Matt Graveline looks up at the giant Globe Life scoreboard in disbelief…Buckeyes drop game one of the Amegy Bank weekend series, 13-0. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
The walks again bit them…and the Buckeyes and starter Drew Erdmann dug a hole too deep on the Texas prairie against an excellent Auburn team…run-ruled, 13-0, in the first game of the AmegyBank Baseball .
Arlington, TX — The retractable roof over Globe Life Field weighs an unfathomable 24 million pounds and the Ohio State University baseball team felt as if every ounce collapsed on their heads Friday afternoon.
VPP, in Versailles, Ohio, proudly sponsors Buckeye baseball on Press Pros Magazine.com.
Most of the mythical wreckage appeared to land on the pitcher’s mound as the Buckeyes lost to Auburn, 13-0, in a game shortened to seven innings by ‘The
Run Rule.’
Hall of famer Hal McCoy writes Oho State baseball exclusively for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Ohio State pitchers gave up 13 runs, 13 hits, seven walks and mixed in a run-scoring wild pitch.
On the other side, Auburn pitcher Samuel Dutton displayed how and why he began the game with a 0.90 earned run average.
Dutton was more domineering that John Dutton on ‘Yellowstone,’ lowering that earned run average to 0.63, while shutting out the Buckeyes on two hits, striking out eight over six innings.
It was the first of three games for Ohio State in the AmegyBank Baseball Classic and with the loss to 9-and-1 Auburn the Buckeyes are 1-and-6.
Three of Auburn’s victories came on a three-game sweep of Wright State — 11-0, 11-1 and 9-4. They are looking for more Ohio teams to play.
They only got two hits, and this was one of them…Trey Lipsey’s lead-off single in the first inning.
And it gets no easier for OSU. On Saturday they face Baylor (7-1) and wrap it up Sunday against Oregon State (5-2).
Ohio State starter Drew Erdmann was in an immediate quandry in the first inning when the first two Auburn batters, Eric Snow and Cade Belyeu, poked singles through the infield.
But with the help of second baseman Tyler Pettorini, Erdmann pulled an escape act via a 4-6-3 double play. And with a runner on third and two outs he coaxed an innng-ending ground ball to first base from clean-up hitter Cooper McMurray and his .460 batting average.
The Buckeyes also started their first with a single by Trey Lipsey, but Dutton shut it down quickly and gave up only one more hit, a third-inning two-out single Lee Ellis.
After Lipsley’s first-inning single, Dutton struck out Ellis, Pettorini flied to deep center and OSU clean-up hitter/catcher Matthew Graveline out of Centerville struck out.
Chances are, the best lawn on your block is an Ever-Green lawn. Call us at 937-335-6418!
There was no Houdini-ism from Erdmann in the second when he took a walk on the wild, wild and even wilder side.
He walked five in the inning and all five scored, along with two others that reached on hits.
And Erdmann’s seemingly long day on the mound was a short one. He was removed with two outs in the second and seven runs home.
That kind of a day for the Buckeyes…Nick Giamarusti crashes into the wall trying to make a catch in foul territory in the third inning. Lee Ellis looks on.
His staggering line: 1 2/3 innings, eight runs, five hits, five walks, one strikeout and a severely bruised earned run average: 19.91 for his three appearances over 6 1/3 innings.
They could have packed the bats, balls and catcher’s equipment right then and enjoyed an early dinner.
“We just didn’t get off to a very good start,” said OSU coach Justin Haire. “Their pitchers are good, Auburn’s a good team. We’re still learning how to be a good team.”
The learning curve Friday was a steep one.
“When you play good teams, you don’t have a big margin for error,” Haire added. “They got off to a pretty big early lead and it’s hard to get back.”
Looking for a silver cup on a day of disarray, Haire saw some positives from Erdmann, despite the ugliness of his line.
The Hughes Law office, in Urbana, is the presenting sponsor for all OHSAA state tournament coverage on Press Pros. Call them today if they can help you…Ph. 937-398-0520
“Erdmann wasn’t bad,” he said. “The numbers were bad, the line wasn’t great for him, but his stuff was OK and he had small missess, the misses weren’t drastic (for his five walks). He just needs to finish off some pitches, finish off some innings
The Buckeyes mounted a two-out mini-rally in the third when Trey Lipsey was hit by a pitch and Lee Ellis singled. But Dutton struck out Tyler Pettorini and the meager Buckeye offense was done for the day.
The Tigers/War Eagles (take your pick on Auburn’s nickname) continued their onslaught in the fourth against freshman Gavin Kuzniewski with two more runs on a pair of singles, a double and a walk to hit double digits at 10-0.
Lefthander Tannis Lange lugged his 54.00 earned run average to the mound in the fourth and gave up a run on a double and an error by third baseman Marc Stephens to make it 11-0.
Opportunities to prove one’s self…Gavin Kuzniewski gave up 2 runs in 2.1 innings of relief work.
And he gave up two more in sixth, issuing two walks with two outs, then a pair of run-scoring singles as Auburn reached the supposedly unlucky 13.
When the Buckeyes didn’t score in the bottom of the seventh, like a prize fight, the game was stopped on a TKO that looked more like a solid knockout.
“We did have a chance to get some of our other guys in there to get some experience,” said Haire. “Hopefully that will bode well for us down the road.”
The Big Ten season is fast-approaching — March 14 at Indiana, but Haire is not thinking about it.
“I’m not worried about March 14 right now, I’m worried about whatever tomorrow is,” he said. “For me, for us, it is not necessarily about finding three guys (starting pitchers) to give us five or six (innings).
“It’s about can you go out there and give us your best for one inning,” he added. “And then can you do it again and can you do it again. The more zeroes you put up, the more chances you have to stay out there.”
So far in this young season, putting up zeroes has been as challenging for the Buckeyes as Uganda putting up a space shuttle.
Wilson Health proudly sponsors your favorite area sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.