Ohio State Needs 10 Innings for 11-9 Comeback Victory vs. Iowa – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 13, 2003
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Drew Anderson (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) knocked in five runs on three hits, including a one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the tenth inning to lift Ohio State to an 11-9 victory over Iowa Sunday to complete a four-game sweep of the Hawkeyes at Bill Davis Stadium.
Ohio State had entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing Iowa 9-2, but Anderson also delivered with a three-run triple that began an amazing Buckeye comeback. Brett Garrard (Jr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led off the inning with a base hit down the left field line. A walk to Derek Kinnear (Jr., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton) put runners and first and second before a base hit by Mike Rabin (So., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) loaded the bases. Anderson then launched his shot to deep and slightly to the right of centerfield. All three runs scored to make it a 9-5 ball game.
A single by Christian Snavely (Jr., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) brought in Anderson to pull the Buckeyes within three runs. Iowa threatened in the eighth but Ohio State successfully defended a suicide squeeze as Paul Farinacci (So., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura) caught a Mike Best bunt that was popped up and threw to third where he caught Kyle Thousand before he could make it back. The double played ended the inning that had included one Hawkeye hit and two Anderson fielding errors at second base.
The second hit by the Buckeyes in the eighth, a double to center by Kinnear with one out, scored Garrard to close the gap to just two runs, putting the pressure on the Buckeye defense, a unit that already had committed four errors in the game, to prevent any more runs. Ohio State responded with a 1-2-3 inning.
With on out in the bottom of the ninth, Wes Schirtzinger (Fr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) came one to pinch run for Farinacci, who reached via a base on balls. Cody Caughenbaugh (Fr., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) singled between first and second to score Steve Caravati (So., Dover, Ohio/Dover) from second and put Schirtzinger, the tying run, only 90 feet away.
A failed squeeze opportunity prompted a throw from Iowa catcher Brad Husz, who had hopes of catching Schirtzinger at third, but Hawkeye third baseman Luis Andrulonis, could not come up with the ball on the throw and the run scored to tie the game 9-9. The fifth Iowa double play of the game ended the inning and pushed the game to extra innings. It was the Buckeyes’ second extra-inning game this year and the first for the Hawkeyes.
Matt Davis (So., Mason, Ohio/William Mason) pitched the final two innings in picking up the win for Ohio State. He improved to 1-1 on the year with a pair of strikeouts. He was the fourth Buckeye pitcher of the game. Nate Smith (Sr., Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) started the game, but last only 2 1/3 innings, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits. He struck out two and walked another. Trent Luyster (So., Flushing, Ohio/Harrison Central) pitched 3 2/3 innings, while Greg Prenger (Sr., Harpster, Ohio/Upper Sandusky) pitched the seventh and eighth innings. Aaron Reasland got the loss for Iowa. It was his first loss of the year.
Iowa stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, though only three of the runs were earned as Ohio State had an error, a balk and a passed ball. The Hawkeyes did have three hits in the inning. Jeff Gremley had a one-out hit to left-center field and moved to second on a single through the right side by Nate Yoho. A third straight base hit, this time a shot by Lance Guyer down the left field line that scored Gremley from second.
A passed ball by Kinnear moved Yoho and Guyer to second and third. The second run of the inning scored on a grounder by Mike Best to third baseman Terry Pettorini (Jr., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), who threw high to home allowing Yoho cross the plate and moving Guyer to third. A balk by starting pitcher Smith scored Guyer and moved Best to third. A sacrifice fly by Brian Bucklin scored Best for the fourth and final run of the inning.
The Buckeyes got a run back in the bottom of the second inning capitalizing on three base hits, all with two outs. Caravati was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, but was put out when Farinacci grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Caughenbaugh singled to right-center and then moved to second when Pettorini singled through the left side. A base hit into centerfield by Garrard scored Caughenbaugh from second to put the Buckeyes on the board.
Iowa added a pair of runs in the third as Best was hit in by Bucklin from first on a double to deep centerfield. Bucklin stole third and then scored on a sac fly by Chris Steele. A double by Andrew Lytle to start the fourth inning led to the seventh run by the Hawkeyes. He scored on a pair of sacrifices, a bunt by Kyle Thousand and a fly to left by Gremley.
Luyster, who had entered the game with one out in the third inning for Smith, retired the next eight batters, but a fielding error by Garrard at short on a ball hit by Lytle proved to be costly as Luyster was then called for a balk and moved to third on a wild pitch. A base hit up the middle by Thousand plated Lytle, extending the Hawkeye lead to 8-1.
Ohio State got a run in the sixth to pull within 8-2. Caravati had a one-out triple and then was knocked in on a single to left. Caughenbaugh followed with a single through the right side, but the chance for more offense ended on a 6-4-3 twin-killing, the third double play turned by the Hawkeyes in the game.
Anderson more than made up for his two errors in the eighth inning by going 3-for-6 with the five RBI and two runs scored. He was joined by Caughenbaugh, who finished the game 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored, and Garrard, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, with three hits. Caravati was other only other Buckeye with multiple hits, getting two in his four at bats.
The sweep was the first by the Buckeyes in Big Ten play since they took four games from Minnesota April 27-29, 2001. With the four wins over Iowa this weekend, Ohio State, at 19-10 overall and 8-4 in the league, is now alone in second place in the Big Ten standings behind the Golden Gophers, which are a perfect 10-0 in the conference. Iowa fell to 9-17 and 2-10.
Ohio State will play host to the College of Wooster Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium before Indiana travels to Columbus next weekend for a four-game Big Ten series.
