Baseball Takes on Cleveland State and Cincinnati – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 6, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State steps out of Big Ten play for a pair of games this week. First up is a trip to Cleveland Tuesday for a game vs. Cleveland State at Jacobs Field, the home of the Indians. That game will commence at 6:05 p.m. Then the Buckeyes return to Columbus Wednesday for a game vs. Cincinnati at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.
The Buckeyes are 13-10 away from home this year and that includes a mark of 5-8 in neutral site games, a bulk of which came during the Buckeyes’ annual spring break trip to Bradenton, Fla. in late March. The Scarlet and Gray is 16-5 at Bill Davis Stadium this year and is perfect on Wednesday nights, going 5-0. Since the fifth inning of a 2-1 win over Oakland in the first Wednesday night game of the year, April 9, Ohio State has not allowed a run in hump-day games. That is a span of 36 innings since the first game of that doubleheader.
Ohio State dropped three of four games to Michigan last weekend in Columbus. It marked the first time since Bill Davis Stadium opened in 1997 that a conference visitor had won a series. The Buckeyes won 2-1 on Friday, but lost 5-4 and 3-1 in the Saturday doubleheader before falling 9-4 in the finale. The first loss Saturday broke the team’s seven-game win streak after it had won 16 of 18 games.
Cincinnati is 13-34 on the year and has lost four in a row after losing all three games at Tulane last weekend. The Bearcats dropped a 10-7 decision to Xavier on April 30 after beating the Musketeers 21-8 the day before. UC is 5-19 in Conference USA.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State takes a 29-15 record with it to Jacobs Field after losing three of four games to Michigan over the weekend. The Buckeye offense is batting .288 and is averaging 5.1 runs on 9.0 hits per game, while committing 1.6 errors a contest. With a fielding percentage of .954, the Buckeyes continue to have fielding issues. They had five errors in the second game of the Michigan series and finished the weekend with 11 errors.
Derek Kinnear continues to pace the team with a .361 batting average. He has a team-best 31 RBI and a slugging percentage of .533. Drew Anderson and Paul Farinacci lead the team with nine doubles, while Anderson has four triples and Christian Snavely eight home runs. Steve Caravati was 5-of-11 (.455) against Michigan with his first home run of the year and batted in four runs. The Buckeyes hit just .195 against Michigan and watched the team batting average slip from .297 to .288, sixth best in the Big Ten.
Despite the troubles at the plate and in the field, the pitching staff held its ERA to under four runs per game against the Wolverines. The team ERA was 3.82 against Michigan and raised it just slightly on the year to 3.72, second best in the league. Scott Lewis gave up an earned run for the first time since April 4 at Penn State, a span of three starts. He got the 2-1 win to improve to 8-0 on the year and 5-0 in the Big Ten. In 72 2/3 innings, he has allowed just 15 runs (10 earned) on 39 hits. He has struck out 112 batters while walking only 19 and has a 1.24 ERA while holding batters to a .152 average.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State is 8-30 on the year and 2-13 in the Horizon League after winning 7-6 Sunday at Illinois-Chicago. That win snapped a string of 14 straight losses by the Vikings.
Leading CSU is Justin Poletti, who is hitting .316 with 36 hits (two doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs) for 18 RBI. Doug Besozzi and Dominic Erney are also hitting better than .300. Besozzi has 42 hits (eight doubles and a home run) for 11 RBI, while Erney has 39 hits (seven doubles and three home runs) for 18 RBI. As a team, Cleveland State has a .271 batting average.
On the mound, the team has a 7.03 ERA and is led by Matt Kalternbach, who has 46 strikeouts to go with a 4-5 record and 4.10 ERA in 68.0 innings.
AGAINST CLEVELAND STATE
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Cleveland State 29-5 after shutting out the Vikings each of the last two years, winning 14-0 last season and 9-0 in 2001. The Buckeyes have won the last four games against the Vikings, which last won in the 1997 season, taking a 5-3 decision on April 26. OSU won the next day 23-6. Buckeye coach Bob Todd is 17-1 all-time against Cleveland State.
LAST TIME VS. CLEVELAND STATE
The Ohio State offense jumped all over Cleveland State and the pitching staff gave up only two hits in a 14-0 victory. The win was a great team effort as nearly everyone in the Buckeye dugout saw action on the field, including two pitchers Ohio State typically throws only on the weekend in Nate Smith and Scott Lewis. Both had missed starts last weekend because of rainouts the previous weeekend at Michigan State.
Smith threw only 37 pitches in improving to 6-0 in only four innings of work. He struck out one and walked one without allowing a hit. Lewis replaced Smith to start the fifth inning and did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and struck out two batters in his two innings on the mound. But as much as the two-hit shutout by Buckeye pitching was the story, OSU bats came alive early and often.
Third baseman Drew Anderson got things started with a homer in the second inning and then Nick Swisher doubled in one run and Doug Dendinger doubled in two during a five-run third. In the fourth, Swisher and Joe Wilkins had run- scoring singles. Ohio State built an 8-0 lead through four innings and was never challenged. Paul Farinacci deposited his third home run of the season over the leftfield fence to put the Buckeyes up 14-0 in the seventh.
Swisher finished 3-for-4 in the game, scoring twice with a run batted in. Dendinger was 2-for-4 knocking in three runs and scoring once, while Wilkins plated two runs.
FIRST TIME AT JACOBS FIELD
Ohio State’s game at Jacobs Field marks the first time the Buckeyes have played in the facility which opened in 1994. Ohio State had played in Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Indians’ former home and is scheduled to open the 2004 season at Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros next February. Earlier this season, the Buckeyes played Vermont at Ed Smith Stadium, the spring training venue of the Cincinnati Reds, in Sarasota, Fla.
ABOUT CINCINNATI
Cincinnati is 13-34 on the year after dropping all three games at Tulane over the weekend. The Bearcats have lost four in a row, going back to a loss last Wednesday at Xavier. In Conference USA play, UC is 5-19.
Brad Dorrmann leads Cincinnati with a .282 batting average. He has 46 hits (eight doubles and five home runs) to lead UC and has batted in a a team-high 24 RBI. Justin Niefer has a team-best 11 doubles and has stolen 13 bases on 15 attempts. As a unit, the offense has a .252 batting average.
On the mound, Cincinnati is expected to throw Justin Minges. He is 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA. He has 13 strikouts against nine walks and 24 hits in 21 1/3 innings. Rob Reel has the best ERA on the staff. He is 1-1 with a 3.59 ERA in 42 2/3 innings. B.J. Borsa has a team-high 70 strikeouts. He is 4-7 on the year with a 4.37 ERA. The pitching staff ERA is 5.89.
AGAINST THE BEARCATS
This will be the 86th ever meeting between Ohio State and Cincinnati, a series that dates back to 1891 when the Bearcats claimed a 19-6 victory The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 63-20-2, but have not played since 2001, when the Buckeyes won 14-3 on May 3 in Columbus. OSU coach Bob Todd is 7-2 against Cincinnati.
LAST TIME VS. CINCINNATI
Ohio State defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 14-3 on May 3, 2001. UC took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning but OSU’s Nick Swisher responded with a three-run home run in the bottom half of the inning and the Buckeyes never looked back.
The Bearcats took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Buckeyes struck back in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Mike Check lined a single to center field and Doug Dendinger followed with a walk. Swisher then took a 1-1 offering from UC starting pitcher Joey List over the left field wall for a three-run home run.
The Buckeyes blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring eight runs. UC cut the OSU lead to 11-3 in the top of the sixth inning. The Buckeyes added three more runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Check and Dendinger scored and Steve Caravati drove in a run on a grounder to the shortstop.
Josh Newman picked up the win to improve to 6-2 on the season. He went a scheduled four innings, gave up five hits, two runs (both earned) and recorded two strikeouts. List took the loss for UC.
MICHIGAN TAKES THREE FROM OSU
Michigan beat Ohio State 9-4 in the series finale to become the first opponent to win a four-game Big Ten series in the history of Bill Davis Stadium, which opened in 1997. The Wolverines took the final three games of the series after the Buckeyes won 2-1 Friday in the series opener. The Buckeyes had not lost a home series since 1996 when Indiana took three of four games at old Trautman Field. Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Ohio State scored four runs with two outs to pull within one run, but Michigan got all four runs back in the top of the ninth on its way to the 9-4 victory. Steve Caravati was 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Ohio State. Mike Rabin was 2-for-5 and Derek Kinnear had two RBI on a 1-for-3 day.
In the series opener, Paul Farinacci drew a walk with the bases loaded to knock in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving Ohio State a 2-1 victory over Michigan. The win gave Ohio State its seventh straight win and victories in 16 of 18 games. Farinacci’s bases-loaded walk scored Jedidiah Stephen, who, with one out, was hit by Michigan starter Michael Penn on his 100th pitch of the game. Scott Lewis picked up the win, going 7 1/3 innings, to improve to 8-0 on the year. The victory over the Wolverines matched his win total from last season. Farinacci finished 1-for-1 with the sacrifice in the first and the walk to knock in a pair of runs. He had a base hit in the third and walked again in the sixth.
Both games of Saturday’s doubleheader went the way of the Wolverines. In the first game, Ohio State came back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Michigan took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth and hung on for the victory. Ohio State tied the game with a pair of hits and a pair of Wolverine errors in the bottom of the seventh. Cody Caughenbaugh led off the inning with a base hit to left-center field. Wes Schirtzinger came in to pinch run for Caughenbaugh and moved to second on a walk by Derek Kinnear. Stephen had a one-out single to left-center field to bring home Schirtzinger from second. Then Michigan catcher Jake Fox tried to catch Kinnear at third on a double steal, but threw past third and Kinnear was able to cross home plate to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Michigan re-claimed the lead in the top of the eighth on a single to right by Matt Butler that scored Chris Burhans.
Michigan defeated Ohio State 3-1 in the nightcap. Michigan turned a lead-off hit in the top of the second inning by Jake Fox into the first run of the game. He singled through the left side and then moved to second on a passed ball. OSU starter Nate Smith struck out Mike Sokol and got Jordan Cantalamessa to fly out to center field. Brandon Roberts sent a shot to left that was misplayed by Caughenbaugh and Fox was able to score from second to give Michigan a 1-0 lead. The Wolverines added a run in the third inning with two outs. Ohio State scored its only run in the sixth inning. Rabin drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a two-out single to left-center by Steve Caravati. Farinacci walked to load the bases full of Buckeyes and then pinch hitter Terry Pettorini grounded to third. Koman could not come up with the ball, allowing Caravati to reach third and Rabin to score.
LAST WEDNESDAY
Ohio State tied a school record for shutouts in a season with a 6-0 victory over Bowling Green Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. The shutout against the Falcons was the eighth shutout of the season recorded by the Buckeye defense and pitching staff, tying the school record from the 1977, 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Ohio State took a 1-0 lead on Bowling Green on a passed ball in the bottom of the second inning. Cody Caughenbaugh singled to center field to lead off the inning and was bumped to second on a base hit to left by Derek Kinnear. Caughenbaugh and Kinnear advanced a base on a wild pitch by Bowling Green starter Tyler Johnson. Caughenbaugh scored on a passed ball.
The Buckeyes added a run in the fifth inning on the fourth home run of the season by Jedidiah Stephen.
Two runs scored in the seventh inning on a Paul Farinacci double to the gap in right-center field. His ninth double of the year scored Drew Anderson, who had a one out single to center, and Christian Snavely, who was intentionally walked with two outs. The Buckeyes lead increased to 4-0.
The final two runs plated in the bottom of the eighth on a two-RBI triple to left-center field by Mike Rabin. The triple was the first in Rabin’s career and scored Terry Pettorini, who singled to center to lead off the inning and Anderson, who had a two-out single to left.
Rabin and Farinacci each had a pair of RBI for Ohio State, but it was Anderson, who finished with a team-high three hits in five at bats. Kinnear was 2-for-2 on his shortened night. Mike Madsen picked up the win in the shortened start to improve to 4-1 on the year. He allowed just three hits and struck out four and gave way to four relievers in the abbreviated start.
AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State won its first 13 games at Bill Davis Stadium this season before Indiana snapped the streak on April 19. Ohio The Buckeyes are now 16-5 at home this season. A year ago, the Buckeyes were 15-10 in the stadium, which included a 10-6 mark in Big Ten play. Since opening Bill Davis Stadium in 1997, the Buckeyes are 132-49 in the facility. That is a win percentage of .729, which includes a 72-34 mark against conference foes and a 60-15 record against non-conference opponents.
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
The 6-0 shutout win by Ohio State over Bowling Green stretched the Buckeye streak to 36 innings without allowing a run by midweek opposition. A hump-day opponent has not scored on Ohio State since Oakland scored in the fifth inning of a 2-1 Buckeye victory on April 9. Right-handed pitcher Greg Prenger then threw a perfect game against the Golden Grizzlies in a 2-0 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. Ohio State then beat Wooster 14-0 April 16 and beat Shawnee State 9-0 April 23. In the last five Wednesday night games, the Buckeyes have outscored the opposition 33-1.
SHUTOUTS
Ohio State had a string of three straight games with shutouts. Following the 9-0 win over Shawnee State, OSU handed Purdue 6-0 and 4-0 shutouts in the first two games of that series. The last time the Buckeyes shutout three straight opponents was in 1977 (10-0 vs. Dayton, 8-0 and 2-0 vs. Indiana). Ohio State also had eight shutouts that season and each of the last two seasons.
LEWIS TIES ARLIN FOR BEST WIN PERCENTAGE
Scott Lewis is 16-2 in his second year as a member of the Buckeye pitching staff, which equates to a .889 win-loss percentage. That figure equals Steve Arlin (1965-66), who finished his career with a 24-3 record, a win percentage of .889. The stat includes pitchers with at least 10 career wins.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
The Buckeye pitching staff now owns a 3.72 ERA, just behind Northwestern’s 3.70 ERA. Ohio State is sixth in batting (.288) and ninth in fielding (.954). Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.24), strikeouts (112), batters struck out looking (31), opponent batting average (.152) and wins (8). Sophomore reliever Matt Davis leads the conference with eight saves and 22 appearances, all in relief, which leads the conference. He has finished 20 games, which is the best total in the league. Drew Anderson is tied for the Big Ten lead in triples with four, while teammate Brett Garrard has three to tie for third. The only other offensive category in which the Buckeyes lead is in walks as Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 47 times, that is 18 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 29 times. Anderson has 177 at bats this year, which is tied with Minnesota’s Ben Pattee for the best in the league
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State is third in pitching (4.16), seventh in batting (.287) and 10th in fielding (.936). Lewis’ 0.58 ERA in conference-only games paces all conference pitchers. He also leads in strikeouts (75), batters struck out looking (23) and opponent batting average (.141). Snavely has walked 22 times in Big Ten games, a figured which sets the conference standard this season.
SCHOOL RECORD BOOK
The eight shutouts by the Buckeyes this season tied the school record from 1977, 2001 and 2002… The nine saves by Ohio State this season (eight by Matt Davis and one by Kyle Brown) is tied for ninth in school history… Christian Snavely has nine career triples, which is tied for fifth in the school record book with Mike Lockwood and Gary Jones… His 26 career home runs is tied for 14th with Doug Deeds (2001-02) and Matt Middleton (1996-99)… Snavely now has 94 career walks, which has him 16th in the school record book… His 47 bases on balls already this year is the fourth highest season total by a Buckeye… Drew Anderson has 33 career stolen bases and is 13th… Josh Newman’s 20 career wins is tied for 15th… He has pitched 229.2 career innings and ranks 17th… For pitchers who have thrown at least 175.0 innings, Newman is second in fewest bases on balls (69) and is tied for eighth in fewest earned runs (101)… Scott Lewis has 203 career strikeouts which is the 20th highest total… Nate Smith made his 49th appearance as a Buckeye May 3 and that is tied for 17th in Buckeye annals… Smith’s 214.1 career innings is tied for 21st in school history… Davis’ eight saves this season is tied for fourth.
NEXT ACTION
Ohio State will close out the Big Ten portion of its home schedule this weekend when Michigan State visits Bill Davis Stadium for four games. The teams will play at 6:35 p.m. Friday, a doubleheader at 4:05 p.m. Saturday and at 1:05 p.m. Sunday. Steve Arlin will have his No. 22 jersey retired Saturday and the senior class will be honored Sunday.
