Eric Boggs
The Ohio State baseball team secured its first weekend series win at Bill Davis Stadium with a dominant 8-3 victory over Valparaiso on Sunday. The Buckeyes, now 4-9 on the season, showed resilience after dropping the series opener on Friday, bouncing back with two impressive wins to take the series.
Sunday’s decisive victory saw Ohio State establish control early. Mason Eckelman led off the second inning with a double, setting the stage for Nick Giamarusti, who reached on a fielder’s choice before stealing second. Will Carpenter capitalized with a double to left center, plating Giamarusti to put the Buckeyes on the board. Maddix Simpson followed with an RBI single up the middle, extending the lead to 2-0. The momentum continued in the third inning as Lee Ellis walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Matthew Graveline, giving Ohio State a 3-0 cushion. Valparaiso managed to scratch across a run in the fourth, but the Buckeyes responded with a power surge in the seventh. Ellis led off with a double before Tyler Pettorini crushed a towering 407-foot home run over the right-center wall. Graveline followed suit with a solo shot, extending the Buckeyes’ lead to 6-1. Ohio State added two more insurance runs in the eighth, and despite a late two-run double from Valparaiso in the ninth, the Buckeyes secured the win with a five-run margin.
The standout performance of the day came from starting pitcher Jake Michalak, who delivered a career-best outing. The right-hander struck out ten batters across six stellar innings, allowing just one run on five hits to earn his first win of the season. At the plate, Lipsey led the team with three hits, while Pettorini drove in a team-high three RBIs.
Sunday’s series-clinching win was made possible by the Buckeyes’ offensive firepower displayed in Saturday’s dominant 15-4 victory. Ohio State exploded for nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings combined, putting the game out of reach. Trey Lipsey and Lee Ellis led the charge, each recording three RBIs. Ellis also collected a career-high three hits, finishing just a home run shy of the cycle. Carpenter launched his first career home run, while Graveline and Pettorini added crucial extra-base hits to power the Buckeyes to a run-rule victory. On the mound, Chase Herrell earned the win, tossing five scoreless innings, and Luke Carrell slammed the door shut with two hitless innings in relief.
The weekend series started on a tough note as Ohio State dropped Friday’s opener, 10-7, despite jumping out to an early lead. Eckelman’s two-run blast in the first inning put the Buckeyes ahead, but defensive miscues and timely Valparaiso hitting allowed the Beacons to rally. A three-run double from Pettorini in the seventh inning brought Ohio State within striking distance, but the Buckeyes couldn’t complete the comeback.
With their first series win under their belt, Ohio State looks to build momentum as they prepare to host Eastern Michigan on Tuesday before opening Big Ten play with a three-game set at Indiana. If the Buckeyes can continue their offensive surge and receive strong outings from their pitching staff, they could be poised for a much-needed turnaround as conference play begins.
