Minnesota Rallies to Take 8-5 Win vs. Ohio State and Win Big Ten – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 19, 2002
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Minnesota fought back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the game in the sixth and then scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 victory over Ohio State in the second game of Sunday doubleheader to clinch the Big Ten regular season title.
With the victory, Minnesota improved to 18-10 in conference play, while dropping Ohio State to 18-11 with the loss. The Gophers, who played one fewer league game than the Buckeyes because of rain, clinched the Big Ten title by one half of a game.
The Gophers scored the three runs in the top of the seventh off of OSU reliever Brandon Steen (Sr., Hendersonville, Tenn./Hendersonville), who had come on in relief in the sixth inning after OSU starter Nate Smith (Jr., Bryan, Ohio/Bryan).
Scott Howard singled to right-centerfield and then moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt by Steen, who threw over the head of OSU first baseman Nick Swisher (Jr., Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg).. Luke Appert walked to put runners at first and second before Steen got strike three past Jason Kennedy
A base hit by Scott Welch loaded the bases and then a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Dan Pattee put the Gophers on top 6-5. Two more base hits netted two more runs gave Minnesota the three-run advantage.
Steen got the loss for the Buckeyes falling to 0-2 on the year. He pitched just one inning, giving up three runs before being replaced by Chris Hanners (Fr., Groveport, Ohio/Desales), who got the final out.
Ohio State took the early 1-0 lead in the first on a double by Swisher that scored Christian Snavely (So., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance). Snavely had led off the inning with a single through the right side and then moved to second on a ground out by Brett Garrard (Fr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg). Minnesota fought back to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the second, tying the game with a throwing error by OSU catcher Joe Wilkins (Sr., Grove City, Ohio/Dublin Scioto), and then taking the lead on a double down the leftfield line by Jeremy Beaulieu. In the third, a solo home run by Appert put the Gophers up 3-1.
Ohio State scored three runs with two out in the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead. After two fly outs to centerfield, a base hit by Mike Rabin (Fr., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) started the rally. Snavely walked and then a single to the gap in left-centerfield scored Rabin from second to tie the game 3-3.
A second walk by Minnesota starter Jay Gagner put runners at first and second and then a base hit by Swisher to leftfield scored Snavely and Garrard to put the Buckeyes up by two. Minnesota brought in Matt Loberg, who got Doug Dendinger (Sr., Greenwich, Ohio/South Central) to fly out.
Loberg got the win for the Gophers to improve to 4-3 on the year. He pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings while giving up only four hits.
The loss by Ohio State gave the Buckeyes the second seed in this week’s Big Ten Tournament, which will be hosted by Minnesota at Sibert Field in Minneapolis. Both Minnesota and Ohio State have first-round byes in the six-team tournament, which gets underway on Wednesday. The Buckeyes will play Thursday at 4:35 p.m. (EDT, 3:35 p.m. CDT) and will face the higher-seed winner of Wednesday’s first-round games.
