Baseball Opens 2001 Season with a 10-5 Loss to No. 11 Nebraska – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/23/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2001%^$
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LAFAYETTE, La. – %^$The Ohio State baseball team (0-1 overall) opened its 2001 season with a 10-5 loss to No. 11 Nebraska (4-3 overall) at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field. Sophomore Nick Swisher (Parkersburg, W.Va.) led the Buckeyes offensively by going 3-for-5 with a two-run home run.%^$
%^$”I’m obviously disappointed that we lost,” head coach Bob Todd said. “We had our chances when the game was close but we let it slip away. It’s hard to win any game when you strand 10 baserunners.”%^$
%^$The Buckeyes stranded runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and eight innings.%^$
%^$In the top of the first inning, the Huskers took an early 1-0 lead. Jeff Leise led off the game with a triple to right-center field. Adam Stern followed and drove in Leise with a sacrifice fly to give Nebraska the first lead of the game.%^$
%^$In the top of the fourth inning, Nebraska added five runs to its lead. John Cole and Jeff Blevins each chipped in with one-run singles and Brandon Eymann hit a three-run double with two outs to give the Huskers a 6-0 lead.%^$
%^$In the bottom half of the inning, the OSU offense rallied for five runs. Mike Check (Sr., Bay Village, Ohio) led off with a single to left field. Swisher immediately followed and blasted a 2-2 offering from NU starting pitcher Thom Ott over the right field wall to give OSU its first two runs of the game. The rally continued when Doug Deeds (Fr., Bexley, Ohio) followed with a single to center field. Two batters later, Lance Rolston (So., Athens, Ohio) walked to put runners on first and second base. John Mayor (Sr., Chesterfield, Mo.) then lined a ball that ricochet off Ott’s leg into left field to score Deeds. Joe Wilkins (Jr., Grove City, Ohio) followed with a bloop double down the left field line to clear the bases and cut the NU lead, 6-5.%^$
%^$In the top of the ninth inning, Nebraska added three more runs. Eymann hit a solo home run off OSU reliever Kevin Wynk (So., Coldwater, Ohio) and Adam Stern hit a one-run triple and later scored on a wild pitch by Cory Cox (Sr., Chillicothe, Ohio). Blevins later hit a one run single to increase the UN lead to 10-5.%^$
%^$In 7.1 innings of work, Laratta (0-1) threw 123 pitches, gave up six runs (all earned), walked three and recorded five strikeouts. Nebraska reliever Steve Hale went 4.2 innings and recorded six strikeouts to earn the win.%^$
%^$Tomorrow, the Buckeyes will play their second of three games at the 2001 Mardi Gras Ball. OSU will play No. 25 Wichita State at noon.
