Greg Beals isn't running away from it. In his fifth season as the Ohio State head baseball coach, Beals feels he has a team capable of reaching the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State seeking its first tournament trip since 2009. Week in and-week out, Beals knows where his team resides in pursuit of a bid into the field of 64. Entering a home non-conference series against UNLV, the Buckeyes had a top-25 RPI in the NCAA's first official rating release. After a home weekend defeat Beals knows how the back-to-back losses to conclude the series with the Rebels affect's Ohio State's postseason aspirations.
"It's a costly loss, a costly loss a series," Beals said of Ohio State's first home series defeat. "We had an opportunity in our national ranking to be in really good position and we lost ground on that weekend."
Giving credit to UNLV's pitching staff who performed better than their season-to-date numbers would indicate of their capabilities, Beals saw the Rebels hold Ohio State to six runs over the final two games, preventing the Bucks from finding a way to make their 13 hits in the rubber match added up to any significance.
"I think our hitters need to stay more offensive, I thought we started guessing a little bit, not hitting the pitch we wanted to hit all of the time, which is tough to say on a day you get 13 hits."
Ohio State would outhit UNLV 13-9 but the Rebels would be more efficient in turning their baserunners to runs, taking the series finale to improve to 15-19 on the season, dropping Ohio State to 23-9. UNLV's ability to not squander opportunities would come by taking advantage of each inning providing three outs.
Through the first half of the game the 1,264 were witness to a pitcher's duel. As was the case in Sunday rubber matches against Michigan State and Rutgers, Ohio State senior left-hander Ryan Riga opened the game with zeros on the board. For four innings he was matched by UNLV freshman right-hander Blaze Bohall, In the blink of an eye the game turned on a dime.
A one-out single, walk, fielder's choice and stolen base gave UNLV two runners on with two down. Freshman second baseman Payton Squire singled to right field to break the seal on scoring, putting Tim Chambers' club in front 2-0. After hit senior catcher Erik VanMeetren, UNLV's lead doubled when senior DH Dylan Ellis lines a single off the glove of Ohio State third baseman Nick Sergakis. Payton already crossing home, the Bucks tried to throw out VanMeetren attempting to reach third, but covering shortstop Craig Nennig was unable to squeeze the ball in making a tag attempt, VanMeetren trotting home. The fourth hit of the inning off Riga made it a 5-0 deficit for Ohio State as they went to bat in the bottom of the fifth.
"Give them credit, all seven runs came with two outs," Beals said. "It's the fifth inning, two outs, no score, they get a big hit, then kind of a fluke play at third base and it goes from 2-0 to 5-0 in a hurry."
The Buckeyes were able to cut into UNLV's lead thanks to back-to-back ground outs following L Grant Davis' leadoff double down the left field line.
But the Mountain West club was back at it with another round of two-out lightning in the top of the sixth. Relieving Riga at the start of the inning, freshman right-hander Seth Kinker was one out away from pitching a clean inning and halting UNLV's momentum. But after a single up the middle by freshman shortstop Nick Rodriguez, UNLV senior center fielder Joey Armstrong lined a two-run home run over the left field wall, expanding the distance between the Rebels and Buckeyes to six runs.
The two runs would be the lone runs Kinker surrendered as he pitched the final four innings, the last three without yielding a run as Ohio State fought back.
Ohio State senior right fielder Pat Porter legged out an infield single to open the home-half of the sixth, and after a pair of grounders scored on a two-out single to right fielder from senior catcher Aaron Gretz. The Buckeyes threatened in the seventh with two runners on for two-hole hitting senior DH Connor Sabanosh, but a 4-3 double play ended Ohio State's attempted rally.
The biggest hit of the game came an inning later when Gretz dialed up an one-out two-run double to the right-center gap, scoring Porter who led off with a single, and Sergakis who found a hole through the left side in front of wild pitch giving the Buckeyes two in scoring position. The Buckeyes were unable to drive in Gretz from second base, but the game was now 7-4, giving the hosts life heading into the final inning.
Where Ohio State opened the weekend with a walk-off win, the team's third consecutive, Ohio State appeared in position to summon the dramatics one more time. Junior first baseman Ryan Leffel blooped a single to center field to open the OSU ninth. After a fly out to center, Sabanosh singled up the middle to bring the tying run to the plate. Unable to find a pitch to do anything with, Porter walked on four pitches to load the bases.
Representing the winning run, sophomore left fielder Ronnie Dawson struck out before Sergakis skied Ohio State's 27th and final out into the glove of Squire, ending the game.
Co-captains Gretz and Sabanosh each picked up three hits to lead Ohio State on the afternoon. Riga surrendered five runs, three earned, off six hits in five innings, falling to 5-2 on the year. Bohall picked up his fourth win in six decision, holding Ohio State to two runs off eight hits in six innings, striking out five without a walk.
"I felt we had opportunities to do a little more in key situations," Beals said. "But all of that said, we're back in the ninth inning with the tying run on first, go-ahead run in the batter's box with our four and five-hole hitters up, we got ourselves back in position."
Unfortunately for the men in scarlet and gray they weren't able to capitalize on the position. But there's no time to sulk. Ohio State concludes an eight-game homestand with a Tuesday night contest against Louisville (27-8, 16-2), an Atlantic Coast Conference club ranked as high as No. 5, a chance to right the ship and get back on course in pursuit of postseason glory.
"I told the guys after the game in the outfield this is the point where we want to be in the season," Beals said. "This is a great opportunity for us against Louisville and show that we are ready to play at the national level and we are going to get that chance for the rest of the season coming up."