COLUMBUS, Ohio – The sixth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team roared back from a 14-0 deficit on Friday night against Pittsburgh and won five of the final six bouts to earn a 20-17 victory against the Panthers at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.
Trailing 14-0 after fourth matches, the Buckeyes got three major decisions, one decision and one technical fall in the second half of the dual to styme the Panthers. Each of the five wins came from wrestlers ranked in the top 12 of their respective weight classes.
Friday night’s dual began at 174 pounds and for the Buckeyes, it almost started with a significant upset. Unranked freshman e’Than Birden, a Dublin native, battled 17th-ranked Luca Augustine all the way to a second overtime period before eventually falling, 2-1. Neither wrestler was able to score a takedown in the match, as Birden carried a 1-0 lead into the third period.
In the next bout, at 184 pounds, Ohio State once again lost a tight decision. This time it was Seth Shumate who went down the wire in a 6-5 loss to No. 11-ranked Reece Heller. Shumate built a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period was ahead 4-3 entering the third period but a Heller takedown proved to be the difference. The win for the Panthers gave them an early 6-0 lead in the team score.
The Panthers would increase their lead to 9-0 following an 8-2 decision for No. 16 Mac Stout at 197 pounds over Ryder Rogotzke in the first ranked match of the night. Stout got going late in the bout, scoring a late second-period takedown to pull ahead 3-1 and then scoring four points in the third period.
A 16-1 technical fall at 285 lbs. – the first bonus points of the night – gave the Panthers a 14-0 cushion after four matches. But Brendan McCone swung some momentum back in Ohio State’s favor with an escape, takedown and four nearfall points in the third period of an 8-0 major decision over Matt Marlow at 125 pounds.
The Buckeye bonus points continued at 133 pounds when Nic Bouzakis’ 14-4 major decision cut the Pitt lead to 14-8. Eight of Bouzakis’ 14 points were scored in the third period as he scored two takedowns and an escape.
Reigning national champion Jesse Mendez continued the Ohio State rally with yet another bonus points win, topping No. 21 Anthony Santaniello by major decision, 16-1. Dylan D’Emilio then gave Ohio State its first lead in the team score of the night when he scored four third-period back points in a 7-4 decision at 149 pounds.
Paddy Gallagher clinched the team win for the Buckeyes in the follow match at 157 pounds thanks to his 13-4 major decision that came on the strength of three takedowns in the first two periods in building a 10-2 lead. Pitt’s Jared Keslar would close the night with a 13-11 win over No. 8 Sammy Sasso at 165 pounds.
No. 6 Ohio State 20, Pittsburgh 17
Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 | Fitzgerald Field House | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Records: Ohio State 4-0; Pitt 2-1
174: No. 17 Luca Augustine (PITT) dec. over e’Than Birden (OSU) TB1 2-1 | PITT 3, OSU 0
184: No. 11 Reece Heller (PITT) dec. over Seth Shumate (OSU) 6-5 | PITT 6, OSU 0
197: No. 16 Mac Stout (PITT) dec. over No. 15 Ryder Rogotzke (OSU) 8-2 | PITT 9, OSU 0
HWT: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer (PITT) tech fall over Hogan Swenski (OSU) 16-1 | PITT 14, OSU 0
125: No. 6 Brendan McCrone (OSU) major dec. over Matt Marlow (PITT) 8-0 | PITT 14, OSU 4
133: No. 7 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) major dec. over Vinnie Santaniello (PITT) 14-4 | PITT 14, OSU 8
141: No. 2 Jesse Mendez (OSU) tech fall over No. 21 Anthony Santaniello (PITT) 16-1 | PITT 14, OSU 13
149: No. 12 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) dec. over vs. Finn Solomon (PITT) 7-4 | OSU 16, PITT 14
157: No. 7 Paddy Gallagher (OSU) major dec. over Dylan Evans (PITT) 13-4 | OSU 20, PITT 14
165: vs. Jared Keslar (PITT) dec. over No. 8 Sammy Sasso (OSU) 13-11 | OSU 20, PITT 17
This article was published by Ohio State Buckeyes on 2024-12-14 02:20:00
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