Michael Arp’s Double Lifts Buckeyes to 2-1 Win vs. Connecticut – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 11, 2007
Box Score
Box Score .PDF
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ohio State outfielder Michael Arp gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 win over Connecticut Sunday at the Kennel Club Classic at Harmon Stadium at the University of North Florida.
Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, Tony Kennedy (Jr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) led off with an infield single and then was able to move up to second when shortstop Dennis Donavan threw past first base. Jason Zoeller (Sr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) reached on a bunt and Kennedy was able to beat out a throw on the fielder’s choice to third to put runners at the corners.
After Zoeller stole second, Arp, a sophomore from Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Reynoldsburg), sent a shot to the wall in the right-center field gap to plate both Kennedy and Zoeller and put his team in front, 2-1.
The double was Arp’s only hit of the game. He was 1-for-3 with two RBI. The Buckeyes finished with eight hits, three less than UConn’s eight.
The Buckeyes struggled defensively, at least, early, but were not penalized for the four errors. J.B. Shuck (So., Galion, Ohio/Galion) walked a batter and gave up a single in the first but got out of the inning unscathed. In the second, Shuck gave up a lead off double to Larry Day and a two-out infield single to Gordon Stevens. He then walked the bases loaded before getting Dale Brannon to look at strike three for his third strikeout of the game.
A fielding error by shortstop Cory Rupert (Fr., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) put the lead-off batter on base to start the third, but Shuck hunkered down to strike out Pat Mahoney and get a fly out by Matt Untiet. Day followed with a single to short, but Rupert threw wide of first for his second error of the inning. With runners at the corners, Shuck got Josh Farkes to fly out to center to escape the inning. The Buckeyes had another pair of errors in the fourth, but they were able to overcome them again. Shuck struck out Erik Turgeon, but Stevens reached on a Rupert’s third error of the game on the throw to first. Zoeller could not come up with Peter Fatse’s ground to second for the easy out at second and Fatse was able to reach first on the fielder’s choice. Eric Fryer (Jr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) caught Stevens trying to steal third and Shuck got a foul out to end the threat.
Ohio State got a double from Matt Angle (Jr., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) with one out in the first inning, but could not get another hit until the fourth inning when Justin Miller (So., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) singled to right with two outs. A ground out by Ryan Dew (Fr., Croton, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) ended the inning.
The Huskies had a pair of baserunners in the fifth inning and Untiet was thrown out at the plate to end the inning after Day singled down the left-field line. In the sixth, though UConn scored the game’s first run.
Turgeon got a one-out single to right and went to second when Fatse drew a two-out walk. Shuck’s fourth walk ended his day and saw Rory Meister (Jr., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) take the mound. Meister gave up a single through the left side that scored Turgeon for a 1-0 Huskies lead.
Shuck did not get a decision in 5.2 innings. He allowed the one run on six hits, struck out four and walked four. Meister got the win to improve to 2-1. He allowed just two hits in 1.2 innings, but the Huskies did not score. Jake Hale (So., Albany, Ohio/Alexander) picked up his third save of the season and the second of the weekend. UConn reliever Matt Karl took the loss to drop to 0-1.
Day was 3-for-4 to pace Connecticut. Stevens was 2-for-4.
Ohio State returns to action Saturday when it begins its spring break trip to Bradenton, Fla. The Buckeyes open the week vs. Bucknell Saturday at 7 p.m. at Manatee Community College and will play seven games in seven days before concluding the trip March 23 vs. Harvard at 11:30 a.m. Please visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com for a complete spring break schedule.
