down to two, trailing 6-4.
Ohio State responded right back.
The Buckeyes exploded for six runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, led by a two-RBI triple from Ellis to put the game out of reach.
Ellis finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and was a home run shy of the cycle.
“I always try to make sure I do as much as I can to help my team,” Ellis said. “We had a not-so-good loss last night. I just wanted to do anything I could.”
Ohio State put away Valparaiso in the eighth, scoring three runs, led by a two-RBI single from Lipsey to trigger the run rule.
Haire cited the team’s ability to take every game one day at a time and not let Friday’s loss affect them.
“Every day is different,” Haire said. “Every opportunity is different. We didn’t play that great last night, and we came back today and didn’t let the mistakes from last night carry over into today.”
The Buckeyes (3-9) and the Beacons (3-7) square off in the rubber game Sunday at 1 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. Big Ten+ will stream the game.
