Ohio State jumps on Penn State early, Begins Big Ten Tournament with 10-3 victory – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 23, 2007
Box Score .PDF
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ohio State used seven shutout innings from Cory Luebke and a 17-hit attack to down Penn State, 10-3, in the first game of the Big Ten tournament Wednesday at Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Buckeyes led 7-0 after four innings and Luebke, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, showed why he was chosen as the league’s top pitcher, giving up no runs on three hits in seven innings. The Maria Stein, Ohio (Marion Local) native walked three and struck out three, improving to 8-1 on the season.
The Buckeyes, the No. 6 seed, will now face top-seeded Michigan at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. A win over the Wolverines would put the Buckeyes in the winner’s bracket final at 7:05 p.m. Friday, while a loss would put OSU in the loser’s bracket and play at 12:05 p.m. Friday. In the first game of the day, No. 5 Illinois downed No. 4 Iowa, 12-3, and will face No. 2 Minnesota at 3:35 p.m. Thursday.
The Buckeyes jumped on the Nittany Lions early, scoring three runs in the first inning, two more in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth for a 7-0 lead.
Jacob Howell (Sr., Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), Matt Angle (Jr., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) and Eric Fryer (Jr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) led off the game with back to back to back singles, with Fryer’s single driving in Howell for a 1-0 lead. J.B. Shuck (So., Galion, Ohio/Galion) followed with a sacrifice fly and three batters later Tony Kennedy (Jr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) singled for a 3-0 lead. In the second, Cory Kovanda (Fr., Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) reached on an infield single and moved to third on an Angle double. Shuck then delivered a two-RBI single up the middle to put the Buckeyes up 5-0 after two.
Howell singled home a run in the third and Jason Zoeller (Sr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) followed with an RBI single in the fourth for a 7-0 OSU advantage.
Ohio State stretched its lead to 10-0 with three runs in the seventh inning, pounding out three hits and getting help from one PSU error. Angle drove in one run with a sacrifice fly and Fryer knocked in another run with a triple, his second of the season.
Taylor Barnes (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) relieved Luebke in the eighth and struggled, giving up three runs. Darren Sizemore (So., Hamilton, Ohio/Ross/Georgetown University) pitched a scoreless ninth for the Buckeyes.
Seth Whitehill started for PSU and lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up six earned runs on 10 hits. The Nittany Lions used five pitchers on the day.
The Buckeyes out-hit Penn State, 17-5, with eight different OSU players notching hits. Howell, Angle and Kennedy all had three hits, while Shuck drove in three runs and Fryer two.
