Ohio State Drops Game 1 to Illinois, 13-9 – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
CHAMPAIGN, ILL.– Ohio State scored nine runs in the first three innings, but Illinois responded to each Ohio State run with a run of its own and more to post a come-from-behind 13-9 win in front of a season-high 2,019 fans at Illinois field.
Illinois recorded a season-high 17 hits to win for the seventh time in its last nine games and improve to 19-23 overall and to 9-7 in the Big Ten. Ohio State totaled 11 hits, but only two came after the third inning. The Buckeyes’ records dropped to 20-20 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten.
Illinois reliever Will Strack, who came into the game in the third inning for starter Kevin Johnson (2.2 innings pitched with nine hits and nine runs allowed), picked up the win with 4.0 innings of two-hit relief. He is now 3-1 on the year. Jared Strayer got the loss in relief and falls to 3-3.
“It was just a rare night on the mound for us tonight,” Ohio State coach Greg Beals said, “and sometimes you’re going to have those. Drew Rucinski has been incredibly sharp for us all year and he just didn’t have it tonight. And Jared Strayer has played really well for us the last 15 or so games.
“But I also didn’t think we did enough of the little things to help out our pitchers, and there were some plays we could have made but we just didn’t.”
The Buckeyes scored four runs in the first, three in the second and two more in the third inning and held four-run leads twice at 4-0 and 7-3, plus led 9-7 into the sixth.
The first inning was fun as Ohio State scored four runs off three hits. Matt Streng had a two-run triple and Josh Dezse a run-scoring single that scored Brian DeLucia, who had led off the game with a sharp single to right. Streng came home on Greg Solomon’s sacrifice fly.
In the second inning and after Illinois plated three in its half of the first, the Buckeyes only had two hits but they scored three runs with the help of two errors. Jacob Hayes singled and scored and Streng had an RBI single for the Scarlet and Gray.
But once again, Illinois mitigated the damage by scoring three of its own. All were unearned off Ohio State starter Rucinski (5.0 innings pitched with seven hits and seven runs allowed with only four of those runs earned).
DeLucia, Tim Wetzel and Ryan Cypret all singled with two out in the third inning and Dezse knocked in his third run in three innings with a double down the left field line to increase the lead once again, this time to 9-6. That hit prompted Illinois coach Dan Hartleb to go to his bullpen and bring Strack into the game.
Strack was exactly what the Illini needed as he calmed the Buckeye bats over the next 4.0 innings. He gave up just the two hits – both were singles by David Corna – and when he was relieved in the seventh inning he was the pitcher of record and the Illini held an 11-7 lead.
Illinois tacked on a run in the seventh and another in the eighth to account for the final margin.
The Buckeyes had two double plays, including one very fine 3-6-1 double play in the fifth executed by Dezse, Engle and Rucinski with a man on third to end the inning with the Buckeyes still holding on to a 9-7 lead.
Dezse and Streng each had two hits, three RBI and a run scored for Ohio State offensively and DeLucia had a pair of singles and three runs scored.
Andrew Armstrong was solid in his 1.1 innings of relief. He struck out three and was the unfortunate victim of a run scoring from first on a sky high single that bounced and went high into the air once again.
The two teams will go at it again Saturday in a 4:05 p.m. game.
Game Notes & Random Thoughts from the Ball Park:
- Illinois held its third-annual Bleacher Bum Barbecue prior to the game. The first 2,000 fans not only got into the game for free, but they also feasted on free food (grilled hot dogs, chips and bottled water).
- The first Bleacher Bum Barbecue in 2009, also on a Friday night vs. Ohio State, drew an Illinois Field record crowd of 5,214 fans to the park.
- Illinois Field is a clean, clean, grass-less park. The playing surface is FieldTurf, the same surface that is in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State will be transitioning to a synthetic surface this summer with everything turf except for the pitcher’s mound.
- Here’s why it is difficult travelling on the road: so much free food in the park and yet those of us in the press box can’t get to it and as a results were all starving for most of the game.
- Worked over parts of two of those high-protein but incredibly dense and heavy energy bars over the course of the game. The peanut butter kind, of course. They cost a rather steep $2.99 each, but we’re talking meal replacement here.
###OhioStateBuckeyes.com###
