Wow! Ohio State was never in this game as Northwestern built an 8-0 lead in the first two innings and cruised to a 14-8 victory to clinch a series split with the Bucks, which fell to 22-18 overall and 10-9 in the Big Ten (Box Score).
The Wildcats scored their first eight runs off Andrew Armstrong who was making an emergency start today in place of the injured J.B. Shuck. The OSU news release on Saturday said Shuck came out of the third game of the series to rest his leg. Today's release said the coaching staff rested him because of a sore hamstring. Armstrong lasted 1.2 innings and allowed the eight runs (just four earned) on four hits. He walked three and struck out one in falling to 3-3. Once he left the game, the Buckeyes went with Alex Wimmers, Josh Edgin, Eric Best and Jared Strayer.
Ohio State finally got on board in the fourth and scored in four of the final five innings, getting three in the fifth and two in the seventh. Northwestern answered with its ninth run in the bottom of the fourth and scored five over the seventh and eighth innings.
It was an ugly game defensively. Ohio State committed six errors while the 'Cats committed three. Buckeye pitchers walked eight and Northwestern pitches issued 11 free passes, including seven by its third pitcher of the game. The Bucks did manage nine hits to 11 by Northwestern.
Tony Kennedy was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored while Ryan Meade was 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored. Cory Kovanda drove in two. Three different Wildcats had two hits. What a week by Kennedy. In the four games in Evanston, he was 11-for-17, good enough for a .647 batting average. He drove in three and scored eight. Throw in the two games against Akron and he batted 15-for-25 (.600) with five RBI and 11 runs scored. Not too shabby.
The Buckeyes remain in fourth place in the league standings behind Michigan, Purdue and Illinois. Overall, was it crucial to win the series? No, probably not, but it certainly would have been nice. Considering next week's series in Ann Arbor, wins will be hard to come by. The next week Ohio State hosts Illinois, another team it trails in the standings. Then it is off to Iowa to close out the season.
The Buckeye Nine threw in the towel for a regular season championship after last weekend's dismal effort vs. Purdue. Now, second place is more than likely out of reach. The goal now is to play well enough to be one of the top six seeds that will play in the league tournament. This team is much different without Shuck on the hill. Let's just get healthy.
10 comments:
sorry to see jb hurt; but lets face it ... 1st or 2nd are not attainable, so if all we are going to do is make the Tournament, why not look at the positive of giving other guys (Armstrong/ Arp / Hurley) playing time today / next week. To take it a step furher ... there's a real possibility that JB won't be back next year (just watch his dad's reaction whenever Todd takes him out of a game). So, lets let JB rest, get other guys the playing time and hope that JB really works to impress the scouts in the tourney and gets us a big win on the mound and hits the ball like Howell did last year.
Too bad JB could not start.That hurts.
Bucks down 8-0 in the 3rd.Armstrong only went 2 IP and BB 3.Bucks made 4 errors behind Andrew today. Only 2 hits vs. NW SP Jensen with a 9.00 something Era. Meade with 2 hits. Come on Bucks!
I don't know much about Shuck going pro,i kinda thought he might come back.Maybe i am wrong.I would think JB would want to come back and play as a senior.
Well you got Armstrong 4/6.
I thought it was well known that Shuck will be gone. Nothing really with how Todd has handled him, just its a given if you're drafted after your Junior season you leave no questions asked. This is because your signing bonus will be bigger than after your senior season, as the team drafting you has to entice you to leave school. After your senior season where are you going to go? Back in 06 Stephen was drafted in round 8, the two juniors picked before and after him signed for roughly 100K+, Jed was only offered 50k I believe. The team sees it as here, you have no choice and can low ball you. Its not really a matter of desire, though there are rare cases, its just whats best financially and what puts you in the best situation. Going into the year I thought Hale, Shuck are for sures and Gus at 60/40 being drafted and gone.
This is why, though he is having a hell of a year, Recknagle will not sign for much and is screwed regardless if he is a top 5 round pick.
Also his time in the Cape, which he did very well in as a pitcher, will do more to enhance his status on scouts than anything he can do in the Big Ten. The quality in the Cape is much better. It's ridiculous the draft % of players who played in the Cape. This in my opinion also hurt Recknagle as his summers following his Frosh/Soph years he did not play in a top flight summer league. Putnam did and he have a nice payday coming up.
JB is following the same path Luebke took. Had a good freshman year at OSU, a bit roughed up their Soph seasons, do very well in the Cape going into their Junior years, and now JB, like Cory is the best pitcher in the league thus far.
Sorry I didn't mean to spend that much time discussing events happeneing in June.
Anyhow, it sounds like an up and down series. I really wasn't in to it much with trips to Cleveland, Bloomington, and Charleston this weekend. Sounds like we have pieces of a line-up that is on fire, Kennedy, Arp, Meade, DeLucia. A bit of a wash weekened, ho-hum, didn't gain anything, didn't lose anything (except a chance to put a little distance between us and NW) with now the focus being on Michigan.
Let's hope that we got all of our errors and poor pitching out of our system before Michigan. It's always nice to have JB on the mound on Sunday's to close out the weekend. We missed him today.
Very frustrating weekend at NW. I was really wanted a sweep or at least take 3/4, going into the Michigan series.That would have been very postive into this big weekend.
Just can't get all 3 phases working together at one time. The defensive hurt OSU big time yesterday and then we were down 8-0 early. Eric Best than gave up a 3 run single in the 7th.We were only down 9-7 at tht point.We left the bases loaded at least 2 innings in a row sunday. We have not been able to get clutch hits with 2 outs all year. That is really the main problem at the plate.We left 13 on base yesterday and walked 8.You don't win games with those numbers.
Nice to see Kennedy,Arp and Delucia stay hot at the plate. BT still has not found the right mix,that has hurt as well. Every game their have been lineup changes.Some are good and some have not worked.
Very frustrating weekend at NW. I was really wanted a sweep or at least take 3/4, going into the Michigan series.That would have been very postive into this big weekend.
Just can't get all 3 phases working together at one time. The defensive hurt OSU big time yesterday and then we were down 8-0 early. Eric Best than gave up a 3 run single in the 7th.We were only down 9-7 at tht point.We left the bases loaded at least 2 innings in a row sunday. We have not been able to get clutch hits with 2 outs all year. That is really the main problem at the plate.We left 13 on base yesterday and walked 8.You don't win games with those numbers.
Nice to see Kennedy,Arp and Delucia stay hot at the plate. BT still has not found the right mix,that has hurt as well. Every game their have been lineup changes.Some are good and some have not worked.
rockybuckeye said ... "Well you got Armstrong 4/6" ... obviously missing my point. W's and L's mean little at this point. Best we can do is make the tourney ... doesn't matter 3rd thru 6th. If we have too many "Armstrong" performances (as Rocky alludes too) and can't even finish in the top 6 ... well then we don't deseve to go on with our season. However, I thik we'll make the tourney regardless of yeterday's L and the experience will help AA down the road. I remember many young freshmen who got shelled early and often in their careers(Madsen , Luyter, N. Smith to name a few) and then helped us later in that year / in succeeding years. Yes I "got Armstrong", and he got innings that will help him develop.
It was a bit tongue in cheek. I knew the point you were making.
However on a serious note, what are the views on the elder DeLucia? Started out very strong, but after he was skipped 2 weekends in a row to rest his arm, he has been a bit bad, to be blunt, and is there something wrong?
If we want to get other guys like Armstrong time, which is fine, why not put him in a Saturday game, and have Dan come and get some innings midweek?
I know it would appear wrong to put your 3-time captain, a player all of the record books down to being the 5th starter, but if it continues and say he gets pretty beat up this Saturday, do you have the confidence to give him the ball in an elimination game in the postseason?
I think we'll make the tourney, no question but say we take 3/4 this weekend, we'll probably be looking back at some games we missed out on in a chance to help us get a bye. Or on the flip side say we lose 3/4, with being only 4.5 games out of last, things could get dicey.
Yeah Dan Delucia is struggling right now.
Too bad this is his last go around,i hate to see him have a rough time now. I guess my question would be how has his velocity been.I know he has been not able to throw his curve for strikes.It seems like he has had a lot of 2-1,3-1 counts this year.
I don't see a problem with him throwing a midweek games.Maybe give Armstrong the Sat. spot. I know Armstrong has had some bad games, but i think in the long run he will be fine.
I don't know about this weekend vs.Michigan. I don't know which OSU team will show up.Do i think we can play with UM,of course.If we will this weekend is a other thing.I hope we can start off well Friday vs. Putnam.We hit him ok last year in the tourny.
Still have not seen Jake Hale A game this year.Friday night would be a good night for a gem on the hill.
Go Bucks!
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