Malaki Branham had 14 points, five rebounds and four steals, but it was the return of injured senior Kyle Young that gave OSU the glue it had been lacking and the impetus for a 54-43 NCAA Tournament win over Loyola-Chicago.
Marcus Ernst continues to hit, but erratic pitching spelled doom for the Buckeyes Friday in a 12-4 weekend-opening loss to UNC-Wilmington. Mark Znidar writes the story for Press Press.
Head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson are going to tinker moving their headline receiver to the left, to the right, and in the slot so defenses have more difficulty swarming him.
They scored 14 runs on 15 hits in the Bill Davis home opener. But more than a win, the baseball Buckeyes got valuable playing time for starter Wyatt Loncar (below), and a look at a piece of their immediate future with the 2022 pitching debut of co-captain Griffan Smith.
The Buckeyes won the first game 10-4 on the strength of a 4-for-5, five RBI game from first baseman Hank Thomas; In the second, they led 6-4 in the ninth before losing 7-6 on a walk-off single.
