Bears Take First Game in Series with Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 7, 2003
Box Score| Quotes
Super Regional Post Game Press Conference (06/07/03)
| Ohio State (Todd, Caravati, Garrard and Newman) | |
| SMS (Guttin, Colvin, Marcum and Brinkley) |
COLUMBUS, Ohio-Southwest Missouri State scored all 13 runs with two outs and overcame a valiant Ohio State comeback to down the Buckeyes 13-8 in the first game of the 2003 NCAA Baseball Super Regional Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. The winner of the best-of-three series moves on to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., June 13-23.
Game two between SMS and Ohio State will be played at 6:05 p.m. Sunday at Bill Davis Stadium. The third game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Monday, if necessary. SMS improved to 39-24 while the Buckeyes fell to 44-20.
The Bears sent 10 batters to the plate in the third and 11 in the eighth while scoring a combined 12 runs in those two innings.
SMS scored first on an RBI single by shortstop Shaun Marcum, his 39th on the season, scoring third baseman Brooks Colvin in the bottom of the first inning. Colvin reached base on the Bears’ first hit of the game, a single to right center. He advanced to third on a single by designated hitter Clay Wheeler before scoring on Marcum’s single.
The Buckeyes took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with back-to-back solo home runs by freshman third baseman Jedidiah Stephen and sophomore second baseman Drew Anderson. It was Stephen’s sixth and Anderson’s 12th of the year.
The consecutive home runs marked the second time of the season Buckeyes circled the bases in back-to-back at bats. Christian Snavely and Steve Caravati were the first duo to hit consecutive homers in a four-run fourth inning during a 17-10 victory over Minnesota May 25 to seal Ohio State’s second-consecutive Big Ten tournament title.
The Bears regained the lead with seven runs in the bottom of the third. All seven of the SMS runs scored after two were out. The big blow of the inning was a three-run homer by lead off man Dant’e Brinkley, his eighth of the season.
Ohio State starter Josh Newman walked a pair and gave up three-consecutive singles and another walk before Brinkley’s homer to left center. The Bears sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning while taking an 8-2 lead.
The Buckeyes put their third run on the board in the top of the fourth after first baseman Paul Farinacci led off with a double to left center field. He advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on catcher Derek Kinnear’s long sacrifice fly to center.
Ohio State added two runs in the top of the sixth after loading the bases with none out against SMS starter Chad Mulholland. Snavely started the inning with a walk. He moved to second on a single Caravati, the OSU designated hitter. Farinacci then hit a grounder to Brooks at third, who threw to second but Caravati beat the throw, loading the bases.
Cody Caughenbaugh hit a grounder to first to score Snavely before Kinnear hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Caravati cutting the SMS lead to 8-5.
Mulholland left the game in the top of the seventh after a leadoff walk to Stephen. Marcum moved from shortstop to the mound for SMS and retired the Buckeyes without a run. Marcum (1-4) earned the win for the Bears.
Mulholland threw six innings, allowed four hits, five runs, all earned, walked three and struck out six in a no-decision. The Buckeyes tied the game at 8-all in the top of the eighth on a pair of home runs. Mulholland left with an 8-5 lead.
Caravati led off the Ohio State eighth with a long solo home run down the left field line, his seventh on the year and sixth in the last seven games. Farinacci then slapped a seeing-eye single just under Adam Pummill’s glove at second and scored on a Brett Garrard two-run blast after two were out. Garrard has five home runs in postseason play this season and eight on the year.
Newman (8-6) left the mound for the Buckeyes after throwing 127 pitches in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed 11 hits, nine runs, all earned, with five strikeouts and three walks. Sophomore Matt Davis replaced Newman after a one-out double by Pummill of SMS with the game tied at 8-all.
Davis stuck out one, allowed three-consecutive singles, hit a batter and walked another as the Bears moved back on top 11-8 before Kyle Brown came in for the Buckeyes. Brown walked the next two SMS batters, scoring two more runs for a total of five in the inning to give SMS the 13-8 final margin of victory.
