Sophomore Chase Herrell pitched well for a second straight start…6 innings, 2 runs on 3 hits, and struck out 9 against Coastal Carolina. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
A couple of bright moments, and a question yet to be answered stood out as the Buckeyes forced Coastal Carolina into extra innings Saturday…and dropped their fourth game of the season.
Jacksonville, FL – It took eleven innings Saturday for the Ohio State Buckeyes (1-4) to drop their fourth game of the season, 10-8, to a Coastal Carollina team (5-2) that’s clearly going to compete for recognition in the baseball-rich Sun Belt Conference.
But along the way the Buckeyes showed signs of a couple of things needed to eventually become a consistent winning baseball team when Big Ten Conference play rolls around next month.
The Minster Bank is proud to sponsor the best in area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.
One, sophomore starting pitcher Chase Herrell was lights out in his 6 innings of work, giving up just 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 9.
“Chase was exceptional,” said Justin Haire, following the game. “He had a career high in punch-outs and one of the runs he gave up was on a throwing error from the outfield. He deserved a better fate, but I told him after the game…just keep showing up ever time you get the ball and I promise you that we’ll get some things figured out so you’re on the right side of these things. He’s stacked up two high-quality starts now back-to-back, against two high-quality offensive teams, and he’s been ultra-competitive and ultra-prepared. I’m proud of what he’s doing and I want to encourage him to just keep doing it.”
Two, the Buckeyes’ offense again gave its pitching a lead early, scoring five times in the top of the second inning off Coastal Carolina starter Cam Flukey. The Buckeyes benefited from three walks, a triple by DH Mason Eckelman, and then saw catcher Matt Graveline put the cherry on top with his second home run of the season.
The big knock…Catcher Matt Graveline cracked his second home run of the season in the Buckeyes’ 5-run second. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
But leading 5-2 entering the seventh inning, Herrell left the mound and sophomore Sahil Patel took over, and Patel was everything you don’t need when you’re trying to protect a late lead. He struggled with command, giving up 5 runs on 3 hits, walking 2. He lasted just .2 of an inning.
Junior transfer Doug Bauer (Tyler Junior College) came on and got through 3-plus innings, and into the 11th, but gave up 3 more runs on 7 hits. The Buckeyes trailed 8-5, entering the bottom of the ninth.
The home team on the scoreboard, the Buckeyes came out firing against the Coastal bullpen in the ninth with consecutive singles by Nick Giamarusti, Will Carpenter and Reggie Bussey. One out later, Tyler Pettorini, collected his second hit of the day (2 for 5), a double, and scored all three to tie the game at 8-8 and send the game to extra innings.
After a scoreless 10th, Coastal picked on Bauer and a third OSU reliever, Hayden Blosser, for a pair of runs on four hits and a pair of hit batter to go up 10-8. The Buckeyes got a runner on base in the bottom of the 11th, but could not score.
Final lines…..
Coastal Carolina won with 10 runs on 14 hits and left 9 on base.
Ohio State lost with 8 runs on 8 hits and left 6 on base.
But the bright spots, even with a loss, have to be recognized.
Kurtz has 4 Central Ohio locations: Dublin, Westerville, Sunbury, I-71/Frank Road.
Ohio State pitchers struck out 15 Coastal hitters on Saturday while walking just 4.
And, the offense again put 8 runs, more than enough to win two-thirds of their games between now and the end of the season.
“We’ve got some guys in our lineup who’ve worked hard under some difficult circumstances, who’ve produced, and they want to be great players. That’s what’s fun, but it’s also hard when they don’t come out on top,” added Haire.
The idea, of course, is to put the two together, and it won’t get easier when the they wrap up their three-game weekend with Alabama on Sunday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide is now coached by Rob Vaughn, who left Maryland two years ago for Tuscaloosa, and the Tide is yet to lose in 2025, beating Coastal 9-2 on Friday, and shutting out NC State 4-0 on Saturday. Their record is 7-0.
You can read a wrap-up of that game later today on Press Pros.
We have your next truck,and we have it in stock. Dave Arbogast is the official transportation source for Press Pros Magazine.