Buckeye Comeback Falls Short in 12-11 Loss to Western Michigan – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 5, 2006
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Western Michigan fought back from a 6-2 deficit and scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning and held on against an Ohio State rally to win 12-11 Sunday at the Kennel Club Classic at the University of North Florida’s Harmon Stadium.
Ohio State jumped out to 6-2 lead, but the Broncos were able to pull within one run, 6-5, in the top of the fourth inning. After the Buckeyes added a run in the bottom of the inning, WMU exploded for five runs in the fifth. Cole Rathbun singled through the left side to plate Nathan Marquardt, who delivered the first of three straight hits to start the inning. The Buckeyes got the first out of the inning on a fielder’s choice, but two straight walks yielded a second run. A wild pitch scored another run before RBI singles by Zach Gentile and Matt Bolton gave Western Michigan a 10-7 lead.
The Buckeyes got one run back in the bottom of the inning when Jedidiah Stephen (Sr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) singled in Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South), who led off the inning with a double down the left-field line. Ohio State left the bases loaded in the fifth and left two runners in the seventh before getting a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull within two runs, 12-10. The threat ended with a pair of groundouts with runners at second and third.
Jason Zoeller (Jr., Veorna, Pa./Shady Side Academy) turned a lead-off walk into the 11th Buckeye run of the game after a pair of groundouts and two Bronco errors. Tony Kennedy struck out to end the game.
The teams combined for 35 hits as the Broncos collected 15 hits to 20 by the Buckeyes. Ohio State committed four errors in the game. Western Michigan scored twice in the top of the first inning, but Ohio State roared back with four straight hits to score three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. Jacob Howell (Jr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) got the inning started with a single to right-center field and Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) singled through the left side. Eric Fryer (So., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) plated Howell with a single through the right side and Bourquin tied the game with a single that scored Angle. Fryer gave the Buckeyes the lead when he scored on a double-play ball off the bat of Adam Schneider (Jr., Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura).
The Buckeyes scored three more runs in the second. With one out, Kris Moorman (Jr., St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry) singled to center, before Zoeller drew a walk. After a fly out, Angle’s second hit scored Moorman and Fryer’s base hit through the right side plated both Zoeller and Angle to give Ohio State a four-run lead, 6-2.
The Broncos added a run in the third, getting an RBI single by Nathan Marquardt to score Zach Gentile who reached on a fielding error to start the inning. WMU used a pair of hits and a pair of Ohio State errors in the fourth to pull within a 6-5 score, but the Buckeyes got one run back thanks to Angle’s third single of the game to retake a two-run lead.
Angle finished 5-for-6 in the game with two RBI and three runs scored. Fryer, Bourquin and Stephen had three hits apiece. Bolton and Marquardt had three hits each to lead Western Michigan.
Jake Hale (Fr., Albany, Ohio/Alexander) was tagged with the loss after he allowed five runs on three hits and two walks. Dan Coberly (2-0) got the win for the Broncos, which improved to 5-5.
Ohio State (2-4) returns to action next weekend with four games at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fla. The Buckeyes will play a doubleheader vs. Lehigh Friday beginning at 1 p.m., with single games vs. Northern Iowa Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Bethune Cookman Sunday at 1 p.m.
