Pictures from the Saturday Win over Harvard

Former Buckeye catcher Joe Wilkins sent in these photos after Friday night's win over Harvard. Wilkins is now the catching instructor at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Be sure to check out his Buckeye Nine Q&A from earlier this week.


The Buckeyes took part in a BBQ before the game that was put on by the Ohio State alumni club of Sarasota.


Jake Hale made his first start of the season Friday vs. Harvard.


Bill Wells and Pete Hauck visit with Jim Wilkins, Joe's dad.


Greg Cypret coaches J.B. Shuck in the third-base coaches box.


Ohio State celebrates.


Rory Meister hands the ball to Alex Wimmers who struck out the final batter of the game to preserve the 9-7 win.


Triumphant Bucks celebrate the win.


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Buckeyes Escape With 9-7 Win vs. Harvard

It wasn’t altogether pretty, but the Buckeye offense came through when it needed to and opened the spring break trip with 9-7 victory over Harvard at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. (box score)

Ohio State held a 1-0 lead through 4 ½ innings, but Harvard took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Buckeyes scored one in the sixth and another in the seventh to tie the game before exploding for four runs in the eighth to take a 7-3 lead. After Dan Burkhart and Tony Kennedy drove in runs, J.B. Shuck delivered a two-run single to left to give the Bucks a four-run lead.
Harvard answered with one run in the bottom of the inning and Ohio State scored twice more in the ninth, thanks to RBI from Burkhart and Kennedy. Three Harvard runs scored in the bottom of the ninth. The first scored courtesy of a wild pitch with the bases loaded and one out. Tom Stack-Babich, who homered earlier in the game, doubled in two more.

Junior Jake Hale allowed three runs on five hits in his 6.0-inning start. He walked two and did not have a strikeout. Three of the five hits he allowed were for extra bases, including a three-run home run by Matt Vance to account for all three Harvard runs in the fifth.

Andrew Armstrong, a true freshman from Bridgewater, Va., made his Buckeye debut, taking over for Hale in the seventh. Armstrong put the first two batters on board in the bottom of the ninth before giving way to senior Rory Meister. Armstrong allowed one run on two hits in his 2.0-inning effort. Meister walked his first batter to load the bases and a wild pitch scored the first of three runs that inning. His next batter drove in two with a double down the left-field line and he handed the ball over to freshman Alex Wimmers, who struck out his only batter to earn the save.

Burkhart led the Buckeyes with four hits (4-for-5), including a pair of doubles. Ryan Meade was 3-for-4 and drove in two. Four other Buckeyes had two hits, including Shuck, who drove in three while Kennedy drove in two. Ohio State out-hit Harvard 16-9 and each team had two errors. Stack-Babich and Vance each finished 3-for-5 with three RBI.

For the Harvard recap, click here.

Ohio State is 6-4, while Harvard slipped to 0-5. The Buckeyes play Dartmouth Sunday at 3 p.m.

Spring Break Starts Saturday

Woo-hoo! Put on your shorts and get your flip flops. It might not hurt to grab some sunscreen, too. Spring Break is finally here. The Buckeyes make the annual trek to Bradenton to play seven games in seven days. The schedule has changed since it was posted on the official Ohio State athletics web site. The revised schedule was sent out as part of the “game notes” sent out this Thursday morning by the athletics communications office. I sure to wish I could head over there. I’ve always enjoyed that trip, but unlike years past there is no “off” day scheduled.

On a day off a few years ago, I took part in a deep-sea fishing expedition. I snagged a couple of grunt fish, but ended up catching the prize of the excursion, a sea bass. Former OSU pitching coach Pat Bangtson, now the head coach at Akron, started calling me “Sea Bass” (think Dumb and Dumber) after that. It was a tiny catch and paled in comparison to the grouper he reeled in, though I think Bill Wells had the biggest catch of the day. We had to head back early when the fog rolled in. We sure did eat well that night. I’ll have to see if I can dig up a photo or two.

At any rate, beware of the alligators around the condos, boys. Here is the spring break schedule:

Saturday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Harvard at Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota

Sunday, March 16, 3 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Dartmouth at IMG Academy Park, Bradenton

Monday, March 17, 7:30 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Northern Iowa at Manatee Community College, Bradenton

Tuesday, March 18, 3 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Bradley at IMG Academy Park, Bradenton

Wednesday, March 19, 10 a.m.
Ohio State vs. St. Louis at IMG Academy Park, Bradenton

Thursday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Army at Manatee Community College, Bradenton

Friday, March 21, 2 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Kansas at Manatee Community College, Bradenton