Baseball
Buckeyes Even Season Record With Two Wins in Jacksonville
By John Porentas
The Buckeyes traveled Jacksonville, Florida last weekend to participate in the Kennel Club Classic. OSU took on host North Florida on Friday, then Ryder University Saturday morning followed by a game with Bradley Saturday afternoon.
Ohio State 16, North Florida, 10
The wind was blowing and the ball was flying making it a bad day for pitchers and a great day for hitters. OSU pounded out 19 hits in evening their season-record to 3-3.
The Buckeyes used three big innings to down the Ospreys. OSU plated three runs in the fourth inning, four in the fifth, then six more in the seventh inning. All of OSU's runs in the big seventh inning came before a single Buckeye was retired.
Shortstop Jedidiah Stephen and second baseman Jason Zoeller both homered in the game, Stephen coming through with a two-run blast and Zoeller a solo.
Eight Buckeyes had multiple hits led by Zoeller, first baseman Paul Farinacci and outfielder Wes Shirtzinger, all of whom collected three hits in the game.
The Ospreys held the early lead with a single run in the third, but OSU tallied three in the fourth and four in the fifth to take a 7-1 lead.
OSU starter Trent Luyster went 5 2/3 innings and gave up six runs, four of them earned, on 11 hits as the Ospreys rapped out 18 total hits against three Buckeye hurlers.
Bradley 4, Ohio State 3
The Buckeyes took a 3-0 lead into the eighth inning, but three costly errors led to four unearned runs and cost OSU a game.
OSU starter pitcher Dan DeLucia pitched six innings of two-hit shutout ball before being relieved by Rory Meister who retired the side in the seventh without allowing a run. The eighth inning, however, proved to be disaster for the Buckeyes.
With a man on first and one out, freshman second baseman Tony Kennedy committed an error to put runners on first and second with one out. Meister was then relieved by Brett Hatcher who got the first hitter he faced on a fly out, but with two out, a single produced a run and put runners at the corners. It looked like Hatcher had gotten the Buckeyes out of the inning when he got another ground ball to Kennedy, but the young infielder committed his second error of the inning to keep the inning alive and allow another run to score. Hatcher then hit a batter, and a bases loaded single was misplayed in the OSU outfield by center fielder Mike Rabin, allowing the go-ahead run to score on the third error of the inning.
Ohio State 15, Ryder 9
After dropping a late-inning decision to Bradley in their first game of the day, the Buckeyes wasted little time jumping on Ryder. OSU scored three runs in the third and four more in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead and looked like they were in total command.
Buckeye starter Corey Luebke went 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run on seven hits before giving up a single run in the sixth and being relieved by Rory Meister. Meister got a strikeout to end the inning, but did not do nearly as well in the seventh inning.
Ryder rallied for three runs in the seventh to cut OSU's lead to 7-4, then took the lead in the top of the eighth with four runs to go up 8-4. Their lead was, however, short lived.
OSU erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth. OSU second baseman Jason Zoeller had two doubles in the inning, one while leading off to start the rally, the other to drive in a run in his second at-bat in the frame.
Zoeller didn't confine his hitting to the eighth inning in the game. The OSU infielder had five hits in six at bats and was on base all day. Outfielder Wes Shirtzinger was also outstanding at the plate with four hits in five at bats. Third baseman Ronnie Bourquin added three hits in the OSU attack.
Notes:
* The Buckeyes were without the services of Big Ten Player of the Year Steve Caravati last weekend who is nursing a hamstring pull. Also held out of action was usual starting outfielder and last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jacob Howell.
* The Buckeyes have left 68 runners on base through eight games this season. The opposition has left 64.
* OSU has turned 14 double plays in eight games, the opposition six.
Buckeye Leaders:
Batting Average
OF Wes Shirtzinger .400 (12 hits in 30 at bats)
2B/SS Jason Zoeller .400 (10 hits in 25 at bats)
3B Ronnie Bourquin .333 (11 hits in 33 at bats)
DH/OF Cody Caughenbaugh .333 (8 hits in 24 at bats.
SS Jedidiah Stephen .308 (8 hits in 26 at bats)
Home Runs
2B/SS Jason Zoeller - 2
SS Jedidiah Stephen - 2
Triples
OF Wes Shirtzinger, 2B Jason Zoeller, OF/DH Cody Caughenbaugh and SS Jedidiah Stephen - all with one triple.
Doubles
3B Ronnie Bourquin 4
OF/DH Cody Caughenbaugh 3
Stolen Bases
OF Wes Shirtzinger 5, 5 attempts
OF Jacob Howell 2, 4 attempts
Earned Run Average
Dan DeLucia 0.75 in 12 innings pitched
Cory Luebke 3.09 in 11 2/3 innings pitched
Mike Madsen 4.50 in 10 innings pitched
Trent Luyser 5.40 in 16 2/3 innings pitched