Baseball: Ohio State Finishes Winless at BRUCE BOLT College Classic

Facing its stiffest competition of the season, Ohio State (5-5) dropped all three games at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic at Daikin Park in Houston. The Buckeyes opened with a loss to UTSA (9-1) on Friday, fell to No. 24 Ole Miss Rebels (10-2) on Saturday and were defeated by No. 3 Texas (11-0) on Sunday.

Ohio State fell just short in a 6-5 loss to UTSA in the opener of the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, as a late Buckeye error led to the decisive Roadrunner score in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Buckeyes struck first in the top of the first inning as centerfielder Miles Vandenheuvel worked a leadoff walk, before he scored the opening run on a double down the left field line from shortstop Lee Ellis.

A single up the middle by second baseman Henry Kaczmar scored Ellis to give the Buckeyes an early 2-0 advantage.

UTSA answered in the bottom half of the inning as catcher Andrew Stucky hit an RBI double to trim the lead to 2-1.

After three scoreless innings, Ohio State outfielder Noah Furcht smashed his second home run of the season to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to two in the top of the fifth.  

A two RBI-single from Roadrunner outfielder Garrett Gruel evened the score at three in the sixth inning before outfielder Lane Haworth hit a two-run home run in the seventh to give UTSA its first lead of the game at 5-3.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, a groundout by UTSA infielder Diego Diaz put the ball in play as outfielder Christian Hallmark capitalized on a Buckeye error to add an insurance run, extending the Roadrunners’ lead to three.

Although Ohio State pushed across two runs in the ninth, Vandenheuvel sparked the rally with a leadoff single, and Ellis followed with a double to put both runners in scoring position.

A groundout by catcher Mason Eckelman brought Vandenheuvel home, and another groundout from Furcht drove in Ellis, pulling the Buckeyes to within a run of the lead.

But with two outs, Kaczmar hit a grounder to second, and UTSA sealed the 6-5 win.

On the mound, sophomore Gavin Kuzniewski got the start for Ohio State, striking out five batters and allowing three runs on six hits over six innings in a no-decision. Right-hander Zak Sigman (1-1, 6.30 ERA) took the loss after giving up two runs on one hit with two strikeouts in 1.0 inning pitched.

Ohio State’s second game of the weekend wasn’t nearly as tight, as the No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels delivered an 8-0 shutout of the Buckeyes on Saturday.

The Buckeyes opened the game with a Vandenheuvel strikeout before Ellis and Eckelman hit back-to-back singles. The pair advanced on a flyout from Furcht, but were ultimately left stranded.

After both teams went three up, three down in the second inning, Ole Miss seized momentum with solo home runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to build a 3-0 lead. Infielder Dom Decker launched the first and third shots, while catcher/ infielder Collin Reuter added the one in between.

In the top of the eighth inning, a walk by Ohio State left-hander Sahil Patel and a single from infielder Judd Utermark left men on first and second for the Rebels. Then, another walk by Nik Copenhaver after a pitching change left the bases loaded for Ole Miss, before a second walk in a row increased the Rebels’ lead to five.

After the back-to-back walks, Copenhaver was replaced by Buckeye junior Nick Sawyer, who immediately gave up a grand slam to Ole Miss outfielder Brett Moseley, before closing out the inning.

Furcht singled to lead off the ninth inning for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes were unable to capitalize as the Rebels claimed an 8-0 victory. The UNC Charlotte transfer, Furcht, led Ohio State with three hits in the loss, including two doubles.

Ole Miss’s dominant victory marked the Rebels’ first shutout of the season and the second time Ohio State was held scoreless this year.

Chris Domke (1-2, 2.45 ERA) was charged with the loss, pitching 5.0 innings in which he struck out six batters while allowing three runs on four hits.

No. 3 Texas cruised past Ohio State on Sunday, powered by a seven-run third inning and eight strikeouts from Longhorns starter Dylan Volantis.

The Longhorns and Buckeyes each had three-up, three-down halves of an inning before Ohio State left Furcht and Kaczmar on base after a walk and a single in the bottom of the second. Texas infielder Ethan Mendoza sparked the Longhorns’ third-inning scoring surge with a single to center, driving in infielder Casey Borba.

Catcher Carson Tinney followed with a groundout to second base, bringing in outfielder Jonah Williams as Mendoza advanced to second and infielder Josh Livingston moved to third. Outfielder Aiden Robbins continued the run with a single to center field, scoring Livingston and moving Mendoza to third. Robbins then advanced to second on a wild pitch, allowing Mendoza to score.

Infielder Adrian Rodriguez doubled down the left-field line, driving in Robbins, before infielder Temo Becerra capped the inning with a two-run homer to left field, scoring Rodriguez and giving the Longhorns a commanding 7-0 lead.

Ohio State responded in the fifth inning. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, catcher Grant Mangrum reached base after being hit by a pitch. First baseman CJ Reid followed with a double to right field and Mangrum scored on a wild pitch to put the Buckeyes on the board.

In the seventh inning, Furcht cut the Longhorns’ lead to five as he kicked off the inning with a solo home run to left field.

Texas answered in the top of the seventh as outfielder Jonah Williams reached on a fielder’s choice, bringing in Becerra while Borba was thrown out at second. Longhorns outfielder Ashton Larson then singled to center, scoring outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. to extend the lead back to seven.

With two outs in the seventh, Vandenheuvel was hit by a pitch, putting a Buckeye on first. On Ohio State’s next at-bat, Ellis tripled to center field, scoring the Eastern Arizona transfer and cutting Texas’ lead to 9-3.

The Longhorns’ Becerra closed out Texas’s win with a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the eighth to secure a 10-3 victory.

Ohio State right-hander Pierce Herrenbruck (1-1) took the loss, giving up six runs on four hits in just 2.1 innings pitched.

Ohio State will return to Columbus for its home opener against Xavier (4-7) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.