Ohio State Drops Series Finale to Michigan State, 5-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2006
Box Score
LANSING, Mich. – Ohio State could not hold an early lead Sunday in the Big Ten series finale at Michigan State Sunday as the Spartans took the lead in the second on their way to a 5-2 victory at Oldsmobile Park.
Ohio State scored two runs in the top of the first inning. J.B. Shuck (Fr., Galion, Ohio/Galion) started the first game of his career as both the pitcher and designated hitter. He led off the game with a double to left and scored when Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) singled up the middle. Eric Fryer (So., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) bunted him into scoring position on the sacrifice to set up a second score when Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South) sent a base hit up the middle.
Taking to the hill in the bottom of the inning, Shuck gave up a lead-off double to left-center field to Troy Krider. He then got Tony Clausen to fly out to center, but a base-running error by Krider let Angle, the Buckeye centerfield, to throw to second for a double play. Shuck hit the next batter and gave up a two-run home run by Ryan Basham to tie the score. Shuck gave up two more hits and walked another to load the bases, but after a visit from pitching coach Harry Gurley, he responded with a strikeout to prevent further damage.
Michigan State added two more runs in the second inning to take a 4-2 lead. Oliver Wolcott led off with a double to right, stole third and then scored on a throwing error by Fryer, the Buckeye catcher, trying to catch him at third. Krider followed with a base hit, but was nabbed at second on a fielder’s choice by Jamey Embree. Embree stole second and then scored on a single to right by Kyle Day. Another base-running mistake led to another outfield assist and double play to get out of the inning.
An RBI single by E.J. Daws put Michigan State on top 5-2 in the sixth inning. Steve Gerstenberger scored on the play after leading off the inning with a single to right. Sean Walker bunted him over with a sacrifice.
The Buckeyes got a runner to third with just one out in the sixth. Wes Schirtzinger (Jr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) reached with a one-out single to right and then went to third on a single by Justin Miller (Fr., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby). Shuck popped up in foul ground for the second out before a fielder’s choice by Angle stranded the runner.
In the seventh, Ohio State wasted a pair of lead off hits up the middle by Fryer and Bourquin. Trying to sacrifice, Jedidiah Stephen (Sr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah) popped up a bunt to the pitcher, who threw over to first, catching Bourquin for a double play. Michael Arp (Fr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) grounded out to end the inning.
Ohio State, which stranded 13 base runners in game three, left at least one runner on base in each of the first seven innings of the series finale and stranded 10 runners in the game.
Fryer was a perfect 3-for-3 with a sac bunt, while Bourquin, Arp and Miller each had two hits. Krider had three hits to lead Michigan State, which improved to 22-24 overall and 10-14 in the Big Ten.
Mark Sorensen pitched his first complete game of the season, getting the win to improve to 3-2 on the year. He allowed two runs on 12 hits and had three strikeouts and no walks. Shuck took his second straight loss to fall to 6-3. He allowed four runs on eight hits in just 1.1 innings. Dan Barker (So., Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) pitched solid in relief, allowing just one run on four hits in 6.2 innings, but did not get any offensive support.
Despite the loss, Ohio State won its fifth Big Ten series of the year and has won 11 of its last 15 games.
Ohio State (31-15, 15-9) will not play a non-conference game this week and will return to action next weekend in a four-game Big Ten series against Minnesota at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes’ last nine games of the season are at home.
