Ohio State Rebounds for 7-5 Victory in Game Two for Split – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 5, 2003
Box Score
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Steve Caravati (So., Dover, Ohio/Dover) knocked in three on a pair of doubles and scored once to help lead Ohio State to a 7-5 win over Penn State in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday to salvage a split with the Nittany Lions after they claimed the first game 2-1. Ohio State (13-9 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) will go for the series win with a 1:05 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
Caravati was 2-for-4 and got his second and third doubles of the season. Wes Schirtzinger (Fr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) and Derek Kinnear (Jr., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton) were also 2-for-4 in the game. Kinnear delivered an RBI and scored twice. Mike Rabin (So., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East)was 1-for-4, but batted in a pair while scoring twice himself.
In the bottom of the second inning, Penn State struck first for the first time this series taking advantage of a lead-off single up the middle by Matt Harter. After two outs, including the first strikeout of the day by Kyle Brown (Sr., Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington), Arin Gelletley was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second and then Willie Melendez doubled to right-centerfield to knock in Harter. Zack Smithlin ground out to the pitcher to end the inning.
Ohio State evened the score 1-1 in the top of the third inning, taking advantage of a lead-off walk by Rabin. Caravati used his second double of the season, a knock to leftfield, to scored Rabin.
Three hits by the Buckeyes in the fourth inning gave Ohio State a 4-1 lead. Terry Pettorini (Jr., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) led off the inning with a double to left-centerfield and was bunted over to third on a sacrifice by Brett Garrard (Jr., Brownsburg, Ohio/Brownsburg). After a strikeout to Schirtzinger, Kinnear singled to shallow right-center before being knocked in by Rabin’s first career home run, a wind-aided blast over the fence in leftfield.
Penn State closed the gap to a 4-2 Buckeye lead in the fifth inning, taking full benefit from a lead-off walk to Melendez. He stole second, moved to third on a ground ball off the pitcher and then scored on a sac fly by Derrick Barr.
Another three hits in the sixth inning lead to another three runs by the Buckeyes and gave them a 7-2 lead. Back-to-back one-out singles by Schirtzinger and Kinnear led to the first two runs. The pair moved to second and third on a hit-and-run on a ground out by Rabin. Caravati delivered his second double of the game and his third of the year to bring home both of them.
That hit prompted a pitching change as Steve Cline came on in relief of Aaron Tressler, but Cline gave up consecutive walks to load the bases for Drew Anderson (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg). Anderson grounded to the shortstop, who misplayed the ball and Caravati came home to put the Buckeyes up by five runs.
The Nittany Lions got two runs back thanks to a home run by Arin Gelletley, who launched another wind-assisted blast to make the score 7-4. The Buckeyes managed a one-out hit in the top of the seventh, by Schirtzinger, but left him at first after two ground outs.
A double off reliever Matt Davis (So., Mason, Ohio/William Mason) by Adam Warchal scored Derrick Barr, who reached with a one-out shot up the middle and then advanced to third on a ground ball that went through the legs of Garrard at short. With runners then at second and third, Davis ended the game with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his sixth save of the season.
Brown got the win for the Buckeyes in a career long 6.1 innings in a starting role. He moved to 1-0 on the year, his first win since beating Penn State in April, 2001. He allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits, while walk four and striking out four. Aaron Tressler got the loss for Penn State to fall to 2-2 on the year. He allowed all seven runs (six earned) on seven hits. In all, the Nittany Lion pitching staff walked seven with only three strikeouts, all by Tressler.
Ohio State and Penn State close out the series Sunday. The game will be broadcast on WOSB Radio (91.1 and 106.7 FM) and on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
