Baseball Pummels Penn State 13-3 to Advance to Title Game – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 24, 2003
Box Score
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Steve Caravati (So., Dover, Ohio/Dover) launched two three-run home runs and Christian Snavely (Jr., Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) added another as Ohio State hit four home runs in beating Penn State 13-3 in an elimination game Saturday night at Siebert Field. With the win, Ohio State moves to the championship game Sunday, when it will meet Minnesota for the Big Ten title.
The Buckeyes scored three times in the third, four times in the fourth and five times in the fifth before adding a run in the eighth to set up a rematch with Minnesota, which beat the Buckeyes 5-4 earlier Saturday in a battle of unbeaten teams. That Ohio State loss set up the elimination contest between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
Caravati gave the Buckeyes the early 3-0 lead with his second home run of the season. His shot over the fence in left-center field also scored Drew Anderson (So., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), who reached on a fielder’s choice, and Snavely, who drew a two-out walk. Penn State starter Alan Stidfole walked two more in the inning before getting replaced by Kevin Damiano, who recorded the final out of the inning.
Caravati added his second three-run home run of the game in the fourth inning when he teed off on a pitch from Josh Palm, the third Nittany Lion pitcher of the game. The shot, his third of the year, left the park in the trees beyond the fence in left-center field and scored Anderson and Snavely, just like his first homer in the third. The two-out blast gave the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead as Brett Garrard (Jr., Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) led off the inning with his fifth home run of the year. Penn State got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, thanks to a couple of base hits and a couple of walks by OSU starter Mike Madsen (So., Chesterland, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin). With one out, Willie Melendez doubled down the left-field line. Zack Smithlin and Wes Reohr walked around a strikeout by Derrick Barr. Clint Eury then singled down the right-field line to score both Melendez and Smithlin to make it a five-run game, 7-2.
In the bottom of the inning, Ohio State put up a five-spot to take a 12-2 lead. The Buckeyes benefited from another three-run home run, this time a shot over the fence in right field by Snavely. His 14th home run of the season and his fifth in his last six games, all at Siebert Field, also scored Anderson and Mike Rabin (So., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East), both of whom singled through the left side. Jedidiah Stephen (Fr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) and Rabin each batted in a run with their singles.
The Nittany Lions added a run in the sixth to make the score 12-3. A two-out hit by Melendez with a runner at first put runners at first and second for Smithlin, who sent a base hit to center field. Catcher Derek Kinnear (Jr., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton) could not hang on to the relay throw, allowing Matt Harter to score and allow Melendez to advance to third before the final out of the inning.
In the seventh inning, Ohio State scored on a double by pinch hitter Terry Pettorini (Jr., Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), who sent a shot to the wall in center field to extend the Buckeye lead to double digits. That scored Rabin, who had reached on a dropped fly ball by Lion first baseman Clint Eury and then advanced to third on a single by Snavely.
Caravati finished the game 2-for-4 with six RBI and scored twice with the two three-run home runs. Snavely finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and scored three times. A total of six Buckeyes had two hits in Ohio State’s 15-hit attack that yielded 13 runs.
Madsen kept Penn State to just three runs (all earned) on five hits in improving to 7-1 on the season. He struck out three but walked seven in pitching a career long eight innings that could benefit Ohio State Sunday in the championship games with Minnesota since they did not have to go to the bullpen until the ninth inning. Justin Myers (Fr., Scottown, Ohio/Symmes Valley) pitched the final inning. Alan Stidfole got the loss for Penn State to fall to 1-3. He pitched only 2 2/3 innings allowing three runs on three hits with three walks and one strikeout. In all, four Nittany Lions pitched in the game.
Ohio State will play Minnesota Sunday for the Big Ten Tournament championship and will have to beat the Gophers twice in order to claim back-to-back conference tournament championships. That game will be played at 1:05 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast on WOSU Radio (820 AM).
