Baseball Buckeyes Need Comeback to Corral Cornell 6-4 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 24, 2005
Box Score
BRADENTON, Fla. – Ohio State scored twice in the top of the sixth to reclaim a 5-4 lead and added a run of insurance in the seventh on its way to a 6-4 victory over Cornell Thursday at IMG Academy that ran its win streak to six games. The Buckeyes are now 9-4 on the year and are a perfect 5-0 on their Florida spring break trip.
Jedidiah Stephen (Jr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) led off the sixth with a single through the right side and then went to second on a shot up the middle by Eric Fryer (Fr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg). Matt Angle (Fr., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) beat out the sacrifice to load the bases before Mike Rabin (Sr., West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) tied the game on a single down the right-field line. The Buckeyes took the lead when Fryer scored on a double-play ball, the first two outs of the inning.
Stephen added an insurance run in the seventh, scoring Ronnie Bourquin (So., Canton, Ohio/Canton South on the sac fly. Zoeller led off the inning with a single through the left side, but was stopped at second on a fielder’s choice by Bourquin. Cody Caughenbaugh (Jr., Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) delivered a pinch-hit single through the right side to advance Bourquin to third and set up the sacrifice that gave Ohio State a 6-4 lead.
Fryer, who drove in two of the three runs in the first inning, finished 2-for-4 and scored once. Jason Zoeller (So., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) led the Buckeyes with three hits. Stephen and Angle each were 2-for-3 as the Buckeyes out-hit the Big Red 13-7 to overcome two errors.
Ohio State scored three runs in the top of the first inning, two off the bat of Fryer, who doubled to right-center to bring in two runs. Wes Schirtzinger (So., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) led off the inning with a walk and then went to third on a single through the right side by Zoeller. Schritzinger scored when Bourquin doubled into a double play. Adam Schneider (So., Westlake Village, Calif./Agoura) beat out a bunt before Stephen put two for Fryer with a single through the right side.
Cornell battled back for two runs in the bottom of the third inning to pull within 3-2 score. Garrett Wasson reached on a throwing error by Zoeller, the Buckeye second baseman and then went to second on a chopper to third by Jimmy Heinz. Seth Gordon moved both runners with a sacrifice before Michael Weiss singled down the right-field line to score both Wasson and Heinz.
The Big Red took a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning. After getting a ground out to start the inning, Gordon singled to right-centerfield. Brian Kaufman followed a foul out with a single through the right side and Connor Kelly singled through the right side to tie the game and put runners at the corners. Kelly stole second and on a throwing error from Fryer, the Buckeye catcher, Kaufman was able to score and give Cornell a one-run lead.
Trent Luyster (Sr., Flushing, Ohio/Harrison Central) picked up his fourth win of the season. He struck out five and walked two while allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits. He left after the Buckeye offense rescued him in the top of the sixth. Rory Meister (Fr., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) pitched two scoreless innings and Brett Hatcher (Sr., Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) picked up his first save of the season pitching the final two hitless innings with three strikeouts.
Cornell starter Tad Bardenwerper got the loss to fall to 1-1. Weiss led Cornell in going 2-for-5 with two RBI. The Big Red dropped to 4-5 on the year.
The Buckeyes will meet Cornell again Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the spring break finale, but first will play a doubleheader against Dartmouth on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Ohio State was to play one game against the Big Green on Friday, but its Wednesday game with Vermont was rained out, had to make an adjustment to its schedule.
