Junior catcher Matthew Graveline (9) taps helmets with his teammates after bringing 3 runs in with a home run. Credit: Daniel Bush | Lantern Photographer
After two winless weeks, the Buckeyes’ losing streak is finally over.
Ohio State crushed Wright State 18-2 Tuesday at Bill Davis Stadium, snapping its eight-game losing skid behind a seven-run first inning.
With bases loaded in the bottom of the first, first baseman Will Carpenter got the Buckeyes off to a quick start with a two-RBI single to bring shortstop Lee Ellis and right fielder Trey Lipsey home, putting Ohio State up 2-0.
Moments later, catcher Matthew Graveline crushed a three-run home run to center field to bring Carpenter and second baseman Tyler Pettorini home, extending Ohio State’s lead to five.
With bases loaded yet again, center fielder Reggie Bussey ripped an RBI single to bring home designated hitter Mason Eckelman, increasing the Buckeyes’ lead to six.
And another RBI single from Ellis brought left fielder Sal Mineo home to give Ohio State a 7-0 lead at the innings end.
Catcher Matthew Graveline said the Buckeyes’ goal after the first was to continue their dominance through the rest of the game.
“I think sometimes when you score that many runs in the first inning, you can kind of get complacent,” Graveline said. “But I felt like we did a good job playing the whole seven innings and still adding on runs in the late innings.”
At the bottom of the second, Ohio State got back on the board after an RBI single from Eckelman brought Carpenter home, putting the Buckeyes ahead eight.
It wasn’t until the top of the third when Wright State plated its first run. Raiders left fielder JP Peltier hit a two-RBI single, which sent center fielder Gus Gregory and designated hitter Boston Smith home and cut into the Buckeye lead 8-2.
But Ohio State kept its foot on the gas,
In the bottom of the third, Ellis crushed a line drive to center for an RBI double and gave the Buckeyes another seven-run lead.
Then, with the bases juiced, Eckelman fired a three-RBI double to far left field that scored Graveline, Carpenter and Ellis, extending Ohio State’s lead to 10.
The bottom of the fourth spelled more disaster for the Raiders.
Ohio State took a 14-2 lead as Lipsey crushed a two-run homer to right field.
In the sixth, Ellis hit an RBI single and Pettorini hit a three-run bomb, putting the Buckeyes up 18-2.
Up by over ten runs, Ohio State shut down the Raiders in the top of the seventh to secure a run-rule, ending the game early.
Head coach Justin Haire said he was proud of how the Buckeyes played after all the adversity his team has faced.
“I expected for our guys to show up and be excited to be here and try to give it everything that they had, and they did that tonight,” Haire said. “The whole team contributed, and I was happy to see the outcome for sure.”
Ohio State (9-24, 3-13 Big Ten) hits the road for a three-game weekend series against Michigan State (20-15, 6-9 Big Ten) at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
