Ohio State downed by Minnesota, 5-3, Sunday in Minneapolis – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2007
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Ohio State lost to Minnesota, 5-3, Sunday in the final game of a four-game Big Ten series at Siebert Field in Minneapolis. The Buckeyes and Gophers split the four game series, with Minnesota winning game one Friday, 6-4, and the Buckeyes taking both games Saturday, 8-1 and 13-1.
Ohio State is 30-19 overall and 14-12 in Big Ten action, while Minnesota is 35-12 overall and 16-7 in the conference. Heading into the final four-game league series of the year, OSU sits in a tie with Illinois for fifth place in the Big Ten standings. The top six teams make the Big Ten tournament. The Buckeyes travel to Penn State Friday-Sunday and sit 1.5 games ahead of seventh place Michigan State.
The Buckeyes return home for a two-game, non-conference series vs. North Florida Tuesday and Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium. Start time for Tuesday is 6:35 p.m., followed by a 12:05 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday.
The Buckeyes got on the board first Sunday. Jason Zoeller (Sr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) led off the top of the second with a single and moved to second on a Justin Miller (So., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) sacrifice bunt. Ryan Dew (Fr., Croton, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) followed with an RBI single up the middle to put OSU on top 1-0.
The Golden Gophers responded with a run in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-all.
Ohio State regained the lead with two runs in the top of the third. Matt Angle (Jr., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) and Eric Fryer (Jr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) earned back to back walks with one out. Zoeller then drove in a run with a double down the right field line and Miller followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. Minnesota cut the OSU lead to 3-2 with a run in the bottom of the fourth and tied the game at 3-all with another run in the bottom of the fifth. The Gophers took the lead, 4-3, with a run in the bottom of the sixth and added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-3 UM lead.
The Gophers were able to hold on to the lead as OSU was unable to generate any offense in the final six innings of the game.
Eric Best (Fr., Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) started on the mound for the Buckeyes and went 3.2 innings in a no decision. He gave up two earned runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two. Trey Fausnaugh (Sr., Circleville, Ohio/Westfall) relieved Best in the fourth and pitched 1.2 innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits and striking out two. Fausnaugh picked up the loss, falling to 1-3 on the year. Josh Edgin (Fr., Three Springs, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) entered the game in the sixth and went final 2.2 innings. He allowed one earned run on two hits.
Dustin Barbender started for Minnesota and also got a no decision. He gave up three earned runs on four hits in 5.2 innings, walking five and striking out three. Kyle Carr relieved Barbender and pitched the final 3.1 innings for the win. He allowed no runs and gave up just one hit to improve to 5-2 on the season.
The Buckeyes had five hits in the game and Minnesota 12. Zoeller went 2-for-3 on the day.
