Ohio State Downs Youngstown State 6-5 – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 1, 2002%^$
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – %^$Ohio State finally got in the win column on a Wednesday night defeating Youngstown State 6-5 at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes had been winless in each of the last three Wednesday midweek games, losing to Oakland, Dayton and Wooster.%^$
%^$Doug Deeds (So., Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) got the Buckeyes third straight hit, a single through the right side, to lead off the first inning for the Buckeyes to score both Christian Snavely (So., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) and Brett Garrard (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg). Designated hitter Doug Larason (So., Alexandria, Ohio/Johnstown) singled over the left side to plate Deeds and give the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead.%^$
%^$Ohio State, now 26-13-1 overall, added three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Drew Anderson (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) singled through the right side to score both Deeds and Nick Swisher (Jr., Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg). Swisher knocked in Snavely with a bloop single to leftfield to put the Buckeyes up 6-0. Swisher had a hit in the first inning to extend his hits streak to 18 games.%^$
%^$Youngstown State catcher Adam Cox broke up a string on nine strait batters that were retired by Ohio State pitching. He doubled to left-centerfield and then would score on a single down the rightfield line by second baseman James Swearengen. Shortstop Kyle Smith, who singled between batters Cox and Swearengen, scored on another base hit down the rightfield line, this time by Kendall Schlabach.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes started Matt Davis (Fr., Mason, Ohio/William Mason), who pitched the first three innings and did not allow a run off just one hit. It was a night OSU would work out the younger pitchers. Mike Madsen (Fr., Chesterland, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) came in for the next three innings. The Penguins got their first two runs against Madsen in the fifth.%^$
%^$Trent Luyster (Fr., Flushing, Ohio/Harrison Central) then came in to pitch for the Buckeyes to start the seventh inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Clint Ford and then walked the next batter before a sacrifice moved two runners into scoring position. Ford scored on a error by Garrard, the OSU shortstop, who threw high to home plate on a failed run-down play on Swearengen’s grounder. A passed ball and a single pulled the Penguins within one.%^$
%^$Chris Hanners (Fr., Groveport, Ohio/Desales) came in and retired the final two batters to get out of the inning and then got the Buckeyes out of the eighth after giving up a hit by way of a 6-4-3 double play. Brandon Steen (Sr., Hendersonville, Tenn./Hendersonville) pitched the ninth and earned his fifth save of the season. Davis improved to 3-0 with the win.%^$
%^$Ohio State bats fell silent after the fourth inning after giving the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead. Snavely and Swisher were each 2-for-4 form the plate. Deeds and Anderson each knocked in two runs of their only hit of the game. Schlabach had three hits and two RBI to lead Youngstown State, which fell to 12-21.%^$
%^$Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend for a four-game Big Ten series at Michigan.
