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Sunday, May 31, 2009

Columbus Dispatch: OSU Gets Rematch With Bulldogs

I haven't been feeling well, and its week 10, the last week of the quarter, being slammed with 3 papers and not feeling the best sucks. Sorry. I'll have more but need to get something up.

Columbus Dispatch

No. 9 batter Matt Streng drove in two key runs in the late innings and Jake Hale pitched two innings for the save as Ohio State remained alive in the NCAA baseball tournament with a 6-4 win over Marist in Tallahassee, Fla.

Drew Rucinski pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win and Ryan Dew drove in three runs with a third-inning triple for the third-seeded Buckeyes (41-18), who will play Georgia (38-23) in an elimination game at noon today. The Bulldogs, who lost to Florida State 8-2 yesterday, beat the Buckeyes 24-8 on Friday.

"We live for another day," Buckeyes coach Bob Todd said. "I wouldn't exactly say it was pretty but we did what we needed to do. I think the key was our playing good defense. We didn't give them any second opportunities with zero errors and three double plays."

Ohio State fell behind 2-0 in the second inning when Marist right fielder Kyle Meyer hit a two-run single. The Buckeyes scored four times in the third inning, three on Dew's triple down the right-field line. Dew then scored on Justin Miller's sacrifice fly.

Marist (31-28) rallied against starter Dean Wolosiansky to tie the score at 4 in the sixth inning before Ohio State took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning. Michael Arp doubled leading off, went to third on Tyler Engle's bunt and came home on Streng's sacrifice fly.

The Buckeyes avoided trouble in the eighth with help from Hale and their defense. Rucinski (11-2) walked Brian McDonough leading off and gave way to Hale, who coaxed Ryan Gauck to hit into a double play, then got George Agostini to line out.

Ohio State added a run in the bottom of the eighth when Streng singled through the right side to score Miller for a 6-4 lead. Hale then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 17th save of the season and school-record 28th of his career.

"Jake is, in my opinion, one of the best relief pitchers we've had at Ohio State and maybe in the country," Todd said. "We're something like 33-1 or 34-1 when we throw him in a ball game with a lead."

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