South Alabama Turns Back Baseball 7-3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 13, 2004
Box Score
MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama scored three runs in the second inning and then added two runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings to hand Ohio State a 7-3 loss Saturday in the 19th annual Coca-Cola Classic at Stanky Field.
The Buckeyes were paced for the second straight day by Jedidiah Stephen (So., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah), who went 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in. In the 8-1 victory over McNeese State Friday, Stephen was 4-for-4, making him 7-for-7 for the tournament with a pair of home runs and five RBI. Against South Alabama, he walked in the second inning and followed it with a single in the fifth, a double in the sixth before the one out, solo home run in the eighth.
Justin Hawarah led the Jaguars, which out-hit Ohio State 12-9, with three hits in four at bats, though it was Jansen Rayborn and Gus Menendez who each delivered two RBI.
Rayborn gave South Alabama an early 2-0 lead in the second inning with his second home run of the season. He took a first-pitch fastball from Buckeye starter Trent Luyster and deposited it over the fence in left field to score Hawarah, who led off the inning with an infield base hit. The Jaguars manufactured a third run in the second following a base hit through the left side by Ben Froemming. Froemming stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tim Land. Froemming scored on a bunt for base hit down the first base line by Menendez to make the score 3-0.
The Buckeyes pulled within one run in the top of the sixth inning thanks to a double to left-center field by Stephen. Mike Rabin (Jr., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) led off the inning with an infield single to the shortstop. After a fly out, Steve Caravati (Jr., Dover, Ohio/Dover) singled to right on a ball lost in the sun that fell in front of Adam Lind. Stephen came to bat after a strike out by Cody Caughenbaugh (So., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) and knocked in his third and fourth RBI of the weekend.
South Alabama added a pair of runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Brad Gordon boarded on an infield single and then was hit in from first on a single to right-center field by Clark Secchiari. Secchiari moved to second on the throw trying to prevent Gordon from scoring. Secchiari moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a throwing error by Derek Kinnear (Sr., Kenton, Ohio/Kenton), who tried to throw him out at third following the wild pitch. That run gave the Jaguars a 5-2 lead.
Those two runs proved to be costly for Ohio State, which, without the runs, would have tied the score 3-3 with an eighth-inning home run by Stephen. The second home run of the season and the second in as many games cleared the fence in left-centerfield to make the score 5-3.
Jeffrey Carroll (Fr., Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) came on for starter Trent Luyster (Jr., Flushing, Ohio/Harrison Central) to start the bottom of the eighth, but gave up a leadoff double and a single before intentionally walked Froemming to load the bases. Carroll’s second walk of the inning brought in Hawarah and then a ground out by Menendez scored Kevin Williams to give the Jaguars a 7-3 lead.
Luyster got out of the first inning untouched despite a one-out walk, but ran into trouble in the second inning giving up three runs on six hits. He settled down though and allowed only two hits the next four innings before giving way to the two runs in the seventh inning. Luyster fell to 0-2 on the season allowing five runs on 10 hits. He walked the lone batter in the first inning and fanned seven on 103 pitches.
South Alabama starter Jeramy Simmons picked up the win to even his record to 2-2. In six innings, he allowed a pair of earned runs on six hits while walking three and striking out five. Justin Rayborn earned his first save of the season pitching the final three innings of the game. South Alabama improved to 5-10 on the season.
Ohio State, now 4-7 on the year, concludes play at the Coca-Cola Classic against Winthrop at noon Sunday.
