Baseball Wins Game Three vs. Iowa 9-5 with Big Fourth Inning – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2003
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State scored five times in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 4-4 tie on its way to a 9-5 victory in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. The win gave the Buckeyes their first series win in Big Ten play this season with the series finale to be played Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
The five runs in the inning by the Buckeyes came on five hits, including four in a row. Brett Garrard (Jr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led off the inning with an infield single and then moved to third as catcher Kelly Houser (Fr., New Holland, Ohio/Adena) drew a walk. A fielding error by Iowa pitcher Chris Maliszewski on a bunt by Mike Rabin (So., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) loaded the bases for Drew Anderson (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), who struck out for the first out of the inning.
Christian Snavely (Jr., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) singled through the right side to score both Garrard and Houser to break the 4-4 tie and then by Steve Caravati (So., Dover, Ohio/Dover) duplicated with a two RBI shot to right-center field to put the Buckeyes up 8-4. After a stolen base by Caravati, Paul Farinacci (So., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura) then doubled down the right-field line to bring in Caravati and give the Buckeyes a 9-4 lead.
Only the first thre runs were charged to Maliszewski, who had come on to relieve starter Matt Hasz in the third inning, but those runs gave him the loss as he fell to 1-4 on the year. He was charged with the trio of runs (two earned) on two hits. He walked one in 1.0 inning of work. He was replaced by Nathan Johnson before Anderson’s strikeout in the fourth and he finished the final three innings.
Buckeye relief pitcher Chris Hanners (So., Groveport, Ohio/DeSales) picked up the win for Ohio State to improve his season record to 2-1. He entered the game for starter Kyle Brown (Sr., Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) with one out in the fourth inning and pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing just one hit. He did walk one. Brown struggled in his third start of the year, allowing four runs (all earned) on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Matt Davis (So., Mason, Ohio/William Mason) pitched the final inning of the game, but allowed a run in the seventh inning as Kyle Thousand scored on a one-out ground out by Lance Guyer.
Ohio State (18-10 overall, 7-4 in the Big Ten) banged out 13 hits in the game as Cody Caughenbaugh (Fr., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) went 3-for-4 in the game. The RBIs came from the bats of Snavely and Caravati, who each knocked in three runs on two hits. Terry Pettorini (Jr., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) also had two hits in the Buckeye cause.
The Hawkeyes (9-16, 2-9) put up a fight early in the game and forced Ohio State to use its offense that has struggled at times this season.
Iowa struck quickly in the top of the first inning thanks to a string of four straight hits, all with two outs. Nate Yoho doubled to center field and then Lance Guyer reached on an infield single. Brian Bucklin singled to right to bring in Yoho and then a single up the middle scored Guyer to put the Hawkeyes on top 2-0.
The Buckeyes came back to score one run in the bottom of the inning. Anderson was hit by a pitch with one out and then went to second on a walk to Snavely. He then scored on a base hit Caravati.
An RBI double by Jeff Gremley in the second inning scored Cliff Bruckner, who had led off the inning with a base hit up the middle. He was bunted over as Andy Lytle sacrificed himself with a bunt back to the catcher.
Down 3-1, the Buckeyes scored three times in the bottom of the inning to tied the game. Pettorini led off the inning with a single to left field and then moved to second when Garrard was hit by a pitcher. Then with one out, Rabin doubled to bring home Pettorini and move Garrard to third. Garrard scored on a sac fly by Anderson to tie the game and then a base hit up the middle by Snavely scored Rabin to give the Buckeyes a 4-3 lead.
Iowa got one run back in the top of the fourth as Chris Steele led off the inning with a double. He then moved to second on a sac bunt by Bruckner. He scored when Garrard misplayed a ball hit by Lytle to short. That run tied the game.
Ohio State’s 13 hits were the most in a game since they had 20 in a 15-7 win over Eastern Michigan March 15. The total actually equals the second most hits in a game by the Buckeyes this season. They also had 13 hits in the 7-3 win at Louisiana-Lafayette March 7. The Scarlet and Gray now has 34 hits in its last three games, which is the best three-game total this season by the squad. The nine runs in Saturday’s second game are the second most in a game by Ohio State this year.
The series concludes Sunday with a single game at 1:05 p.m. The game can be heard on WOSB Radio (91.1 and 106.7 FM) and will be televised by ONN.
