Scarlet Goes Ahead in World Series on Laratta’s Complete Game – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/15/1998 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
October 15, 1998
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%^$Box Score%^$
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – In what was the best game of the World Series,%^$the Scarlet went ahead 2-1-1 for the with a 4-2 victory Thursday%^$afternoon at Bill Davis Stadium. %^$
%^$Freshman right hander E.J. Laratta (Englewood, Colo.) went the distance %^$for the Scarlet, hurling 9.0 innings of six-hit, two-run, seven-strikeout ball.%^$Mike Lockwood (Jr., Powell, Ohio) started things of early for the Gray squad, homering in%^$the top of the first inning. With two out, Lockwood took a 2-1 Laratta%^$pitch over the right field wall for a 1-0 lead. The Scarlet jumped out%^$to a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning as Jason Driscoll (Jr.,%^$Middlefield, Ohio) scored on Chad Ehrnsberger’s (So., Kalida, Ohio)%^$sacrifice fly to right after singling, stealing second and advancing to%^$third on a wild pitch by Brandon Steen (Hendersonville, Tenn.). Jason%^$Trott (Sr., Dublin, Ohio), who had walked, scored the go-ahead run when%^$Joey Palazzo (Fr., Tucson, Ariz.) singled to right. Matt Middleton (Sr.,%^$Conover, Ohio) tied the game in the top of the second after a leadoff%^$double. He reached third on a fielder’s choice and scored when Marcello%^$Garofalo (Jr., Columbus, Ohio) grounded to short and reached first.%^$Trevor Vaught (Fr., Canton, Ohio) singled to lead off the Scarlet eighth%^$and stole second. The speedster advanced to third when Driscoll reached%^$safely on a throwing error by Steen and scored the winning run on the%^$miscue. Steen gave way to Justin Fry (Sr., Munhall, Pa.), but was%^$credited with the second run of the inning when Driscoll stole third and%^$scored when Chris Alvord (So., Mentor, Ohio) singled down the third base%^$line. Fry shut down the Scarlet for the remainder of the inning, but%^$Laratta finished as strong, retiring the final three Gray batters for%^$the win.
%^$”It looks like we’ve got a couple of freshman who can pitch,” said head coach Bob Todd %^$of the rookies on the mound.%^$
