Buckeyes Down North Florida 3-2 in 11 innings – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 9, 2007
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ohio State had the potential winning run thrown out at home in the top of the ninth and 10th innings, but finally scored in the 11th to win 3-2 at North Florida Friday at Harmon Stadium.
The Buckeyes tied the game 2-2 in the seventh inning, but the Ospreys tuned away the Buckeyes at the plate to send the game to extra innings and again in the 10th.
In the 11th, Ryan Dew (Fr., Croton, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and then was bunted over to second by Cory Kovanda (Fr., Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne). Jacob Howell (Sr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) drew a walk and Matt Angle (Jr., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) followed with his fifth hit of the game to load the bases. Eric Fryer (Jr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) bounced a ball in front of the plate and when neither the UNF pitcher nor catcher could field the ball, Dew was able to score the go-ahead run. The Buckeyes’ 11th inning also ended with a runner thrown out at the plate.
Reliever Rory Meister (Jr., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) gave up a lead off hit in the bottom of the inning. He then handed the ball off to closer Jake Hale (So., Albany, Ohio/Alexander), who gave up a base hit to put runners at first and second. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but he came back to strike out the next two batters before Angle reeled in a fly ball in center to end the game. Ohio State had its chances to seal the win in the top of the ninth. Kovanda led off the inning with an infield single and was bunted over on a sacrifice by Howell. Angle singled into left field and Kovanda was waived home, but was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. Angle was able to take second on the throw home, but it did not matter when UNF reliever Tyler Stohr was able to get Fryer to strike out to end the inning
OSU starter Josh Barrera (So., Somerset, Ohio/Sheridan), got a ground out to start the bottom of the ninth, but on a second straight grounder to second, Miller, the Buckeyes’ first baseman, could not clutch the throw from shortstop Jason Zoeller (Sr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and Jon Dandridge was safe. Meister came in for Barrera, but after walking his first batter, he struck out the final two to end the inning.
The Buckeye 10th inning was much like its ninth. A base hit by J.B. Shuck (So., Galion, Ohio/Galion) went off the pitcher’s glove and he was able to steal second. Zoeller singled to right and head coach Bob Todd, also the third base coach, waived Shuck home, but a perfect throw greeted him at the plate for the third out. Meister sat down the Ospreys in order in the bottom of the inning.
Angle led the Buckeyes in going 5-for-6. Fryer was 3-for-6 and Shuck was 3-for-5 as the trio combined for 11 of the Buckeyes’ 15 hits. Hwoell, Zoeller, Kovanda and Justin Miller (So., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) also added hits as Ohio State had to overcome three errors, including two in the second inning.
North Florida struck quickly with one run in the first off Barrera, who got the start in place of Dan DeLucia (Sr., Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson), who took the night off to rest his arm. Chad Knight led off the inning with a single to left-center field and went to second when Barrera walked Damon Olinto. Barrera struck out one and got a fly out, but Jimmy Glanville singled to left to plate Knight and give his team a 1-0 lead.
Shuck got the Buckeyes’ first hit of the game with one out in the second inning. Miller followed with a single to center. With two outs, UNF starter Brad Johnson hit Michael Arp (So., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) to load the bases and then walked Kovanda to tie the score.
Dandridge reached on a fielding error by Zoeller to start the bottom of the second. Dandridge moved to second on another error when Barrera threw wide to second and into the outfield on the fielder’s choice by Mike Smith. Andy Warren bunted the runners over and then Knight’s sacrifice fly allowed the Ospreys to reclaim the lead, 2-1, with the unearned run.
Angle led off the third with a single to left, but Johnson struck out the next two batters and got a ground out to end the inning with a runner at third. In fact, Johnson retired eight straight batters before Angle beat out an infield single with two out in the top of the fifth inning. He went to third on a classic hit-and-run by Fryer, but the inning ended on a fly out. Johnson retired the side in the sixth with three fly outs.
Unlike in the fifth, the Buckeyes were able to mount a two-out rally to tie the game in the seventh. After a ground out and a fly out, Howell singled to right-center field and went to second when Angle was able to beat out his drag bunt. Fryer drove in Howell as the equalizing run with his second single of the game, this time through the left side.
After getting out of the fourth unscathed after giving up a pair of hits to start the inning, Barrera got into a groove and sat down 13 straight batters into the bottom of the ninth. He left after the first out of the ninth inning and for the game, allowed just two runs (one earned) on four hits. He struck out five and walked two though did not get the decision.
Meister picked up the win to even his record (1-1) and Hale picked up his second save of the year. Meister fanned three in 1.2 innings and allowed just one hit, while Hale gave up one hit and struck out two in his one inning. Tyler Stohr took the loss after allowing the winning run in the top of the 11th to fall to 0-4.
Glanville had two of the Ospreys’ six hits, including a lead-off single in the bottom of the 11th.
Ohio State will continue play in the Kennel Club Classic Saturday at 4 p.m. against Western Michigan before concluding the weekend Sunday with an 11 a.m. first pitch vs. Connecticut.
