Falcons And Buckeyes Play 12-Inning Epic Tuesday Night

Tuesday, May 9

Columbus, OH

6:35 PM

Bowling Green State University

12-31

Ohio State

19-29

Bowling Green

Ohio State

May 10, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: PDF | HTML

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a game that saw just about everything, Ohio State escaped with a 7-6 win over The Bowling Green State University baseball team on Tuesday (May 9) night in Columbus. The game, which went 12 innings, lasted four hours and 17 minutes. A walk-off single with the bases loaded gave the Buckeyes the victory.

"We certainly had our chances to win, so that hurts, but I can't fault the effort. Our guys battled their butts off," said head coach Danny Schmitz. "Games like these are just brutal to lose. We had so many guys step up, it's hard to know where to start. We had to deal with an incredible amount of adversity tonight. It was a great college baseball game, and we just fell a little short."

Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Ohio State with one out in the 12th. Dominic Canzone then singled home the winning run to allow Ohio State, which was out-hit 11-6 after nine innings and 14-10 for the game, to escape with the walk-off win.

Senior Addison Rospert pitched heroically in the loss for the Orange and Brown. Rospert logged 3.1 innings, which surpassed his previously career high by a full 2.0 innings. He struck out four, which surpassed his previously career high by three strikeouts, and he allowed just the 12th-inning run.

Rospert, who had worked just 1.1 innings dating back to March, entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with no outs and a runner on first. After a bunt moved the runner into scoring position, Rospert recorded a strikeout and ended the threat with a fielder's choice. However, his wizardly had just begun.

He fanned two more in the 10th, but then Ohio State seemingly won the game with a leadoff triple to start the 11th. Rospert recorded a huge fly out to shallow center, before registering a massive strikeout for out No. 2. After an intentional walk, the right-hander completed the walk-on-water effort by inducing a fielder's choice ground out to short.

The game started with both teams trading blows. Bowling Green scored a run apiece in both of the first two innings, as Randy Righter doubled home a run in the first and Nick Glanzman tripled home a Falcon in the second. Glanzman finished the game 3-for-5 with a run and RBI. The Buckeyes tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first, and then took a 3-2 lead with a two-run third.

Derek Drewes tied the game with a two-out poke up the middle in the fifth, and for the second time in the game, he scored from first on a Righter double. This time, Righter's two-bagger gave the visitors a 4-3 lead. Righter, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, knocked in his third run of the game and gave BGSU a 5-3 lead with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The lead, unfortunately for the Falcons, was short lived. Bowling Green walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, and OSU made the Falcons pay with a two-run single and a sacrifice fly. Bowling Green tied the game in the top of the eighth on a fielder's choice. Jake Wilson scored Jeff Scott, who walked with one out.

Just like Rospert, Croy pitched arguably his best game as a Falcon. In 3.1 innings of work, the sophomore allowed just one hit, and struck out four while not issuing a free pass. He came on in relief of starting pitcher Chandler Stillings, who lasted 2.2 innings. Kody Brown continued his fantastic junior season with 2.0 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, and punched out two.

Drewes finished the ballgame 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Greg Basalyga also posted multiple hits, as he went 2-for-5 with a double.

The Falcons had a pair of notable scoring opportunities late in the contest. Bowling Green had runners on second and third with no outs in a tie game in the ninth, but two strikeouts allowed Ohio State to escape the jam.

In the 11th, Joe McGuinness notched a two-out single with Basalyga at second, but the left fielder was thrown out at the plate to end the frame. Following the play, the benches briefly cleared due to an altercation, but no physical contact was made between the two teams, and no ejections were needed.

Ohio State committed five errors in the game. Bowling Green played a clean game defensively.

The Falcons conclude MAC play this weekend with a three-game series at Steller Field versus Western Michigan. The series will begin with a 3:05 p.m. first pitch on Friday (May 12). Seniors Greg Basalyga, Nick Glanzman, Tony Landi, Addison Rospert and C.J. Schildt will take part in Senior Day festivities prior to Sunday's (May 14) finale.