Baseball Buckeyes Claim 6-3 Win Over Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 27, 2003
Box Score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Derek Kinnear (Jr., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton) and Jedidiah Stephen (Fr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) each had two-run home runs in the sixth inning as Ohio State scored four times in the frame en route to a 6-3 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at Lambert Field.
Ohio State jumped on the board in the fourth with three straight hits. Christian Snavely (Jr., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) bunted down the third base line and reached base and then moved to third on a base hit to left by Paul Farinacci (So., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura). A double down the left line by Cody Caughenbaugh (Fr., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) scored both Snavely and Farinacci from first to put the Buckeyes up 2-0.
Kinnear sacrificed himself to bunt Caughenbaugh to third, but first baseman Eric Wolfe threw to third for the first out of the inning. Terry Pettorini (Jr., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) popped out to first and then Drew Thomas (Fr., Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Briggs) grounded out to first to end the inning.
Purdue strung together three hits after a lead-off strike out by Nick McIntyre to score its first run of the game. Daniel Underwood single to right and then moved to second on a single through the right side by Simon Klink. A single up the middle by Ben Fritz scored Underwood to cut the Ohio State lead to 2-1.
Kinnear hit his second home run of the series and the fifth long ball of the season that scored Caughenbaugh, who reached on a one-out single up the middle. After a ground out by Pettorini, Thomas drew a walk before Stephen went long for the second time of his career to give the Buckeyes a 6-1 lead.
The Boilermakers got two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning courtesy of a pair of errors by the Buckeye defense. The first, a throwing error by Stephen at third, boarded Fritz and the second, a fielding error by Brett Garrrard (Jr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), put John Manuel on base. A base hit by Brad Kriner loaded the bases and prompted a pitching change by Buckeye skipper Bob Todd.
Matt Davis (So., Mason, Ohio/William Mason) came on for starter Nate Smith (Sr., Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) to get the final three outs of the game and earn his seventh save of his career. He gave up a ground ball to first base by Wolfe that scored Fritz and then a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Tyler Johnstone scored Manuel for the final 6-3 score.
Smith, a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2002, got his first win since beating Wichita State March 9. He improved to 2-5 on the year in six innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out five without a walk.
Snavely, Caughenbaugh and Kinnear each had two hits for the Buckeys, with Caughenbaugh, Kinnear and Stephen each with a pair of RBI.
Ohio State and Purdue will conclude the doubleheader immediately following this game.
