Right: Junior lefty Eric Best allowed just one hit in four shutout innings. (OSU Photo)

The Ohio State baseball team improved to 23-7 on the year after the Buckeye bats came alive in a 12-0 win over Morehead State at Bill Davis Stadium, Wednesday night.

Five Buckeye pitchers combined to throw a two-hit shutout. Junior southpaw Eric Best got the start and lasted four innings, allowing just a leadoff single in the first while walking four and striking out two.

After Best issued a one-out walk in the fourth, he was able to get an inning-ending double play one batter later. Then four OSU relievers: Ross Oltorik, Jared Strayer, Drew Rucinski, and Jake Hale combined to retire 15 of the last 18 batters. The only baserunners the rest of the game came in the fourth on an error by third baseman Cory Rupert, and two more in the ninth as Hale had a hit batsmen and surrendered a one-out single.

OSU scored three times on just one hit in the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior second baseman Cory Kovanda, which scored junior center fielder Zach Hurley on the play. Senior right fielder Micahel Arp added a two-run single that plated sophomore catcher Dan Burkhart, who drew a one-out walk, and junior designated hitter Michael Stephens, who reached base when he was hit by a pitch.

The Buckeyes added two more runs in the home half of the second as sophomore shortstop Tyler Engle ledoff the frame with a walk, advanced to third on Kovanda’s bunt single, and later scored on a sac fly from Stephens. Two batters later, senior first baseman Justin Miller added an RBI base knock that brought home Kovanda to make it a 5-0 game.

Leading 6-0 to start the bottom of the fifth, Ohio State scored twice in the frame as Kovanda slapped a two-run double to right-center, and in the sixth, the Buckeyes added four more runs as Archie’s nephew Chris Griffin had an RBI triple, Rupert and Engle both added an RBI doubles, and Kovanda slapped a run-scoring single with one-out that put the Buckeyes ahead 12-0.

Up next, Ohio State will host Michigan State in a three-game weekend series at Bill Davis Stadium. The Spartans are currently 11-18 overall, and are tied for fifth in the Big Ten with Ohio State at 3-3. First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET, while the start times for both the Saturday and Easter Sunday games are at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Tags: Baseball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Junior center fielder Michael Stephens went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Ohio State’s 3-2 win over Minnesota on Saturday. (OSU Photo)

Ohio State, ranked No. 22 last week, dropped out of the latest college baseball polls after losing three out of their last four games, including two contests in a three-game series against Minnesota at the H.H.H. Metrodome over the weekend.

Before venturing to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to take on the 25th-ranked Golden Gophers, the Buckeyes lost to the Thundering Herd of Marshall, 14-3, at Bill Davis Stadium, last Wednesday.

OSU starting pitcher Theron Minium lasted just three innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits and the Buckeyes couldn’t recover.

Ohio State trailed 11-0 heading into the home half of the fifth before the Buckeyes got on the scoreboard.

Friday at the Metrodome, OSU starting pitcher Alex Wimmers surrendered seven runs on 10 hits while striking out 10 and walking three for his first loss of the season in six decisions as Minnesota won 7-5.

The Buckeyes drew first blood in the third as designated hitter Ryan Dew singled and later scored when left fielder Zach Hurley grounded out.

But the Gophers came right back scoring three times in the home half of the third as Justin Gominsky singled to left, Matt Nohelty reached on a bunt, and both were plated on a triple from A.J. Pettersen, who later scored himself on a wild pitch.

With Minnesota leading 7-2 going into the eighth inning, center fielder Michael Stephens was hit by pitch to start the frame. Catcher Dan Burkhart later walked and both scored on Dew’s two-out, two-run single to center field. Right fielder Micahel Arp followed with a double to center plating Dew as the Buckeyes cut the Gophers lead down to 7-5.

Ohio State had their chances in the ninth to tie the game or take the lead as left fielder Zach Hurley ledoff with a single to center and pinch hitter Ben Toussant was hit by pitch. With the tying run at first and no outs, Stephens popped out and third baseman Justin Miller struck out. After Burkhart drew a two-out walk, shortstop Cory Rupert flied out to left with the bases loaded to end the game.

The lone win of the series came on Saturday with the Buckeyes winning 3-2 as Miller blasted a two-run homer in the first, Stephens added a solo shot in the seventh, and starting pitcher Dean Wolosiansky worked 5.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits for his sixth win of the season.

In the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday, Minnesota scored all 16 of their runs in the first four innings before Ohio State even got one on the board as the Gophers won 16-3.

Starting pitcher Eric Best lost his first game in five decisions, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits in just 1.1 innings while facing 12 batters. Third-string quarterback Ross Oltorik came on in relief of Best in the second but didn’t do any better, allowing six more runs (four earned) on six hits in his two-thirds of an inning.

Before Ohio State hosts Michigan State for a three-game series over the weekend, the Buckeyes will take on the Morehead State Eagles at Bill Davis Stadium, Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET.

Currently, Ohio State is 22-7 overall, 3-3 in Big Ten play.

Tags: Baseball by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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