Baseball Fights Back for 8-4 Win Over Lafeyette – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 25, 2002
Box Score
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Ohio State scored eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings to fight back for an 8-4 victory over Lafeyette in the Homestead Challenge.
Catcher Joe Wilkins’ (Sr., Grove City, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) grounder to the second baseman scored Christian Snavely (So., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) giving Ohio State a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning. Lance Rolston (Jr., Athens, Ohio/Alexander) had tied the game with a single to left field that scored Terry Pettorini (So., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster). The Buckeyes had a total of four hits in the inning as Anderson and Dendinger both singled. Anderson’s hit down the rightfield line knocked in Geoff Buchanan (Fr., Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) who was pinch running for Doug Larason (So., Alexandria, Ohio/Johnstown). Dendinger’s shot to right center scored Wilkins and Anderson.
Ohio State’s comeback was made possible by three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning that pulled the Buckeyes within one run, 4-3. Snavely doubled to right field to lead off the inning extending his hit streak to 12 games. Back-to-back walks to Larason and Rolston load the bases full of Buckeyes. A wild pitch by Lafeyette starter Matt Tmabellini scored Snavely from third and put runners on second and third. A sac fly Wilkins, who was pinch hitting for Derek Kinnear (So., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton), scored Larason and then another wild pitch scored Rolston.
Catcher Craig Alexander put the Leopards on the score board in the top of the second inning scoring on a base hit by designated hitter Adam Bucci. OSU starter Trent Luyster (Fr., Flushing, Ohio/Harrison Central) walked Alexander to lead off the inning.
Lafeyette added a pair of runs in the sixth inning to take a 3-0 lead. Luyster walked the first two batters of the inning before getting pulled in favor of Matt Davis (Fr., Mason, Ohio/William Mason). Davis walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Bucci singled up the middle to score Vince D’Angelis and then Alexander scored when the Buckeyes failed to turn a double play that would have ended the inning.
The Leopards added another run in the seventh inning thanks to a double by Jason Boyd down the left field line that scored Tye Gonser, who drew a walk from Davis to lead off the inning.
Davis picked up his first win as a Buckeye after pitching 2 2/3 innings giving up two hits and the Leopards’ fourth run of the game. Luyster went out of the game in the sixth inning after giving up Lafeyette’s first three runs on four hits. He walked four while only striking out two. Brandon Steen (Sr., Hendersonville, Tenn./Hendersonville) also pitched an inning of scoreless relief sitting the Leopards down in order in the ninth inning. Reliever Kevin Swords got the loss for Lafeyette after replacing Tambellini in the seventh inning.
A total of eight Buckeyes had hits in the game, but only Pettorini had multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Wilkins did not start at catcher but entered the game in the seventh inning replacing Kinnear. Wilkins accounted for two RBI in the game as did Dendinger.
Ohio State will play Harvard at 7 p.m. on Monday before closing the Homestead Challenge on Tuesday vs. Florida International at 6:30 p.m.
