Buckeyes Batter Mountaineers
Granville, WV - The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-8) hammered West Virginia 26-11 Sunday afternoon. The Mountaineers used nine pitchers that combined to give up 12 walks and 17 hits and beaned seven Buckeyes.
West Virginia starting pitcher Tyler Switalski gave up a pair of singles and a walk, loading the bases and setting up a fielder's choice from Tyler Pettorini and Joseph Mershon to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 first inning lead.
The Mountaineers tied the game in the second inning. Junior Grant Hussey was hit by a pitch and senior Kyle West worked a full count walk to get the inning started. Then, with one out, freshman Michael Perazza beat the throw to first from the shortstop for an RBI infield single and freshman Spencer Barnett hit an RBI sacrifice groundball to third for the tying run.
Ohio State put up five runs in the third inning. Mathew Graveline got the scoring started with a hard groundball back up the middle for an RBI before Pettorini blasted a three-run home run and Mershon followed with a solo shot to give the Buckeyes a 7-2 lead through three innings.
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West Virignia cut into the deficit in the fourth with a pair of sacrifice RBIs from Perazza and Barnett.
The Buckeyes broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning. Sophomore Henry Kaczmar, Mitchell Okuley, and Hank Thomas delivered two-RBI singles, and Graveline and Trey Lipsey came through with RBI singles as Ohio State took a commanding 15-4 lead.
The hit parade continued for Ohio State in the seventh, putting up an additional four runs with Okuley receiving his third RBI on the afternoon with a bases loaded four-pitch walk and junior Nick Giamarusti and Josh Stevenson recording sacrifice RBIs and pinch hitter, freshman Isaac Cadena, smacked a ground rule RBI double in left-centerfield as the Buckeyes led 19-4.
Ohio State put up seven runs in the eight, aided by the Mountaineer arms. The Buckeyes scored on two RBI walks and a pair of hit batsmen. Giamarusti delivered an two-RBI double and Pettorini fielder's choice RBI as the Buckeyes pummeled West Virginia 26-11.