Baseball Wins Sixth Straight with 12-4 Victory vs. Cornell – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 20, 2006
Box Score
BRADENTON, Fla. – Ohio State won its sixth straight game using 16 hits, while three pitchers limited Cornell to only four hits in a 12-4 victory over the Big Red Monday at IMG Academy.
Jacob Howell (Jr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) was a perfect 5-for-5, drove in three runs and scored another four, while three pitchers allowed only four hits. OSU starter Jake Hale (Fr., Albany, Ohio/Alexander) picked up his first win at Ohio State (1-1) and allowed only two runs on three hits with five strikeouts. Josh Barrera (Fr., Somerset, Ohio/Sheridan) and Rory Meister (So., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) each pitched an inning. Barrera and Meister each allowed a run.
The Buckeyes have at least 16 hits in each of the last seven games and have allowed only seven runs in the last two games. Yesterday, Dan DeLucia (Jr., Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) pitched a three-hit, nine-inning complete game 14-0 shutout of Massachusetts.
Ohio State scored the two lead-off runners in the top of the first inning. Howell led off the game with a single up the middle and after Howell moved to second on a wild pitch, Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) followed with a single through the left side. Eric Fryer (So., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) drove in both runners with a double down the left-field line.
Another run crossed the plate in the second inning to make the score 3-0 when Howell singled up the middle again to score Justin Miller (Fr., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) who led off the inning with a base hit.
Cornell scored its first run in bottom of the third inning to pull within two runs, 3-1. Scott Hardinger got the first against Hale with one out in the third. He went to second when William Pauly walked. Both moved up a base on a wild pitch and Hardinger was able to score before the Buckeyes turned a 6-3-5 double play.
Howell led off the fourth with a single to left and scored on a single to left-center field by Angle. Angle was able to move to second on the throw and to third when the throw sailed over the catcher’s head. Fryer scored Angle with an infield single to put the Buckeyes up 5-1.
Four runs scored in the fifth to extend the lead to eight, 9-1. Jedidiah Stephen (Sr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) led off the inning with his first hit of the game, a single through the left side. He stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a double by Miller, his fourth straight hit. After Jason Zoeller (Jr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) walked to put runners at first and second, Howell drove in Miller with a single to right center. Fryer drove in both Zoeller and Howell with a base hit to center.
Hale retired the next six batters in order before Hardinger sent a solo shot over the left-field fence for the second Cornell hit and run of the game. That made the score 9-2.
The Buckeyes added three runs on a pair of hits and two Big Red errors to build a 12-2 lead. Howell came through with his fifth hit of the game to drive in Zoeller, who reached on a throwing error and then both Howell and Angle scored on a fielding error when the ball off the bat of Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South) went between the legs of the Cornell first baseman.
Hale gave up his third hit of the game to start the seventh, but got a double play and another ground out to get out of the inning. Barrera came on in the eighth. He walked his first batter and a wild pitch before giving up a single up the middle scored the third Big Red run of the game. Meister allowed one run in the ninth.
Fryer also was 4-for-4 against Cornell. He had a double and three singles to drive in five runs. Miller was 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored.
Ohio State will play a split doubleheader on Tuesday, meeting Illinois-Chicago at 10 a.m. followed with another game vs. Cornell at 2:30 p.m. The six-game spring break trip concludes with a pair of games vs. Vermont Thursday and Friday.
