Transfer Nick Giamarusti got the Buckeyes on the board in the third inning with his first home run, in his first at bat, in scarlet and gray. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
Twenty four hours after looking like the 2023 Buckeyes, pitchers Colin Purcell and Hunter Shaw give evidence of what the fuss is all about…10 strikeouts and NO walks in 7-2 win over BYU.
Mesa, AZ – There was a redemptive tone in Bill Mosiello’s voice Saturday night, fifteen minutes after the Ohio State Buckeyes stopped BYU in its tracks with a 6-hit, 10-strikeout performance by a pair of transfer pitchers, senior starter Colin Purcell and sophomore reliever Hunter Shaw.
“It seemed like the end of the world yesterday,” said ‘Mo’. “It was very simple. We walked ten guys yesterday, and today we didn’t walk anyone. We expect all of our guys who get the baseball to do that, but this is why Purcell and Shaw are where they’re at.
Publisher/editor Sonny Fulks writes Big Ten sports and Buckeyes baseball for Press Pros.
The Sheward-Fulks agency, in Jackson, Ohio, proudly supports the Buckeyes.
“Shaw deserves to be a starter, we’ve known that. But it was a great little combo tonight, the two together, and what a great job they did.”
The Buckeyes evened their record at 1-1 with a 7-2 win that featured everything that Bill Mosiello stands for as a baseball coach – great pitching, dependable defense, and enough timely hitting to provide a margin of victory. The Buckeyes scored 7 runs on 11 hits and committed just one error – clean baseball!
But Purcell, the transfer from Texas A&M (Corpus Christi) who left Texas to fulfill a lifelong dream to be an Ohio State Buckeye, set the tone immediately, pitching the first five innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 4.
“Colin did a really good job of using the fastball the second time through the lineup,” said pitching coach Sean Allen. “You could tell they were sitting on the change and trying to make adjustments, and he made some really big pitches with his fastball. And that’s something he’s going to need to do to be really good for us. He was impressive.”
Big play early…Mitchell Okuley proved why he’s one of the best outfielders in the Big Ten, robbing BYU’s Kiuho Aloy of extra bases in the fourth.
“It was a great night, a great win for the team,” said Purcell. “I’m just really grateful to be a part of this team, to have this coaching staff, and to get my first win as a Buckeye. We had fans come out tonight, they showed their support, it was just a lot of fun.”
After two scoreless innings, the Buckeyes struck first in the top of the third when the #9 hitter, Nick Giamarusti (Gee-uh-muh-roos-tee) ripped a 2-0 fastball from BYU pitcher Cutter Clawson out of the park to left field for a solo homer. Giamarusti is another transfer from John Logan College, in Illinois, with some history of power when you least expect it. He did hit .347 last year with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs as a JUCO, but that was news to Brigham Young, who had never heard of him.
“Just being in the nine hole I knew I was going to get a fastball,” Giamarusti said. “Good pitch to hit and it was a 2-0 count. I was sitting on it and put a good barrel on the ball. I think it set a tempo for things. Obviously we didn’t execute the offense the way we wanted to yesterday.”
Huffer Chiropractic has offices in Osgood, Dublin and Jackson Center to help your athlete become elite.
Purcell made that lead hold up until the fourth when the Cougars mounted their only real threat against him with a pair of leadoff hits, and scored on a throwing error by Henry Kaczmar on an attempted fielder’s choice.
The Buckeyes retook the lead in the top of the fifth on a ringing double by Matt Graveline and an RBI single from Tyler Pettorini, the first of his three hits for the night.
Henry Kaczmar applies tag to BYU’s Crew Robinson, attempting to steal second in the sixth inning.
They added in the top of the sixth when they loaded the bases on three walks by BYU pitching, then Kaczmar was hit by a pitch to force in second baseman Joe Mershon with their third run of the game to go up 3-1. They could have done real damage but left the bases loaded when Graveline grounded out hard to third base.
Enter Hunter Shaw, who took over the mound in the bottom of the sixth and promptly struck out the side…swinging!
“It was a good feeling,” Shaw explained later, searching for words to describe striking out the side in his Buckeye debut. “It was fun, it was nice…it was a confidence builder. The guys played good behind me. It wasn’t just my effort. Our bats came alive, the defense played really well, and I think Colin and I played off that.”
VPP Industries helps your business grow. Let us help you deliver your message.
He struck out four of the first five outs he retired, suffering his only hiccup with one out in the seventh when BYU designated hitter Kuhio Aloy lined a fastball out to center field to cut the margin to 3-2. Shaw quickly recovered and retired the next seven outs in succession to close out the game.
The Buckeyes added a pair of runs in the eighth on a walk to Trey Lipsey, a run-scoring triple by Kaczmar to center that nearly left the ballpark, then another RBI single from Pettorini.
Henry Kaczmar celebrates his eighth inning triple, an RBI, and his third hit of the game.
They added again in the ninth on a pair of walks, a hit batsman, a stolen base and an RBI single by Kaczmar, his third hit and third RBI of the game.
Final lines: Ohio State won it with 7 runs on11 hits and committed one error. Purcell picked up his first win as a Buckeye, and Shaw earned the save.
Brigham Young lost it with 2 runs on 6 hits and committed 3 errors. Cutter Clawson absorbed the loss.
As Shaw mentioned, the timely hitting was a welcome sight, but no greater than the absence of the ten walks from Monday’s loss to Boston College. Shaw finished his four innings of work with 6 strikeouts and threw just 48 pitches.
“Hunter Shaw was the same Hunter Shaw that we saw in the fall,” said Sean Allen. “No one hit him then, for four or five outings in a row. His fastball plays up, it has a ton of carry to it, and while he doesn’t throw that hard, he’s just a level-headed kid who really cares about being out there. It’s fun to see him have that success his first time out.”
Shaw came from Lansing (Michigan) Community College, and was discovered by assistant coach Andrew See.
“Coach See was a Michigan junior college guy and was able to see him, and I give him credit,” adds Allen. “If you go watch him (Shaw) and look at a radar gun he doesn’t blow you away. Typically he’s 84 to 86, and tonight he was better than that. But you have to see him and understand that even at that speed hitters don’t square him up very often.”
Hunter Shaw piggy-backed Colin Purcell to pitch the final four innings, allowed 1 hit, struck out 6, and needed just 48 pitches to do it.
Far from a finished product in just two games, Mosiello admitted that some adjustments may be coming soon.
“We have so many lefthanded hitters in the lineup,” he said. “I’m not quittin’ on anyone, but it looks like we might have to start playing some of the righthand hitters against the lefthanders we’re seeing. We knew that this could be a bug-a-boo. But it will give some guys a chance to play, establish some roles, and guys who deserve to play, anyways.”
They saw a good lefthander from Boston College on Friday, and a steady diet of lefthanded pitching from Brigham Young on Saturday.
Giamarusti is one of those righthand hitters who made the most of his opportunity against BYU.
“He was awesome,” said Mosiello. “He put a great swing on the ball and he plays his tail off. You can’t do much offensively if you don’t get on base a lot. You need to create some havoc offensively and today was a good all-around day. It’s gonna’ make playing tomorrow a lot more fun.”
Game Notes:
Tyler Pettorini was one of two Buckeyes to go 3 for 5 in the win over BYU. He’s now 4 for 9 after two games.
Mixed among those eleven hits – Pettorini was 3 for 5 (2 RBIs), Kaczmar was 3 for 5 (3 RBIs), Mershon was 1 for 2, and Giamarusti was 1 for 3.
Mosiello loves the stolen base and the Buckeyes were 5 for 6 Saturday, after going 3 for 3 against Boston College.
Besides their 11 hits the Buckeyes also worked Brigham Young pitchers for 9 walks. It helped create that havoc he talks about, and if was, to illustrate, a big difference in the game.
Gavin Bruni gets the start on Sunday against Southern California. The teams play at Sloan Park, the Chicago Cubs spring home, and first pitch is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio sponsor your favorite Buckeye sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.