Starter Colin Purcell lasted just 3.1 innings against ASU, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits. (Press Pros File Photos)
One night after brilliance, the Buckeyes’ pitching comes back to earth in Tempe, giving up 14 runs and 17 hits in a series-evening loss to Arizona State.
Tempe, AZ – There’s a reason why college baseball teams go on the road to warm weather, to get the kinks out in non-conference games, before the heavy lifting of Big Ten play (in this case) begins in a month.
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“We want to see what we’re made of,” Ohio State coach Bill Mosiello said two weeks ago. Friday night, he got a taste of it, along with the inconsistency that comes with young teams against quality competition in those early-season games.
One night after throttling Arizona State on just five hits in an 11-4 Ohio State win, the Sun Devils spit right back on Friday, bashing 17 hits off six Ohio State pitchers to win 14-4, even the series at a game apiece, and drop the Buckeyes’ record to 3-3.
For the second game in a row, OSU leftfielder Trey Lipsey homered, this time to lead off the game, and the Buckeyes appeared to have picked up where they left off the night before.
Trey Lipsey led off the Buckeyes’ first with a home run, his second in as many days.
But starter Colin Purcell, who was so brilliant in his Buckeye debut against Brigham Young last Saturday, struggled to find that same effectiveness in the bottom of the second. Arizona State scored four times on a walk, an error, a pair of singles, a triple and a home run to stun Purcell and the previous night’s reverie, and the Buckeyes never led again.
ASU scored once in the fourth, once in the fifth, three in the sixth, four in the seventh, and one in the eighth to certify its .368 team batting average, and again remind the Buckeyes starters that free bases really are expensive – they walked five – and that clean baseball – they committed three errors – are a must, especially on the road.
Purcell lasted a 3.1 innings, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits.
He was replaced by transfer lefthander Hunter Shaw, who was brilliant in relief six days ago against BYU…but came back to earth on Friday, lasting 2.1 innings while giving up 4 runs on 5 hits.
Shaw was replaced by freshman Jake Michalak, who recorded on out, and left without giving up a run, just a pair of walks.
Michalak was replaced by Cincinnati freshman Andrew Edrington, who gave up 3 runs on 3 hits.
Edrington was replaced by Jaylen Jones, who never recorded an out, giving up a run on a hit.
Jones was taken down in favor of Jacob Morin, who finished the final five outs by giving up a run on two hits, striking out 2.
After scoring in the first off Lipsey’s home run, the Buckeyes came back to score again in the fifth on a leadoff home run by Josh Stevenson, his second in as many nights. They scored their final two runs in the seventh on an ASU error, a pair of walks, and an RBI single by second baseman Tyler Pettorini.
They try again on Saturday in a 3 PM (ET) start, with lefthander Gavin Bruni seeking his second win of the season. You can watch the game on ASU Live Stream-2.
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