Ohio State Drops Opening Game Of Michigan Series, 10-4, In 10 Innings – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 13, 2007
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State rally falls short, Michigan wins 10-4 in 10 innings Friday in the first game of a four-game Big Ten series at Bill Davis Stadium.
The Buckeyes twice rallied from deficits, 3-0 and 4-3, tying the game at 4-all in the bottom of the ninth. But the OSU rally fell short as Michigan scored six runs in the top of the 10th for a 10-4 lead and held on for the win.
Ohio State is 18-6 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten action, while Michigan is 19-6 overall and 5-0 in the conference. The Buckeyes and Wolverines will play games two and three of the series starting at 1:05 p.m. Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. Saturday’s two seven-inning games will be followed a final nine-inning game at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.
Michigan jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning but the Buckeyes got back in the game with a run in the bottom of the first and one in the bottom of the second to make it 3-2 after two innings.
Jacob Howell (Sr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) led off the OSU first with a single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Eric Fryer (Jr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) singled to put runners on the corners. J.B. Shuck (So., Galion, Ohio/Galion) followed with a ground ball to the right side that scored Howell. In the second, Tony Kennedy (Jr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) reached on a one-out walk and moved to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher on the steal attempt. Kennedy then scored on a wild pitch by Michigan starter Zach Putnam for a 3-2 score.
Ohio State battled back to even the score at 3-all with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Angle (Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) led off the home half of the fifth with a walk, and after a fly out to center, advanced to third on a Shuck single. Justin Miller (So., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center.
It didn’t take the Wolverines long to regain the lead, 4-3, scoring a run in the top of the seventh.
The Buckeyes would rally again and sent the game to extra innings with one run in the ninth. Wolverines closer Ben Jenzen entered the game with one out in the ninth and proceeded to walk three straight batters. Redshirt freshman Zach Hurley (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) then hit a sharp grounder to third that Michigan third baseman Adam Abraham made a diving stop on to save the game for the Wolverines and force out the Buckeye runner at second. The fielder’s choice scored Angle, tying the game at four. Freshman Ryan Dew (Croton, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) followed Hurley with a liner to third that Abraham jumped to catch and again keep Michigan alive.
The two great defensive plays by Abraham proved to be the difference as Michigan pushed across six runs in the top of the 10th inning.
Junior Cory Luebke (Maria Stein, Ohio/Marion Local) started the game for the Buckeyes and pitched a solid seven innings innings. Luebke gave up four runs, three earned, on six hits. Rory Meister (Jr., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison) relieved Luebke in the eighth and pitched one scoreless inning, with one walk and one strikeout. Jake Hale (So., Albany, Ohio/Alexander) pitched a scoreless ninth for OSU, but struggled in the 10th, giving up five earned runs before being relieved by Darren Sizemore (So., Hamilton, Ohio/Ross/Georgetown University) with two outs in the inning. Sizemore allowed just one unearned run but gave up two hits allowing two inherited runners to score. Hale suffered his first loss of the year.
Putnam, Michigan’s ace, went 8.1 innings for before Jenzen entered the game. Putman scattered nine hits, giving up three earned runs in a no decision. He walked seven and struck out one. Jenzen went 0.2 innings, winning his first game of the year. Michael Powers pitched a scoreless 10th for the Wolverines.
The Buckeyes had 10 hits and the Wolverines 11.
