Ohio State Downs Iowa 12-5 in Big Ten Opener to Win Fifth Straight – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 31, 2006
Box Score
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Ohio State starting pitcher Dan DeLucia scattered eight hits and allowed only two unearned runs in seven innings and was backed up by a Buckeye offense with 14 hits in a 12-5 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten opener Friday at Duane Banks Field.
DeLucia, a junior from Columbus, Ohio (Bishop Watterson), struck out five without a walk on 110 pitches and allowed only three hits in the first four innings of the game. He gave up five hits in the next three innings before giving way to Trey Fausnaugh (So., Circleville, Ohio/Westfall) to start the eighth inning. Fausnaugh allowed three runs on five hits in his two innings. The win for DeLucia was his fourth (4-1) of the season to pace the staff.
For the 13th time in 18 games this season, the Buckeyes slapped double-digit hits and extended their win streak to five games to improve to 13-5 on the season and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Penn State also won their conference opener on Friday.
Eight of the nine starters had a hit and six had multiple-hit games in helping Ohio State win for the 11th time in 12 tries.
For just the seventh time in 18 games this season, an Ohio State opponent put a run on the scoreboard in the first inning. Nathan Price beat out a bunt to lead off the inning and but an errant throw sent him to second base. A sacrifice bunt sent him to second before he scored on an RBI ground out by Wes Freie.
The lead was short lived, however, as Jason Zoeller (Jr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) extended his hit streak to 11 games with a three-run homer to right-center field that also scored Jedidiah Stephen (Sr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) and Wes Schirtzinger (Jr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) to put the Buckeyes up 3-1. Stephen singled with one out and went to second when Schirtzinger beat out a bunt. The home run was his second of the season and just the fourth by a Buckeye this season.
Ohio State built a 7-1 lead with four runs on two hits and a pair of Hawkeye errors in the top of the third inning. Iowa starting pitcher Luke O’Loughlin hit Eric Fryer (So., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Re to start the inning and then a double by Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South) put runners at second and third with no one out. O’Loughlin struck out Adam Schneider (Jr., Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) before a ground out by J.B. Shuck (Fr., Galion, Ohio/Galion) scored Fryer. Stephen followed with a double to score Bouruqin. Stephen scored on an errant throw by the Iowa second baseman on a ground ball by Schirtzinger. A second throwing error on Hawkeye catcher Dusty Napolean trying to prevent Schirtzinger from stealing second sailed into centerfield and let him reach third before a wild pitch wrapped up the scoring.
Iowa scored a run in the bottom of the third to pull within 7-2, but three more Buckeyes runs scored in the fourth. Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) led off the inning with a single through the left side. After Angle stole second, Bourquin drove him home with a one-out single to right-center field. Schneider followed with a double over the head of Price, the Iowa centerfielder and Bourquin was able to score from first. Schneider tagged on a fly out by Shuck and then scored on a single to right by Schirtzinger to give the Buckeyes a commanding 10-2 lead.
The second career triple by Schneider put a runner 90 feet away with one out in the sixth inning. Shuck poked a ball into shallow right field over a drawn-in infield to score Schneider for his second RBI of the game and put Ohio State up 11-2.
Zoeller tripled for the second straight game to start the ninth inning. Jacob Howell (Jr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) hit him in with his second hit of the game, a single into right, again over a drawn-in infield. Zoeller cleared the bases loaded in the third inning in the 8-5 win Wednesday over Toledo.
Zoeller was the top RBI guy with his three-run homer. His other hit was a triple to set up the final run. Shuck was the only other player with multiple RBI. Price led the Hawkeyes in going 4-for-5 and three runs scored. O’Laughlin lost for the third time this season (1-3).
The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at 3:05 p.m., EST, before it concludes with a single game Sunday at 2:05 p.m. Games three and four of the series with be broadcast on AM 920 WMNI and available at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. All three games will offer GameTracker, also at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
