Comeback Fuels Buckeyes Past Georgetown, 7-5 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 2007
Box Score
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CLEARWATER, Fla. – Ohio State rallied from a two-run deficit and rode the arm of Dan DeLucia for a 7-5 victory over Georgetown Friday night at the Clearwater College Invitational at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.
The Buckeyes trailed 4-2 before tying the game in the sixth inning on a home run by Eric Fryer (Jr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) and a sacrifice fly by Tony Kennedy (Jr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South). Ohio State took a 6-4 lead with a pair of runs in the seventh on two hits and a pair of Georgetown miscues.
Cory Rupert (Fr., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) led off the inning on a two-base throwing error by Hoyas third baseman Matthew Maranges. Marenges, reliever Mark Dutmers and catcher Brandon Davis converged on a bunt by Jacob Howell (Sr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), who was able to beat out Davis’ errant throw to first that allowed Rupert to score and Howell to reach second. Matt Angle (Jr., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) moved Howell over to third with a sacrifice and then with two outs, J.B. Shuck (So., Galion, Ohio/Galion) tripled to right-center field to plate Howell and give Ohio State a 6-4 lead.
Kennedy drew a one-out walk in the eighth, stole second, went to third on a fly out by Jason Zoeller (Sr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and scored a single to right by Howell to life Ohio State to a 7-4 lead.
Georgetown plated one run in the ninth of starter-turned-closer Jake Hale (So., Albany, Ohio/Alexander). DeLucia tied a career high with nine strikeouts and left the game after 112 pitches through eight innings. The senior from Columbus (Bishop Watterson) allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits in winning for the 21st time as a Buckeye. Hale, who was 4-5 in 11 starts as a freshman in 2006, earned a save in his first outing of 2007.
Only four of the Buckeyes seven runs were earned thanks to three Georgetown errors while only two of the five runs by the Hoyas were error after Ohio State committed four errors in the game. Ohio State out-hit Georgetown 9-7, getting two hits from Howell and Shuck with multiple-RBI from Fryer and Kennedy. Kennedy plated two runs without a hit thanks to a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly.
Davis lead Georgetown in going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Mark McLaughlin led off the game with a double to right field and Matt Iannetta followed with a hit that drew OSU first baseman Justin Miller (So., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) away from first. He stopped the ball, but could not come up with it and McLaughlin was able to score to give the Hoyas a 1-0 lead. DeLucia recovered to sit down the next three batters, including two by strikeout.
The Buckeyes got the run back in the bottom of the inning when a sacrifice fly by Fryer scored Angle who reached on a one-out triple to right-center field.
Davis hit a solo shot over the left-field fence with no one on and one out to reclaim the lead for Georgetown. Ohio State tied the game 2-all in the bottom of the inning. Shuck reached on a fielding error by Hoyas second baseman and went to third on a single through the right side. Kennedy got to first before the Hoyas could turn a double play, which would have ended the inning. Instead, Shuck scored to even the score.
Derek DiGuglielmo reached when Shuck dropped a fly ball in left field and that error proved costly when he was able to score on Matthew Bouchard’s single to center. The throw home trying to catch him was offline and the throw to second trying to nab Bouchard skidded into the outfield enabling him to advance to third. DeLucia responded with his seventh strike out of the game and his third of the inning.
Maranges homered to left with two away in the sixth inning to extend the Georgetown lead to two, 4-2.
Ohio State got a lead off home run from Fryer in the sixth and then manufactured a run to tie the game. Shuck followed Fryer’s bomb to left-center field with a shot to shallow right-center field. He went to third on a single through the right side by Miller and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Kennedy.
Dutmers, who came in to spell starter Erick Chandler, in the seventh, took the loss to fall to 0-1. He allowed two unearned runs on two hits in one inning of work. Chandler departed after allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits. He walked two and struck out one.
Ohio State continues play in the Clearwater College Invitational Saturday vs. Duquesne. The first pitch was moved back from its original 1 p.m. start time and now will begin at 4 p.m.
