Baseball
Buckeyes Rebound from Series-Opening Loss to Sweep Double Header
By John PorentasIt has been a very busy weekend at Bill Davis Stadium.
Before the game on Friday OSU Head Coach Bob Todd was honored for his election to the college baseball coaches hall of fame. On Saturday, former OSU Head Coach Marty Karow's number was retired in a ceremony between games of the double header. It was also the day of the annual captains breakfast and many, many former OSU baseball captains were on hand. They also played some baseball, and in that process the Buckeyes may have gone a long way toward earning a spot in the Big Ten post-season tournament.
With a loss in the series opener Buckeyes dropped into a tie with Michigan State for sixth place in the Big Ten standings. OSU does hold the tie-breaker over MSU since the Buckeyes took three in East Lansing this spring. That, however, did not leave much room for error. The Buckeyes created some breathing room for themselves by taking both games of the doubleheader while the Spartans were splitting with Purdue.
Game One - Illinois 9, Ohio State 4
Ohio State and Illinois started their nine-inning game on time on Friday but rains swept into the Columbus area requiring that the game be suspended after seven and half innings of play. It was then completed on Saturday prior to the doubleheader scheduled for that day.
OSU starter Jake Hale allowed seven runs on nine hits over five and two thirds innings and that gave the Illini all they really needed to win the game. Illinois starter Kevin Manson controlled the OSU batting order and gave up two runs and just six hits in his six innings of work. The Illini led 7-2 after their at bat in the seventh when the game was suspended.
Neither starter returned to the mound on Saturday when the game was resumed. The Illini went with Mike Sterk over the last three innings and the Buckeye with Josh Edgin. The Buckeyes threatened against Sterk in all three innings but plated just two runs, one in the seventh and one in the eighth. OSU put the leadoff hitter on in all three innings and had multiple runners aboard with less than two outs in both the seventh and eighth but could not come up with the big inning. The Buckeyes trailed 7-4 headed into the ninth but the Illini answered OSU's two one-run innings with a two-run inning in the ninth to go up 9-4. The Buckeyes loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth but could not score.
OSU Left fielder Zach Hurley had four hits in five at bats in a losing cause.
Hale took the loss and fell to 5-3 on the season. Manson got the win to move to 7-1.
The loss left the Buckeyes at 25-22 overall and 11-13 in league play. It also dropped them into a sixth-place tie with Michigan State. Illinois improved its record to 29-18 overall and 15-10 in the Big Ten.
Game One Box Score and Play by Play
Game Two - Ohio State 9, Illinois 2
Senior Dan DeLucia continued his comeback from Tommy John surgery with a gritty performance to hold off the Illini long enough for the Buckeye bats to turn a close game into a laugher in the late innings.
DeLucia went five and a third innings and gave up two runs on four hits to keep the potent Illinois attack in check. The Buckeyes had staked DeLucia to a 3-1 lead with three runs in the first inning. Illinois starter Aaron Martin walked the first three hitters he faced to load the bases with none out. Justin Miller followed with a two-run double to put OSU up 2-1. The Buckeyes plated a third run on a fielder's choice.
After giving up a run in the first DeLucia kept the Illini off the scoreboard until the sixth. In that inning he struck out the leadoff hitter but then gave up consecutive singles to put runners at first and second with one down. DeLucia was relieved by Eric Best who was greeted with a run-producing double by designated hitter Daniel Webb, but Best got a little help from center fielder J. B. Shuck and shortstop Tyler Engle on the play. Shuck retrieved the ball hit by Webb and relayed it to Engle who threw out the second runner trying to score, catcher Aaron Johnson, for the second out of the inning. The play cost the Illini a runner, an out and a catcher as Johnson was ejected from the game for arguing the call at the plate. Best then got a fly out to end the inning. Illinois Head Coach Dan Hartleb had been ejected earlier in the game also for arguing a call.
The Buckeyes came up in the bottom the sixth clinging to a one-run lead but blew open the game with a six-run outburst. All of OSU's scoring in the rally came after two were out. With two gone and none on the Buckeyes put together five hits, all singles, three walks and a hit batsman to put six runs across. They were also aided by an error and wild pitch.
The Illini managed to put two runners aboard against Best in the bottom of the seventh but could not score.
DeLucia got the win to raise his record to 2-3 in what will be the final start of his career in Bill Davis Stadium. Best was credited with his seventh save of the season.
"I thought Dan DeLucia did a very good job," said OSU Head Coach Bob Todd.
"His arm and shoulder didn't exactly loosen up, but he just wouldn't come out of the ball game. He's in a situation with the tendonitis that he's not hurting himself any more, it's just a matter of how much pain he's in."
DeLucia sat out last season after posting 10 wins in 2006 and being named the Big Ten pitcher of the year. His return to playing form this year has been slow but steady.
"I wouldn't say I have total command yet," said DeLucia. "When you can get every hitter to guess and not make contact, that's when you've got all your command. It's coming back though. The last two weeks I've been able to spot a lot of pitches and use my off speed where two weeks before that I didn't really have much off speed."
Game Two Box Score and Play by Play
Game Three - Ohio State 14, Illinois 8
After falling behind 8-3 the Buckeyes exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 13-8 lead, then went on to add another run in the sixth for a come-from-behind 14-8 win to sweep complete the sweep of the doubleheader. It was OSU's first doubleheader sweep of the season.
OSU's big inning followed a big inning by the Illini. Buckeye starter Dan Wolosianski took a 3-1 lead headed into the top of the fifth but gave up a leadoff homerun to third baseman John Schlichter that cut the lead to 3-2. Three consecutive singles then loaded the bases for second baseman Joe Bonadonna who doubled to drive in three runs. Wolosianski then issued consecutive walks to reload the bases before being relieved by Eric Best. Best got the Buckeyes out of the inning but not before three more runs had scored to put Illinois on top 8-3.
OSU's big inning featured seven hits, the biggest of which was a bases loaded double by Justin Miller to drive in three runs. Miller also led off the inning with a single and later scored. His double came in his second at bat. Miller also scored after his double to cross the plate twice in the inning. Shortstop Corey Rupert also had two hits in the inning, one a double to drive in two runs and the other a triple to also drive in two runs. The Buckeyes benefited from one walk and a costly error by Illinois shortstop Brandon Wickoff that helped keep the inning alive.
"This is what we've been looking for all year long," said OSU Head Coach Bob Todd. "We got behind by a large number late in the ball game and I thought we did a very good job of fighting back," Todd said.
"I think everybody is just starting to get into the groove kind of," said Miller. "Coach Todd told us between games that we needed to go back to that relaxed feeling when we're at the plate, and that's when we're at our best. I think in the second game in the fifth inning everybody kind of relaxed at the plate and got the job done," Miller said.
So far in the series against Illinois Miller is seven-of-13 with nine RBI.
A total of 4,705 tickets were sold for the day of baseball though the actual crowd on hand was closer to 3,500.
An OSU win in the series finale would move the Buckeyes into third place in the league standings with one weekend of play remaining. OSU travels to Iowa next weekend to close out the Big Ten regular season. The Buckeyes had been tied for sixth in the league following their loss in the series opener and were feeling more than just a little bit of pressure, but vaulted to fourth in the league standings with the double header sweep.
"We've talked that," said Todd. "We were behind the eight-ball as far as getting into the Big Ten tournament and I thought our guys responded very well," said Todd.
"There is pressure," agreed Miller. "I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't listening every time they announced the scores around the Big Ten. We've just got to win our games and today we did. These two today were big."
Game four of the series is scheduled for 1:05 Sunday. J. B. Shuck will get the start for OSU. There is some threat of rain at the scheduled start time of the game.
Game Three Box Score and Play by Play
Photo Coverage Game 1, 2, and 3
Standings (through games of May 10, 2008)
Big Ten Overall Team W L T Pct. W L T Pct. Michigan Purdue Illinois Ohio State Penn State Northwestern Michigan State
Indiana Minnesota
Iowa
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