Baseball Beats Oakland 2-1 in First Game of Doubleheader – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 9, 2003
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes used a sacrifice fly and a passed ball to score both of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning in beating Oakland 2-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium.
Wes Schirtzinger (Fr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) led off the inning with a walk and then was bunted over on sacrifice by Jedidiah Stephen (Fr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah). Derek Kinnear (Jr., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton) reached on a throwing error on Oakland third baseman Ty Herriott, who threw wide of first. Schirtzinger moved to third and then scored on a passed ball on Grizzlies catcher John Sullivan. Kinnear, who advanced to third on the passed ball, scored on a sacrifice line out by Christian Snavely (Jr., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) to put the Buckeyes on top 2-1.
Oakland had three base runners the remainder of the game and left two of the stranded in scoring position.
Trent Luyster (So., Flushing, Ohio/Harrison Central) picked up the win in five innings, allowing the one run (none earned) on four hits. He struck out four and walked three. Kyle Brown (Sr., Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) came on in relief and picked up a save for his two innings of work. Paul Phillips was saddled with the loss in 4.1 innings of action to fall to 1-2 on the year.
The Golden Grizzlies broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning capitalizing on a lead-off walk and the Buckeyes first error of the game. Will Tollison led off the inning with a walk and then reached third on a throwing error by OSU shortstop Drew Anderson (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) on a ground ball from Brad Leach. Anderson tried to flip the ball from his glove to Snavely at second, but the ball went over his head. Tollison scored on a grounder to third by Peter Varon to give the Golden Grizzlies a 1-0 lead. It had been a pitcher’s dual to start the game as Oakland stranded six bases runners in the first four innings on four hits and two walks by Luyster. Ohio State mustered just one hit through four, but left three baserunners.
Oakland put two runners on in the first inning, thanks to a base hit by Ryan Freiburger. Varon was hit by a pitch but was thrown out at second on a ground out to the second baseman by Brian Keim for the third out of the inning. The Golden Grizzlies stranded runners at second and third in the second inning and went in order in the third. Another two runners were stranded in the fourth thanks to a hit by Steve Kniebbe and a walk to Ty Herriott.
The Buckeyes went 1-2-3 in the first and then got on base by a walk by Cody Caughenbaugh (Fr., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley). He was out on a double-play grounder by Paul Farinacci (So., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura) and that proved costly as Terry Pettorini (Jr., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) launched a high pop fly that fell amongst four Grizzlies infielders and advanced all the way to second. The inning ended as Schirtzinger struck out.
Mike Rabin (Jr., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) boarded with a two-out walk in the third, but was stranded on a fly out by Anderson. Snavely walked to lead off the fourth and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Caughenbaugh, but Oakland got Farinacci to lineout to center and then Grizzlies starter Paul Phillips struck out Pettorini.
Rabin and Pettorini were the only Buckeyes with hits in Ohio State’s two-hit effort. Oakland had seven hits and each team finished with one error. Ryan Freiburger had two hits in four at bats.
The teams will play another game Wednesday night as part of the doubleheader.
