No. 26 Baseball Spanks the Spartans, 13-3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 15, 2001
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The No. 26 Ohio State baseball team (27-8 overall, 9-3 in the Big Ten) scored runs in six of the nine innings and cruised to a 13-3 win over the Michigan State Spartans (17-18 overall, 4-10 in the Big Ten) at Kobs Field. Christian Snavely (Fr., Defiance, Ohio) belted two home runs and Doug Dendinger (Jr., Greenwich, Ohio) added another and drove in a total of four runs batted in. Mike Check (Sr., Bay Village, Ohio) chipped in by going 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. On the mound, Josh Newman (Fr., Wheelersburg, Ohio) was solid and improved to 4-2 on the season with his seven-inning performance. The lefty threw 103 pitches (72 strikes), scattered 10 hits, gave up two runs, no walks and recorded four strikeouts. With the win, the Buckeyes take the four-game series, 3-1.
The Buckeyes jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, Check led off with a walk and immediately stole second base. Dendinger followed and took a 1-1 offering from MSU starting pitcher Nick Bates over the right field wall to give OSU its first lead of the ballgame. The home run was his sixth of the season.
The Spartans quickly cut the OSU lead to 2-1 in the bottom half of the first inning. Chris McCuiston led off with a single and later scored on a groundout by Bob Malek.
The Buckeyes added another run in the top of the second inning. With two outs, Mike Harris (Sr., Hillsborough, N.C.) led off with a single and then proceeded to steal second base. Check then fired a single to left field to score Harris and increase the OSU lead to 3-1. In the bottom of the third inning, MSU cut the OSU lead to 3-2. Brett Wattles led off with a single and then scored two batters later on a groundout by Brady Burrill.
OSU continued to swing the bats in the top of the fourth inning. Snavely led off and deposited a 1-0 offering from Bates over the left-center field wall to increase the OSU lead to 4-2. Two outs later, Harris singled and Check followed with a walk. Dendinger then drilled a double behind the head of MSU rightfielder Wattles to clear the bases and increase the OSU lead to 6-2.
The Buckeyes broke open the game in the top of the fifth inning with four runs off two hits and two MSU errors. Harris and Brett Garrard (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind.) drove in runs and Check added a two-run double to increase the OSU lead to 10-2.
In the top of the sixth inning, OSU added its 11th run of the game off Snavely’s second home run of the game. The blast over the right field wall came off a 3-1 offering from MSU reliever Dylan Putnam. Snavely now has six home runs this season.
In the top of the eighth inning, OSU added a pair of runs. Lance Rolston (So., Athens, Ohio) and John Mayor (Sr., Chesterfield, Mo.) drove in the runs to increase the OSU lead to 13-2.
MSU added a run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
MSU’s Bates (3-3) took the loss. He went 3.2 innings, gave up six hits, five runs (all earned), walked one and recorded four strikeouts.
On Wednesday, the Buckeyes return to Bill Davis Stadium when they play host to Youngstown State at 6:35 p.m.
