The Ohio State baseball team is now in a virtual tie for the eight and final tournament spot in the Big Ten thanks to a 7-0 win over Purdue in West Lafayette Thursday night.
The game was a pitcher’s dual for most of the day. Starting Buckeye pitcher Garrett Burhenn went eight scoreless innings for the win, while Ohio State managed just one-run through six innings before getting the offense rolling.
Dillon Dingler got things started early for the scarlet and gray by mashing one over the fence in the top of the 1st inning for a 1-0 lead.
It then remained scoreless until the bats finally came awake for OSU. Brent Todys hit a bomb in the top of the 7th to extend the lead to 2-0, then the Buckeyes busted out for three more runs in the top of the 8th thanks to another homer — this time of the three-run variety — by Brady Cherry, and just like that, Ohio State was up 5-0. As a part of that inning, leadoff hitter Dominic Canzone singled to extend his bases reached streak to 49 games.
The Bucks would add two more runs in the top of the 9th inning before OSU pitching shut the door in the bottom of the ninth. The win improves the overall record to 29-24 and the Big Ten record to 10-12.
The Buckeyes must now focus on trying to win the next two to put itself in the best position possible to make the Big Ten Tournament. It cannot afford to leave wins on the field with both Maryland and Rutgers just ahead of Ohio State going into the day.
