No. 25 Ohio State Claims 10-8 Win at New Mexico – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 9, 2002
Box Score
Albuquerque, N.M. – No. 25 Ohio State scored five runs in the fifth inning en route to a 10-8 victory over New Mexico Saturday at Lobo Field. The win kept the Buckeye undefeated on the season and was the 2,000th win in the history of the Ohio State baseball program.
Rightfielder Doug Deeds (So., Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) was 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. He had two singles in the game that scored two runs for the Buckeyes. Centerfielder Nick Swisher (Sr., Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) hit his first home run of the season in going 1-for-3 from the plate and had two RBI after walking twice.
Swisher homered in the top of the first inning to give the Buckeyes an early 1-0 lead, but the Lobos immediately took control in the bottom half of the inning. Troy Cairns doubled to score Dusty Young, who reached when Deeds dropped a fly ball. Cairns advanced to third on the throw and then scored on a ground out to second base by Chris Alexander.
New Mexico added three runs in the second inning. Todd Stroud drew a leadoff walk and then was moved over to second on a base hit by Sevieri. OSU starter Josh Newman (So., Wheelersburg, Ohio/Wheelersburg) threw back-to-back strikeouts before walking Matt Young to load the bases. Dusty Young had a bases clearing double to left-center field to give the Lobos a 5-1 lead.. Newman got Cairns to fly out to centerfield to end the inning.
Deeds drew a walk to lead off the fourth inning and was knocked in by Christian Snavely (So., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) who tripled to the gap in left center, but that was all Ohio State could put together in the fourth to pull within 5-2.
After allowing only one Lobo hit in the bottom of the fourth, Ohio State erupted for five earned runs in the fifth inning despite just three hits. The Buckeyes were aided with one New Mexico error and a hit batter. Garrard and Anderson led off the inning with back to back base hits before Matthew Bullen hit Doug Dendinger (Sr., Greenwich, Ohio/South Central) and Swisher drew a walk to score Brett Garrard (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg). Deeds singled to score Drew Anderson (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg). A two-base error by the Lobo first baseman plated both Dendinger and Swisher. Deeds scored on a Lance Rolston (Jr., Athens, Ohio/Alexander) flyout to put the Buckeyes on top 7-5..
A walk by Garrard to start the sixth inning brought a pitching change for the Lobos as Joe Salas replaced Bullen. He promptly struck out his first two batters – Anderson and Dendinger – before intentionally walking Swisher. A single by Deeds and a two-base error by the Lobo centerfielder Svetlic scored both Garrard and Swisher to make the score 9-5. New Mexico added a run in the bottom of the sixth and a pair of runs off two hits and a Buckeye error in the seventh to pull within 9-8. Ohio State added an insurance it didn’t need in the top of the ninth for the final 10-8 score.
Newman got his second win of the season improving to 2-0, while Bullens got the loss in relief to fall to 0-2. Chris Hanners (Fr., Groveport, Ohio/Desales) picked up his first save of the season, going 2 2/3 innings giving up no hits. New Mexico starter Aaron Smith pitched four innings, but allowed two runs, both earned, from three hits. He also had five walks.
Ohio State and New Mexico will go at it again Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (EST, 10:30 a.m. MST) before the Buckeyes return to Columbus.
