Ehrnsberger Blasts Two Home Runs to Lead Baseball Over Western Michigan, 9-6 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 4, 2000
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Openly unhappy with his hitting last weekend, Chad Ehrnsberger (Sr., Kalida, Ohio) stated that nothing less than a successful weekend would be considered acceptable at the 2000 Kennel Club Classic. And against Western Michigan, the OSU All-American put on a power display by hammering two home runs to help lead the Ohio State baseball team (5-1 overall) to a 9-6 victory. In two games this weekend, Ehrnsberger is 5-for-7 with three home runs and four runs batted in.
“I actually thought I was late on both pitches and the wind probably helped both balls out,” Ehrnsberger said. “As a unit, our offense played well and didn’t get frustrated with the slow start.”
The Broncos took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, Ryan Kochen singled to rightfield. He scored two batters later off a single by Joe Seestadt to centerfield.
WMU starting pitcher Kody Naylor was perfect for the first three innings, retiring the first nine batters he faced. But the second time around the OSU lineup proved to be a different story as the first five batters reached base. Mike Check (Jr., Bay Village, Ohio) led off with a single to rightfield. He is now the only Buckeye to have a hit in every game this season and currently has a six-game hitting streak. Doug Dendinger (So., Greenwich, Ohio) than sent a check-swing dribbler down the leftfield line that got past WMU third baseman Chris Richter for a RBI double that scored Check. Ehrnsberger than cleared the bases when he sent a 1-2 offering from Naylor over the centerfield wall. The two-run shot was his third of the year and gave OSU a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Broncos cut the OSU lead to one when Tim Bellestri led off with a single and later scored on a single by Kochen. In the bottom of the fifth, OSU increased its lead to 4-2. Chris Alvord (Jr., Mentor, Ohio) led off with a walk and moved to third base on a double by Check. Alvord scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Jason Turner (Sr., Versailles, Ohio).
In the bottom of the sixth, Nick Swisher (Fr., Parkersburg, W.Va.) led off with a walk. Two batters later, he scored on a single to centerfield by Check to give OSU a 5-2 lead.
WMU mounted a mini-rally in the top of the seventh inning. Andy Constentino hit a two-run single up the box to cut the OSU lead, 5-4. But Ehrnsberger went back to work in the bottom of the seventh. With a full count, the All-American blasted his fourth home run of the season off WMU reliever Josh Clark to give OSU a 6-4 lead.
In the top of the ninth, WMU cut the lead to 9-6 with two runs but it proved to be to little to late.
On the mound, OSU’s E.J. Laratta (So., Englewood, Colo.) was his typical efficient and effective self improving his record to 2-0 for the season. He went 8.2 innings, threw 127 pitches, gave up six runs and recorded five strikeouts. Cory Cox (Jr., Chillitocothe, Ohio) threw two pitches and recorded the final out of the game for his second save of the year. Naylor was the losing pitcher.
