Baseball Buckeyes Score 4-3 Win In Extra Innings Over UAB – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2002
Box Score
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Lance Rolston (Jr., Athens, Ohio/Alexander) lined a single to left center field in the bottom of the 10th inning allowing Christian Snavely (So., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) to score the gamewinning run in a 4-3 contest with the UAB Blazers at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, Miss., Saturday. It was the third win in a row for the Buckeyes (3-0) at the NBC Classic hosted by Mississippi State while the Blazers lost their third-consecutive game to slip to 2-6 on the year.
“Snavely did a great job getting on base,” Rolston said. “I was looking for his hanging pitch and when the count went 1-1, I was waiting for the pitch. He served it up and I put it in play. This was a great team win for us today.”
Nate Smith (Jr., Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) made his first start of the year for the Buckeyes and allowed one hit while the OSU defense retired the side. Offensively, the Buckeyes struck first, hanging two runs on the board in the bottom half of the first. Drew Anderson (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led of the inning with a single up the middle and later stole second. Two batters later, Nick Swisher (Jr., Parkersburg, W.V./Parkersburg) lined a single to right field that rolled under the glove of UAB’s Kyle Leon. Anderson came into score and was followed by Swisher after the error and late throw by Leon.
UAB answered right back with three runs of its own. Al Hecklinski led off with a walk and Matt Gaulden followed with an error charged to Brett Garrard. Mark Garner loaded the bases when he was hit by a Smith pitch. With three on and no outs, Smith looked to get out of the jam with two-consecutive strike outs but hit Chad House with a pitch to push across the first run. J.B. Fesmire singled scoring Gaulden and Garner to take the 3-2 lead. Smith closed the second with a strike out. The Buckeyes loaded the bases with a Derek Kinnear (So., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton) walk, an Anderson single to right center and a stolen base and a walk by Doug Dendinger (Sr., Greenwich, Ohio/South Central), all with two outs. UAB out of the jam when Brooks Graff (Fr., Green Bay, Wisc./Notre Dame Academy) grounded out to first. UAB went three and out in the top of the third giving the Buckeyes a chance to tie. OSU, with two outs, got an infield single from Snavely to start the rally. Snavely stole second and came in to score on a Rolston single to left center. The inning ended when UAB’s catcher Hecklinski caught Rolston stealing.
From the fourth through the ninth innings, neither offense could score. The Blazers recorded two hits with four total base runners while the Buckeyes put up six runners on two hits. UAB went three and out in the final three innings of the game setting the stage for the Buckeye win.
Offensively, Snavely, Anderson and Rolston chipped in two hits to the OSU total of 10 with Rolston adding two RBI. Chris Hanners (Fr., Groveport, Ohio/DeSales) pitched six scoreless innings in relief of Smith allowing one hit and striking out two to garner the first win of his collegiate career.
The Buckeyes close out the second annual NBC Classic against Mississippi State at 1 p.m. EST.
