Buckeyes Breeze Past Michigan State 11-8 for Weekend Sweep – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2003
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State shortstop Brett Garrard (Jr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) and first baseman Paul Farinacci (So., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura) each homered twice as the Buckeyes posted an 11-8 victory over Michigan Sunday to complete a four-game sweep of the Spartans.
The win moved the Buckeyes to 35-15 on the year and 19-9 in the Big Ten. Minnesota split four games at Iowa this weekend to fall to 33-17 overall and 21-5 in the conference. Ohio State controls its own destiny and needs to sweep all four games against the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis next weekend in order to win the conference regular season championship and the right to host the Big Ten Tournament.
The game against the Spartans in front of a season-high 2,901 fans Sunday was a crazy affair as the teams played in a south-to-southwest winds blowing out at 30-40 miles per hour. Garrard and Farinacci accounted for the four Ohio State home runs, while MSU center fielder Brett Wattles was the only Spartan to go long. Michigan State and Ohio State accounted for a total of 30 hits with the Spartans out-hitting the Buckeyes 17-13.
Michigan State scored three times in the top of the first inning. Wattles drew a one-out walk and then moved to third on a double to left-center field by Travis Gulick. Scott Koerber’s infield single scored Wattles. Gulick stole third and then scored on a sacrifice fly. A base hit by James Moreno to left center scored Koerber for the third run of the inning.
Farinacci led off the second inning with his fifth home run of the year. The shot to center field was just the beginning of the inning as the Buckeyes scored four more times. Cody Caughenbaugh (Fr., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) followed with a single to left center and then Wes Schirtzinger (Fr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) had a one-out double down the left field line to put runners at second and third. Jedidiah Stephen (Fr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) singled through the right side to score Caughenbaugh. The hit of the inning was a three-run home run by Garrard that also scored Schirtzinger and Stephen to give the Buckeyes a 5-3 lead, but Michigan State tied the game in the third with a pair of runs in the third inning on a two-out, two-RBI triple by Charlie Braun. The Buckeyes regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on a single to center by Caughenbaugh, which scored Steve Caravati (So., Dover, Ohio/Dover) from second after he boarded with his ninth double of the season.
The seesaw game picked up momentum in the top of the fourth as the Spartans scored twice to go back on top. After the Buckeyes turned a double play, Wattles hit his third home run of the series to tie the game. Michigan State took the lead on a base hit to left by Koerber.
Ohio State responded to score twice in the bottom of the fifth inning. Snavely led off with his third triple of the season and the 10th of his career. His career total is tied for fourth in school history with Mark Carek (1995-98). Snavely scored on a single by to right by Caravati, who ended up scoring on an fielding error on MSU shortstop Alan Cattrysse sliding under the tag of catcher Erik Morris to give the Buckeyes an 8-7 lead.
Michigan State again countered with the tying run in the top of the sixth as Gulick scored on a base hit by Morris with two outs.
The second home run of the game by Garrard again gave Ohio State the lead, but this time for good. His third home run of the season was a solo shot to left-center field. Farinacci added his second home run of the game in the seventh inning to put the Buckeyes up by two runs, 10-8, and then they scored another run in the bottom of the eighth, taking advantage of Garrard’s third hit of the game, this one a lead-off hit for a double. Rabin sacrificed himself to bunt Garrard to third. Garrard came home on a wild pitch against Michigan State’s fifth pitcher of the game, Tom Grant.
Garrard finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored. Farinacci was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a pair of runs. Caravati and Caughenbaugh each finished with two hits.
Chris Hanners (So., Groveport, Ohio/DeSales) started the game, but only went 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (all earned) on 10 hits. The win went to Greg Prenger (Sr., Harpster, Ohio/Upper Sandusky), who pitched 2 1/3 innings allowing just one run (earned) on seven hits with a strikeout and no walks. Kyle Brown (Sr., Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) picked up his second save of the season and the second of his career, pitching the final three innings without allowing a hit. He struck out the final six Michigan State batters, after striking out one in the seventh, to equal his career high with seven strikeouts. Patrick Gill got the loss for the Spartans, dropping to 0-8 on the year.
Ohio State will close out the home portion of its 2003 schedule Wednesday night when it plays host to Cleveland State at 6:35 p.m. The Buckeyes travel to Minnesota next weekend to close out the regular season.
