Deeds Blasts Two Home Runs to Lead No. 35 Baseball to a 16-6, Win Over Penn State. – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 21, 2001
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Led by a pair of home runs by Doug Deeds (Fr., Bexley, Ohio), the No. 25 Ohio State baseball team (21-22 overall, 10-7 in the Big Ten) defeated Penn State (21-22 overall, 10-7 in the Big Ten), 16-6, in game two of a doubleheader at Bill Davis Stadium. Penn State leads the four-game series, 2-1. OSU reliever Kyle Brown (So., Washington Court House, Ohio) pitched 3.2 innings to pick up the win. He improved to 4-0 on the season. Brandon Steen (Jr., Hendersonville, Tenn.) recorded the final four outs to pick up his third save of the season.
The Buckeyes exploded for five runs in the first inning. Mike Harris (Sr., Hillsborough, N.C.) led off with a double to the left-center field gap and Mike Check (Sr., Bay Village, Ohio) followed with a walk. Doug Dendinger (Jr., Greenwich, Ohio) dropped a bunt single and an errant by Penn State third baseman Chris Wright allowed Harris to score and gave OSU its first run of the game. PSU starting pitcher Justin Nash then gave OSU a freebie when he allowed Check to score from third after he fired a wild pitch past catcher Chris Netwall. Doug Deeds (Fr., Bexley, Ohio) followed and delivered the big hit of the inning. Off a 1-2 offering from Nash, Deeds blasted a two-run home run over the left-centerfield wall to give OSU a 4-0 lead. Lance Rolston (So., Athens, Ohio) kept the offense going with a double to right-center field. Two batters later, he scored on a single to centerfield by John Mayor (Sr., Chesterfield, Mo.). The Buckeyes tacked on another run in the bottom half of the second inning. With two outs, Dendinger lined a single to left field. Two batters later, he scored on a single by Rolston to right field.
Penn State cut the OSU lead to 6-2 in the top of the third inning. Willie Melendez and Zack Smithlin scored on bases loaded walks to give PSU its first runs of the ballgame.
OSU added a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning. Mayor led off with a single and later scored on a throwing error by Netwall. Check drove in the other run with a RBI single to right field.
In the top of the fourth inning, PSU scored three runs off three hits with the help of an OSU error to cut the Buckeye lead to 8-5.
OSU answered in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Deeds led off and belted a towering shot over the right field wall off a 0-2 offering from PSU reliever Heath Vink.
In the sixth inning, the Buckeyes broke the game open. After PSU added a run in the top half, the Buckeyes tacked on seven runs off four hits and three Penn State errors.
OSU starting pitcher Kevin Wynk (So., Coldwater, Ohio) did not factor in the decision. He went two innings, gave up just one hit, two runs (both earned) and walked three batters. PSU’s Nash (3-4) took the loss. He went 2.0 innings, gave up 11 hits, eight runs (all earned), one walk and recorded two strikeouts.
Tomorrow, the teams play the series finale at 1:05 p.m.
