Ohio State Baseball Upsets No. 12 Missouri, 4-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Shuck, a freshman from Galion, Ohio (Galion), who made his Buckeye debut Saturday as the starting first baseman vs. Florida, turned his first pitching start into his first collegiate victory (1-0). In his 7.0-inning outing, he allowed one run on three hits and struck out six batters with one walk in his first pitching start as a Buckeye.
Jedidiah Stephen (Sr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) led the Buckeyes in going 3-for-4 Sunday. Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling), Jacob Howell (Jr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) and Wes Schirtzinger (Jr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) each had a pair of hits and one RBI.
In the top of the third inning, Missouri turned a lead-off infield hit by Derek Chambers into a 1-0 lead. Gary Arndt bunted him into scoring position and then Zane Taylor doubled to the left-field line to bring him home.
Ohio State scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to go on top 2-1. Jason Zoeller (Jr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) doubled down the left-field line with one out and then tied the game thanks to a pair of passed balls by Tiger catcher Jacob Priday. Josh Hula drew a walk and went to second on a single through the right side by Schirtzinger. A third passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Angle flew out to center to score Hula on the sacrifice.
The Buckeyes got two more runs across the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting RBI singles from Schirtzinger and Howell. Stephen led off the inning with a base hit to right field and then Zoeller reached on a fielder’s choice. Josh Hula (Fr., Castalia, Ohio/Margaretta) singled through the right side, sending Zoeller to third before Schirtzinger singled to right-center field to go up 3-1. Angle’s sacrifice bunt put runners and second and third and Howell’s infield single to second gave Ohio State a three-run lead, 4-1. Dan Barker (So., Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) came on in the eighth to relieve Shuck and Rory Meister (So., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) pitched the ninth to pick up his first save of the season. Buckeye pitching struck out 10 Missouri batters. Aaron Crow got the loss (0-1) for Missouri. In 5.1 innings, he allowed four runs on seven hits despite six strikeouts and a pair of walks. Three other pitchers finished the game. Missouri had two errors while the Buckeyes committed only one, which led to the Tigers’ second run in the top of the ninth inning.
Missouri, the alma mater of OSU head coach Bob Todd, got two hits from Taylor and one hit each from Chambers and Ryan Lollis. It was the first time Todd, now in his 23rd season as a college coach, had opposed his former school. Missouri, which had opened the weekend with a 14-5 upset victory over top-ranked Florida on Friday, dropped its final two games of the tournament to fall to 5-4 on the year.
The Buckeyes, now 1-2 on their young season, return to action next weekend with four games in Jacksonville, Fla. The trip opens with an exhibition game vs. a Japanese National Team Friday at the University of North Florida at noon. Immediately following that game, Ohio State will take on UNC-Greensboro. The Buckeyes travel across town to take on Jacksonville Saturday at 1 p.m. and then return to UNF to close the trip vs. Western Michigan Sunday at 11 a.m.
