Baseball Completes Game One of World Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/12/1998 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
%^$
%^$
Oct. 12, 1998%^$
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Scarlet squad took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning and never looked back, crushing the Gray, 13-2 Monday afternoon at Bill Davis Stadium in game one of the Scarlet and Gray World Series.
The game started out as a pitcher’s duel between Gray starter Kevin Goodrum (So., Mentor, Ohio) and Scarlet hurler Andy Lee (Sr., West Chester, Ohio). The duo squared off through four complete innings before the Scarlet bats came alive in the fifth. Lee pitched 8.0 innings and struck out nine before giving way to Cory Cox (So., Chillicothe, Ohio) in the ninth who retired the final three batters. Lee worked himself out of a jam in the bottom of the third inning, just as it looked like the Gray was about to break open a big inning. Marcello Garofalo (Jr., Columbus, Ohio) led off with a single to left field and Trent McIlvain (So., Louisville, Ohio) followed with a single to left giving the Gray two men on with no outs. Lee retired the next three batter in order, striking out two and causing the third to fly out to left field.
Chad Ehrnsberger (So., Kalida, Ohio) broke the draw in the top of the fifth inning when he doubled to left field with two outs and two men on, moving the Scarlet ahead 2-0. Mike Check (So., Bay Village, Ohio) and Jason Driscoll (Jr., Middlefield, Ohio) both reached base on bunt singles and crossed the plate when Ehrnsberger’s line drive hit the wall.
The Scarlet squad increased it’s lead to six runs as the team pounded out four hits and four runs in the top of the sixth. With two out, Chris Alvord (So., Mentor, Ohio) and Check singled to left field, sparking a rally. Driscoll then grounded into a fielder’s choice that looked to be a sure out, but Check beat the throw to second, loading the bases for Jason Trott (Sr., Dublin, Ohio). The two-time Big Ten batting champion stepped to the plate and crushed a double to left centerfield, bringing in three runs. Trott scored when Ehrnsberger rapped his second double of the day.
Freshman Joe Palazzo (Tucson, Ariz.) opened up the Scarlet seventh with a homerun to left field causing Gray skipper Brian Mannino to pull Goodrum in favor of freshman right hander Greg Prenger who retired the next three batters.
Matt Middleton (Sr., Conover, Ohio) put the Gray on the board for the first time in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff solo homerun to left field, Lee’s only mistake of the day.
OSU’s Scarlet squad tacked on three more runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth while the Gray managed just one run in the final two stanzas.
Ehrnsberger batted 3-for-5 on the day with five RBI and three doubles while Trott was 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
Game two of the series will be Tuesday at 3 p.m. followed by a night game, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. %^$
