**My apologies for the lack of updates these last three weeks, things have been pretty busy lately, but hopefully, I should be able to be more consistent for the rest of the season.**

Well, this certainly has been an interesting stretch, but maybe a little bit of an upswing could be coming? The BaseBucks have been hovering around the .500 mark, but a huge series win might just be what the doctor ordered heading into the final two weeks of the season.

After a series win against Penn State, the Buckeyes' 4th such in a row, things took a downward turn starting with a midweek matchup against Marshall.

The Herd took an immediate 2-0 lead in the T1, but Henry Kaczmar responded with a solo homer in the B1 to put the Buckeyes on the board. Dane Harvey tied the game in the B4 with his own solo shot, and then Grant Mangrum gave the Buckeyes the lead with a 2-RBI double to plate Miles Vandenheuvel and Maddix Simpson. Alex Bemis then sent Mangrum home, and Kaczmar sent Bemis home each on RBI doubles to stretch the lead to 6-2. However, from there, the Herd came Thundering back. With 1 in the T5, 2 in the T6, and 4 in the T8, Marshall retook the lead. The Buckeyes got 1 back in the B8 as Mangrum scored on an RBI single by Harvey, but Marshall took 2 more in the T9 to win the game 11-7. Reliever Nick Sawyer recorded the loss, dropping him to 0-2 on the season, after he allowed the 4-run T8.

After that collapse, Ohio State visited West Lafayette for a weekend series against Purdue.

Game 1 on Friday night was an example of how one inning can change a game. Ohio State jumped out to an immediate 1-0 lead in the T1 as Alex Bemis scored on a Kaczmar RBI single, but Purdue tied it up in the B1, and then used a 6-run B2 to take a huge lead early. Purdue then scored 1 in each of the B3 and B4 to take a 9-1 lead, however the Buckeyes did not give up. Noah Furcht launched a 3-run blast in the T5, bringing Bemis and Kaczmar home along with him, and Harvey launched his own solo shot immediately after to cut the lead to 9-5. Purdue took 1 back in the B6, but a 2-RBI homer by Harvey, plating Kaczmar, and a 2-RBI single by Vandenheuvel, plating Simpson and Eckelman in the T7 cut the lead to just 1 run. The Buckeyes threatened to tie the game as Eckelman got around to 3rd, but Purdue held on for the 10-9 win. Starter Gavin Kuznieweski recorded the loss, dropping him to 2-2, after he allowed 9 of Purdue's runs. 

Game 2 on Saturday was not much better. Another 6 run inning, this time in the B1, gave Purdue another huge lead early, and then responded to every Buckeye blow. Ohio State got on the board in the T2 as Eckelman sent Simpson home on an RBI double, and then came home himself on an RBI double by Vandenheuvel, however, Purdue took those 2 right back in the B2. But in the T3, Harvey launched a 2-run homer, plating Kaczmar, to cut the lead to 9-4. The bats then went quiet until Purdue scored 2 more in the B7. Simpson and Eckelman scored in the T8 on a sac-groundouts by Mangrum and Vandenheuvel, but Purdue again got those 2 back on a home run in the B8. Kaczmar came home on an RBI single by Eckelman in the T9, but it was too late as Ohio State left the bases loaded and Purdue held on for the 12-7 series clinching win. Starter Chris Domke recorded the loss, dropping him to 4-4, after he allowed the 6 runs while only recording 1 out in the B1.

In the series finale, the defense decided to show up, but the offense did not. Ohio State was held scoreless through 8 innings as Purdue slowly built a 6-0 lead, capped off with a bases-clearing double in the B8. Ohio State spoiled the shutout as Furcht and Harvey hit back-to-back solo home runs in the T9, but by then it was far too late as Purdue held on for the 6-2 win and the series sweep. Starter Pierce Herrenbruck recorded the loss, dropping him to 4-2 on the year, though he was solid overall, only allowing 3 runs through 6.2 innings. 

Now back down at .500, Ohio State came back home for another midweek MACtion matchup, this time against Akron, and boy, did the bats wake up. Ohio State took a quick lead as Kazmar hit a solo shot in the B1. Akron tied it up in the T2, But Simpson took the lead right back with a leadoff solo blast in the B2, and then Eckelman scored on a fielder's choice to give the BaseBucks an early 3-1 lead. Ohio State extended the lead in the B3 as Simpson hit a 2-run home run, bringing Harvey home, followed by Lee Ellis hitting an RBI triple to send Eckelman home, and then came home himself on a sac-groundout by Vandenheuvel. The Zips took 2 back in the T4, but Kaczmar and Furcht both walked with the bases loaded to send Mangrum and Vandenheuvel home, the Harvey hit a 2-RBI single to send Bemis and Kaczmar home as Ohio State extended the lead to 11-3 after 5. Akron got those 4 back in the T6, to make things interesting... temporarily. Ellis scored on a sac-fly by Mangrum in the B6, and then the Buckeyes decided enough was enough in the B7. Dane Harvey launched a GRAND SLAM, bringing Bemis, Kaczmar, and Furcht home, and then a few batters later, Grant Mangrum ended the game early on a 3-run bomb, bringing Eckelman and Ellis home to give the Buckeyes the 19-7 run-rule win. Starter Sahil Patel earned the win for his first decision of the season, as he allowed only 3 runs on 6 hits to 7 strikeouts and 1 walk through 3.1 innings. 

The Buckeyes then turned their focus to Piscataway for a series against Rutgers, and this series showed one of the quirks about this sport. Due to forecasted inclement weather on Saturday, Friday turned into a double-header that featured two near-opposite results.

In Game 1, everything came together for the Buckeyes. The game was a pitching duel for the first 4 innings, but Ohio State struck first in the T5 as Eckelman sent Harvey home on an RBI single, followed by a 2-RBI home run by Ellis, plating Eckelman, and then another RBI single, this time by Simpson, to send Kaczmar home and give the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead halfway through. In the T6, Bemis launched a 2-run blast to plate Mangrum, and then in the T7 as double-steal attempt brought Mangrum home again as the Buckeyes built and held on for the 8-0 series opening win. Starter Kuznieweski earned the win, bringing him to 3-2, after he recorded 5 strikeouts to 4 hits through 6.0 innings. 

Game 2 on Friday night was pretty much an exact opposite. This time, the Buckeyes were held scoreless and Rutgers scored in the middle of the game with 2 in the B4 and 1 in the B5 to win the game 3-0 and even the series. Domke pitched the entire game, and recorded the loss, dropping him to 4-5.

After a break on Saturday, the series came to a conclusion on Sunday, and it featured another example of a single game-changing inning. Ohio State took an early lead as Harvey came home on a Rutgers throwing error in the T2 and Vandenheuvel scored on an RBI single by Furcht in the T3, but Rutgers would not go quietly. The Scarlet Knights tied the game in the B5, and then used a massive 8-run B6 that featured three Buckeye pitching changes to take an 10-2 lead. Mangrum doubled in the T7 to send Ellis home, and then was sent home himself on a single by Vandenheuvel to cut the lead to 10-4. Rutgers got 1 back in the B8, and then Eckelman took it back on a wild pitch in the T9, but Rutgers closed the door to take the 11-5 series winner. Starter Herrenbruck recorded the loss, dropping him to 4-3 as he allowed 7 runs through 5.1 innings. 

Following that, the BaseBucks took advantage of a mini-bye week for college finals, and turned it into a huge weekend against #16 Nebraska. 

Game 1 on Friday was a pitching duel the whole way through. Harvey scored on a sac-fly by Mangrum in the B2, and then Simpson followed suit in the B6, assisted by Ellis to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead. Things got hairy in the T9 as started Kuzniewski was unable to complete the game, allowing a Nebraska run, but Ryan Zamora came in and closed the door on the Huskers, earning the save, and giving Kuzniewski his 4th win of the season.

Game 2 on Saturday was the Mason Eckelman game. Starting in the B1, the BaseBucks took an immediate 3-0 lead on a bases-clearing triple by Eckelman, plating Bemis, Kaczmar, and Harvey. Nebraska got on the board in the T3, but Harvey responded with a solo blast in the B3. Nebraska cut the lead down to 2 again in the T7, but Ohio State brought it back up to 3 in the B7 as Eckelman came home on an RBI single by Vandneheuvel. Then, in the B8, Eckelman launched a 2-RBI bomb, bringing Simpson home, and giving the Buckeyes a huge 7-2 lead. Things got dicey in the T9 as Ohio State walked the bases loaded, and then gave Nebraska a free run on a hit batter, but Sawyer shut the door on the Huskers to give the Buckeyes the 7-3 series clinching win. Starter Domke earned the win, bringing him to 5-5, as he allowed only 2 runs on 4 hits through 7.0 innings.

*Game 3 is tomorrow, 5/3/26, and this post will be updated with that result.*

After the 4-6 stretch, Ohio State dropped to 23-21 (12-11). Marshall is now 21-25, Purdue is 31-15 (15-9), Akron is 20-26, Rutgers is 22-25 (9-14), and Nebraska is 34-13 (17-6).

Postseason watch: Ohio State is firmly in the mix for the 12-team Big Ten tournament, as they currently sit at #8 in the conference, but key series against 16-27 (10-16) Michigan State and 29-17 (14-9) TTUN loom on the horizon.