Pitching for the first time on the same mound on which he threw a 17-strikeout complete game three weeks to the day, Buckeyes redshirt-junior left-hander Seth Lonsway picked up where he left off at Bill Davis Stadium.
Firing shutout baseball.
Ohio State (15-12) defeated Penn State (8-18) after scoring three early runs to lead to its 7-0 win, clinching its first series-victory since its four-game home sweep of Indiana earlier in April.
"I’m trying to get guys out as well as I can and put up zeros on the board," Lonsway said. "I was really happy to see our offense spark up right away, get some runs in. It’s really good to see, definitely helps the pressure and the confidence level."
Lonsway worked himself into a jam from the jump, hitting Nittany Lions leadoff batter and senior second baseman Gavin Homer after getting ahead 1-2 in the count. After issuing a full-count walk to freshman left fielder Tayven Kelley, both runners advanced to second and third base on a sacrifice bunt.
Redshirt-senior first baseman Connor Pohl came up with a hard-hit grounder off the bat of freshman catcher Matt Wood just a few feet off the first bag, and Pohl looked Homer back to third as he side-stepped for the force out. Lonsway forced a flyout to end the early threat.
"Connor Pohl made a great play there in that first inning," head coach Greg Beals said. "One, gloving the ball, a sharp hit, opposite side. You’re not always ready for that one, but he handled it well. Then, on top of that, he handled the run game. He controlled their runner at third base, got the out. I think Connor just did a great job of controlling the situation and getting that out there for the second out."
Each of the first three Buckeyes reached in the bottom half of the first, and freshman center fielder Kade Kern struck the game’s first run on an RBI single to left-center field. Kern finished 2-3 with three runs scored and two stolen bases.
Lonsway retired eight hitters in a row until he allowed a two-out double to Kelley in the third inning, and served just two hits the rest of his seven-inning outing. The left-hander struck out six while walking a pair, and forced 10 groundouts versus just four through the air.
“It’s a great feeling. Knowing you’re an outfielder, not having to do much work because there’s so many strikeouts out there, so that’s definitely a good feeling," Kern said. "Knowing that the other team’s not going to score at all, it’s great for the offense just going out there and attacking, doing our job because [Lonsway] did his."
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After Penn State put two runners aboard in the top half of the first, the Buckeyes matched their counterparts by manufacturing a first-inning run. Sophomore right fielder Mitchell Okuley drew a walk, then moved to third on an opposite-field single from junior shortstop Zach Dezenzo.
Kern continued to put the bat on the ball, and singled to left-center field to score Okuley, then advanced to second base on the throw to third. Redshirt-senior Brent Todys, who remained in the lineup as the designated hitter, hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score Ohio State’s second run. A wild pitch allowed Kern to race home from third.
Junior third baseman Nick Erwin, who hit his first-career triple Friday, encored his performance with another three-bagger in the bottom of the fifth inning. The right-handed hitter drove a 2-1 offering to right-center field, sliding headfirst into third for the Buckeyes’ fourth hit of the game. Okuley scored Erwin on a sacrifice fly one batter later.
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A pair of doubles extended Ohio State’s lead to six as Todys knocked in Kern, who reached on a leadoff single, and junior second baseman Marcus Ernst drove in the former with a ground-rule double down the left-field line.
Some plate discipline was on display as four Buckeyes drew walks in the bottom of the eighth, and perhaps none more impactful than senior catcher Archer Brookman’s full-count battle that allowed Kern to trot home and put the lead at 7-0.
The win moved Ohio State's record at home to 8-2 this season, and the friendly confines of their familiar ballpark has the Buckeyes locked in for the third and final game of the weekend.
"The facilities that we have here thanks to Buckeye Nation and our athletic department gives our guys juice," Beals said. "This is a special place, and our guys realize that. There’s something about protecting your home turf. I think it has to do with what we’re able to do in preparation and training during the week and then even before games."
Junior right-hander Will Pfennig, who's made four starts this season, came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and tossed two-hitless frames to seal the win. The righty struck out a batter while facing the minimum.
The series finale will begin Sunday at 1:05 featuring junior right-handed flamethrower Jack Neely squaring off against fellow junior righty Kyle Virbitsky, who is 1-2 with a 4.49 ERA.
