Ohio State Claims 4-3 Win Over Cornell at Homestead Challenge – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 23, 2002
Box Score
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – No. 23 Ohio State hung on for a 4-3 victory over Cornell Saturday afternoon in the Buckeyes’ first game of the Homestead Challenge at the Homestead Sports Complex. The game was rescheduled from Friday night after rain forced a postponement.
Drew Anderson (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) was 2-for-5 in the game with one RBI, while Joe Wilkins (Sr., Grove City, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) and Brooks Graff (Fr., Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy each added two hits for the Buckeyes.
Cornell (4-9) drew first blood scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. Shortstop Dan Baysinger doubled to lead off the inning and then was hit in two batters later by catcher Tony Depalo.
Ohio State (9-2-1) took the lead in the top of the fifth inning scoring three times after getting a trio of singles and a double to open the inning. Graff, Geoff Buchanan (Fr., Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) and Mike Rabin (Fr., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) each singled before Anderson’s double scored Buchanan. Rabin’s single to right scored Graff a batter earlier and then scored on a ground out by Paul Farinacci (Fr., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura).
The Buckeyes added a run in the top of the seventh inning to take a 4-1 lead when Terry Pettorini (So., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) doubled to score Anderson who reached on a single, his second hit of the game.
Ohio State carried its 4-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning when Cornell finally threatened. Centerfielder Justin Irizarry reached on a throwing error by OSU shortstop Brett Garrard (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) to lead off the inning and then Vince Santo walked A base hit by Baysinger scored Irizarry from second. Buckeye starter Josh Newman (So., Wheelersburg, Ohio/Wheelersburg) struckout Eric Rico before getting Depalo out on a dropped infield fly.Leftfielder Andrew Luria singled to score Santo from second, pulling the Big Red withing 4-3.
Righthanded pitcher Mike Madsen (Fr., Chesterland, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) then entered the game in releif of Newman, striking out Javier Alfaro to get the Buckeyes out of the inning. Ohio State went down in order in the top of the ninth inning and then Madsen retired Cornell batters in order, including two more strikeouts, including the last out of the game that earned him his second save of the season. He struck out three of the four batters he faced.
Newman got the win for Ohio State to improve to 3-1 on the season. He pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing all three runs (one earned) on nine hits. Brendan McQuaid was pegged with the loss for Cornell, falling to 1-2 on the season.
Ohio State will play Harvard Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Homestead Challenge. It will be the second game of the Buckeyes’ six-game Spring Break trip, which concludes on Tuesday.
