Ohio State got the week started on the right foot by snapping its eight-game losing streak on Tuesday night. The Buckeyes hosted the Wright State Raiders of the Horizon League from nearby Dayton, Ohio. The Buckeyes jumped all over Wright State. Ohio State led the game 7-0 after only the first inning.
The Buckeye bats were alive with Matthew Graveline, Trey Lipsey, and Tyler Pettorini, all hitting home runs. The Bucks would go on to win, 18-2.
The Big Ten play that began on Friday in East Lansing picked up where it had left off for Ohio State. The Buckeyes were routed 11-4. A Graveline home run was essentially their lone bright spot of the game.
Saturday was a different story. Ohio State battled Michigan State in a back-and-forth game that went into extra innings. The Buckeyes led the Spartans 6-2 after four innings and then trailed 8-6 after six innings. Ohio State had a 9-8 lead going into the eighth inning before MSU tied to go into extra innings and won 10-9 in the 11th inning.
In the series finale, the Buckeyes were once again soundly beaten and swept for the fifth time this season. They fell to the Spartans 14-4. Ohio State has lost 11 of its last 12 games and was a beatdown of Wright State away from being on a double-digit losing streak. Needless to say, the season could be going better for Justin Haire and our Bucks.
The 9-27 Buckeyes (who are 2-16 in Big Ten play) will have a busy week as they start a 10-game home stand. They need the home stand as they are 0-15 in road games this year. On Tuesday, they play Akron, and on Wednesday, Toledo. Both schools are from the MAC and will come to Bill Davis Stadium.
Akron is 12-26 and Toledo is 16-22, so the Buckeyes should get a couple of weekday wins before their series that starts on Friday against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are 18-22 and in 15th place in the Big Ten. There is some hope for the last-place Buckeyes to get some wins and build their team for next season this week.