Alex Kopilow
Issue date: 4/15/09
Junior leftfielder Zach Hurley has been the leadoff hitter for the Ohio State baseball team since the beginning of the year, but he's taken the word "lead" to a whole new level.
Hurley needed surgery on a torn left labrum (shoulder) late last summer, which kept him out of fall practices. Since the season started in late February he has shown no signs that the surgery has hurt his performance.
Hurley is the team leader in runs, hits and stolen bases, which are all typical statistics of a great leadoff hitter. Hurley also leads in categories typical of a cleanup hitter. He leads the team with a .590 slugging percentage, a .436 on-base percentage, and he even leads the team in runs batted in with 39. Hurley also has 15 extra base hits (5 doubles, 5 triples, 5 home runs), which is tied for second on team with outfielder Michael Stephens.
"I think it's more of a tribute to the entire team an how well we're playing," Hurley said. "It really says a lot about our lineup and how loaded we are throughout the entire lineup.
"You can put anyone in the order anywhere you want and they'll come through."
Hurley became an everyday player in 2008, playing in 49 games and making 35 starts in the outfield. He hit over .302, with five stolen bases and had a .410 slugging percentage.
Hurley has spent the last three summers as an outfielder for the Cincinnati Steam in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
Last summer, Hurley led the GLSCL in batting with a .433 average and was named the league's Player of the Year and its No. 1 pro prospect.
"I thought him playing last summer was a big help for him," coach Bob Todd said. "He slowly keeps working hard and slowly keeps getting better."
Hurley was 5-for-10 with four runs, four runs batted in, four walks and a home run against Michigan State last weekend.
Zach Hurley and the No. 26 Buckeyes finish their five-game home stand today against No. 24 Kent State Golden Flashes at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.
The Buckeyes are 4-1 at home this season and lead the all-time series against Kent State 34-13. In their last meeting, the Buckeyes defeated the Golden Flashes with a 5-3 win in 2004 at Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Dean Wolosiansky will get the start for OSU. Wolosiansky (7-1, 5.59 ERA) earned the win in his last start against Michigan State on Saturday. He pitched six and one-thirds innings and allowed nine hits, three earned runs, no walks and had one strikeout.
Showing posts with label Michigan State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan State. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Columbus Dispatch: Pitchers lead sweep, will take BP
Monday, April 13, 2009 3:13 AM
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
The drill for Ohio State pitchers in a typical round of batting practice is as exciting as scrubbing a floor. If they're not shagging baseballs in the outfield, they're catching the balls that have been shagged and tossing them into a bucket behind a screen at second base.
It's about to get more interesting.
"With coach (Bob) Todd, we had kind of a little bet going that if we give up less than six walks and hit only one batter during a series that we'd have some batting practice for the pitchers," left-hander Eric Best said.
For the pitching staff, it will be batter up after the Buckeyes defeated Michigan State 6-1 yesterday for a sweep of their three-game Big Ten series in Bill Davis Stadium.
In 27 innings, Ohio State gave up four walks and hit one batter. The pitchers also gave up only five earned runs and 17 hits.
Best, a junior from Olentangy Liberty, did his best to keep the numbers low by giving up two hits and striking out two in five innings as yesterday's starter. The run he gave up was unearned.
Drew Rucinski gave up two hits in three innings, and Jake Hale worked a perfect ninth.
"It's fun," Best said of batting practice. "You have guys who didn't hit in high school looking terrible, and some guys who can mash the ball."
Shortstop Tyler Engle might not agree with the mashing part. "It's comical," he said. "But it's fun to watch. Now, we'll have to shag for them."
The Spartans (11-21, 3-6) are a bottom feeder in the conference, and the Buckeyes (26-7, 6-3) made sure they stayed that way with impressive fundamental baseball for three days in less-than-ideal conditions.
Yesterday, Ohio State had two extra-base hits -- doubles by Dan Burkhart and Cory Rupert -- but was extraordinary in working the count for four walks and moving runners by going with the pitch.
"We did exactly what we needed to do," Todd said. "We executed better all weekend (than Michigan State) and pitched better all weekend. That's what good teams have got to do. We talk all the time about making adjustments. The thing with the pitchers is, they are going out there and throwing strikes."
The sweep was a shot in the arm for two reasons. The Buckeyes had played 27 of their first 29 games on the road and had lost three of their previous four games.
"I made the comment to the players before the season started that bragging that we won a series is not good enough with the conference going to three-game series" instead of four games, Todd said. "Eight losses won't win the conference."
Chilly, windy conditions kept the crowds down -- attendance was 927 yesterday -- but the players enjoyed being back home.
"There's no place like home and being in front of the home fans," Engle said.
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
The drill for Ohio State pitchers in a typical round of batting practice is as exciting as scrubbing a floor. If they're not shagging baseballs in the outfield, they're catching the balls that have been shagged and tossing them into a bucket behind a screen at second base.
It's about to get more interesting.
"With coach (Bob) Todd, we had kind of a little bet going that if we give up less than six walks and hit only one batter during a series that we'd have some batting practice for the pitchers," left-hander Eric Best said.
For the pitching staff, it will be batter up after the Buckeyes defeated Michigan State 6-1 yesterday for a sweep of their three-game Big Ten series in Bill Davis Stadium.
In 27 innings, Ohio State gave up four walks and hit one batter. The pitchers also gave up only five earned runs and 17 hits.
Best, a junior from Olentangy Liberty, did his best to keep the numbers low by giving up two hits and striking out two in five innings as yesterday's starter. The run he gave up was unearned.
Drew Rucinski gave up two hits in three innings, and Jake Hale worked a perfect ninth.
"It's fun," Best said of batting practice. "You have guys who didn't hit in high school looking terrible, and some guys who can mash the ball."
Shortstop Tyler Engle might not agree with the mashing part. "It's comical," he said. "But it's fun to watch. Now, we'll have to shag for them."
The Spartans (11-21, 3-6) are a bottom feeder in the conference, and the Buckeyes (26-7, 6-3) made sure they stayed that way with impressive fundamental baseball for three days in less-than-ideal conditions.
Yesterday, Ohio State had two extra-base hits -- doubles by Dan Burkhart and Cory Rupert -- but was extraordinary in working the count for four walks and moving runners by going with the pitch.
"We did exactly what we needed to do," Todd said. "We executed better all weekend (than Michigan State) and pitched better all weekend. That's what good teams have got to do. We talk all the time about making adjustments. The thing with the pitchers is, they are going out there and throwing strikes."
The sweep was a shot in the arm for two reasons. The Buckeyes had played 27 of their first 29 games on the road and had lost three of their previous four games.
"I made the comment to the players before the season started that bragging that we won a series is not good enough with the conference going to three-game series" instead of four games, Todd said. "Eight losses won't win the conference."
Chilly, windy conditions kept the crowds down -- attendance was 927 yesterday -- but the players enjoyed being back home.
"There's no place like home and being in front of the home fans," Engle said.
Bucks Take Final Two from Spartans, Sweep Series
From Saturday
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State made the most of its opportunities and received a fine pitching performance from three players to win its third consecutive game and its second of this series with a 5-3 win Saturday over Michigan State at sunny but chilly Bill Davis Stadium. The No. 28 Buckeyes are now 25-7 on the season and 5-3 in the Big Ten. Michigan State dropped to 11-20 and 3-5.
Ohio State managed its five runs off just seven hits, but eight walks, a balk, two wild pitches and two crucial passed balls in the sixth inning were enough on this day to make a winner of Ohio State starter Dean Wolosiansky, who pitched into the seventh inning and improved to 7-1 on the season and 14-5 for his career.
“With the wind blowing in, the pressure was on us to play the short game,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “And it doesn’t matter who it is, but we expect our players to be able to execute. We put players in scoring positions, but didn’t get the hits.
“Dean Wolosiansky was able to settle down [after giving up three runs and seven hits through three innings] and then he gave us four strong innings. He gave our offense a chance to take the lead.”
Offensively, Zach Hurley had two hits, drove in a run and scored a run and Michael Arp had two hits. Five different Buckeyes scored runs.
Ohio State, in addition to not committing an error, got excellent relief pitching behind Wolosiansky's solid start. Jake Hale worked the ninth inning to pick up his Big Ten-leading seventh save and his conference-best 18th finished game on the season. He took over from Drew Rucinski, who pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit, one-walk, one-strikeout baseball.
Ohio State scored two runs in the first inning off just one hit, a couple of walks and a sacrifice fly with the runner – Cory Kovanda – scoring the second run of the inning just ahead of a Buckeye being doubled off first base to end the inning. Hurley, who led off with a fortunate single – the ball dropped harmlessly to the left of the third baseman, who had no idea where the ball was as he was looking into the bright sun – scored the initial run of the game on a wild pitch. Justin Miller’s liner to right brought home Kovanda.
Michigan State tied the score at 2-all in the top of the second, scoring its runs off four singles. Seth Williams and Brandon Eckerle had run scoring hits.
Hurley’s second hit of the game in the second inning, and his Big Ten-leading 53rd hit of the season, drove in Ryan Dew from second for a 3-2 Ohio State lead. But Michigan State came right back to tie the score with a run off three hits in the top of the third. Jeff Holm doubled and scored on a single by Eric Roof.
Both teams threatened in the fourth inning, but neither scored. The Spartans got a leadoff double from catcher Seth Williams, a tank of a young man at 5-9 and 210 pounds. He moved to third on a sacrifice by Holm. The next hitter, Eckerle, also bunted. Williams came thundering down the third base line as Wolosiansky fielded the ball and flipped it to Ohio State’s rock solid catcher, Dan Burkhart. Burkhart made the catch, braced for the collision and didn’t budge as Williams crashed into him. The tag was made, Williams, a bit stunned, was out and moments later Wolosiansky picked off Eckerle from first and the inning ended with the game still tied.
“It was a big hit,” Burkhart said of his collision with Williams, “but I was ready for it. I just wanted to hang on to the ball. I was staggered myself.”
Arp ripped a leadoff single to open the fourth and he moved to third base on a balk call and a sacrifice bunt from Michael Stephens. But he was left stranded at third as the next two batters struck out and popped out to end the inning.
Ohio State regained the lead in the sixth with both runs scoring off passed balls. Tyler Engle singled with two outs and moved to third on Matt Streng’s double. The first passed ball allowed Engle to score with Streng moving to third. Streng then scored on the second passed ball of the inning, making the score 5-3.
With one out in the seventh MSU’s Jeff Holm singled, signaling the end of the line for Wolosiansky, who went 6.1 innings and allowed nine hits, three earned runs, no walks and one strikeout. Rucinski came in for his 17th appearance of the season. After Burkhart threw out Holm trying to steal, Rucinski got a groundout to end the inning.
Ohio State had an opportunity to put some distance between the runs totals, but it could not score in the seventh inning despite having the bases loaded with one out.
Michigan State starter A.J. Achter dropped to 1-3 with the loss. He pitched 6.0 innings, gave up just six hits and three earned runs. He walked six and struck out three
Full OSU Recap & Game Notes
5-3 Box Score
From Sunday
Key hitting with runners in scoring position – the team was 5-for-9 with two sacrifice flies – and another well-pitched game by Ohio State carried the Buckeyes to a 3-0 series sweep over Michigan State with a 6-1 win Sunday at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State has now won four consecutive games and is 26-7 on the season and 6-3 in the Big Ten Conference.
Ryan Dew, Cory Rupert, Zach Hurley (twice), Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart each had an RBI hit or sacrifice fly with men in scoring position on a day when two runs could have been enough with another terrific effort put forth by the Ohio State pitchers.
“Not to take anything away from Michigan State, but I felt we did what we needed to do and we executed better this weekend,” coach Bob Todd, who won his 981st game, said. “We did enough to score some runs.”
A trio of Ohio State pitchers gave up just four hits, one walk and no earned runs in shutting the Spartans down for the third consecutive day. Starter Eric Best pitched 5.0 innings to improve to 6-1 on the season. Drew Rucinski and Jake Hale pitched flawlessly in relief once again. Rucinski pitch 3.0 innings and Hale pitched the ninth and closed out a game for the 19th time this season.
For the series, Ohio State’s pitching limited the Spartans, 11-21 and 3-6 in the Big Ten, to just five runs and17 hits.
“The key was the pitching staff was throwing strikes,” Todd said. “They are getting into a comfort zone pitching, and pitching at home has had a positive effect. This team is comfortable playing at Bill Davis Stadium.”
Michigan State starter Kyle Corcoran pitched well himself, lasting 6.0 innings while scattering nine hits. He gave up four runs, walked three and struck out four. He had just one walk entering the seventh inning, but he walked the first two Buckeyes of the inning and that was all for Corcoran, who dropped to 0-3 on the season.
After Michigan State took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the second, Ohio State came back to regain the lead with two runs in hits half of the second. Burkhart got a “thank-you” double – left fielder Johnny Lee lost the ball in the sun – and Justin Miller and Dew followed with singles. Dew’s hit scored Burkhart. After Dew moved to second on a double steal attempt, Rupert drove him home with a two-out double to center.
Ohio State added two insurance runs in the fifth inning. Tyler Engle stroked a one-out single, moved to second on a balk and scored on Hurley’s single. Hurley moved to second on a wild pitch and then Stephens drove him home with a two-out single to make the score 4-1.
After Engle and Hurley walked to open the seventh inning, Cory Kovanda moved both runners up with a sac bunt. Two batters later Burkhart hit a sacrifice fly for the team’s fifth run of the game. Michael Arp scored in the eighth after singling with one out. Hurley’s sacrifice fly drove him home.
Courtesy OSU Athletics
6-1 Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State made the most of its opportunities and received a fine pitching performance from three players to win its third consecutive game and its second of this series with a 5-3 win Saturday over Michigan State at sunny but chilly Bill Davis Stadium. The No. 28 Buckeyes are now 25-7 on the season and 5-3 in the Big Ten. Michigan State dropped to 11-20 and 3-5.
Ohio State managed its five runs off just seven hits, but eight walks, a balk, two wild pitches and two crucial passed balls in the sixth inning were enough on this day to make a winner of Ohio State starter Dean Wolosiansky, who pitched into the seventh inning and improved to 7-1 on the season and 14-5 for his career.
“With the wind blowing in, the pressure was on us to play the short game,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “And it doesn’t matter who it is, but we expect our players to be able to execute. We put players in scoring positions, but didn’t get the hits.
“Dean Wolosiansky was able to settle down [after giving up three runs and seven hits through three innings] and then he gave us four strong innings. He gave our offense a chance to take the lead.”
Offensively, Zach Hurley had two hits, drove in a run and scored a run and Michael Arp had two hits. Five different Buckeyes scored runs.
Ohio State, in addition to not committing an error, got excellent relief pitching behind Wolosiansky's solid start. Jake Hale worked the ninth inning to pick up his Big Ten-leading seventh save and his conference-best 18th finished game on the season. He took over from Drew Rucinski, who pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit, one-walk, one-strikeout baseball.
Ohio State scored two runs in the first inning off just one hit, a couple of walks and a sacrifice fly with the runner – Cory Kovanda – scoring the second run of the inning just ahead of a Buckeye being doubled off first base to end the inning. Hurley, who led off with a fortunate single – the ball dropped harmlessly to the left of the third baseman, who had no idea where the ball was as he was looking into the bright sun – scored the initial run of the game on a wild pitch. Justin Miller’s liner to right brought home Kovanda.
Michigan State tied the score at 2-all in the top of the second, scoring its runs off four singles. Seth Williams and Brandon Eckerle had run scoring hits.
Hurley’s second hit of the game in the second inning, and his Big Ten-leading 53rd hit of the season, drove in Ryan Dew from second for a 3-2 Ohio State lead. But Michigan State came right back to tie the score with a run off three hits in the top of the third. Jeff Holm doubled and scored on a single by Eric Roof.
Both teams threatened in the fourth inning, but neither scored. The Spartans got a leadoff double from catcher Seth Williams, a tank of a young man at 5-9 and 210 pounds. He moved to third on a sacrifice by Holm. The next hitter, Eckerle, also bunted. Williams came thundering down the third base line as Wolosiansky fielded the ball and flipped it to Ohio State’s rock solid catcher, Dan Burkhart. Burkhart made the catch, braced for the collision and didn’t budge as Williams crashed into him. The tag was made, Williams, a bit stunned, was out and moments later Wolosiansky picked off Eckerle from first and the inning ended with the game still tied.
“It was a big hit,” Burkhart said of his collision with Williams, “but I was ready for it. I just wanted to hang on to the ball. I was staggered myself.”
Arp ripped a leadoff single to open the fourth and he moved to third base on a balk call and a sacrifice bunt from Michael Stephens. But he was left stranded at third as the next two batters struck out and popped out to end the inning.
Ohio State regained the lead in the sixth with both runs scoring off passed balls. Tyler Engle singled with two outs and moved to third on Matt Streng’s double. The first passed ball allowed Engle to score with Streng moving to third. Streng then scored on the second passed ball of the inning, making the score 5-3.
With one out in the seventh MSU’s Jeff Holm singled, signaling the end of the line for Wolosiansky, who went 6.1 innings and allowed nine hits, three earned runs, no walks and one strikeout. Rucinski came in for his 17th appearance of the season. After Burkhart threw out Holm trying to steal, Rucinski got a groundout to end the inning.
Ohio State had an opportunity to put some distance between the runs totals, but it could not score in the seventh inning despite having the bases loaded with one out.
Michigan State starter A.J. Achter dropped to 1-3 with the loss. He pitched 6.0 innings, gave up just six hits and three earned runs. He walked six and struck out three
Full OSU Recap & Game Notes
5-3 Box Score
From Sunday
Key hitting with runners in scoring position – the team was 5-for-9 with two sacrifice flies – and another well-pitched game by Ohio State carried the Buckeyes to a 3-0 series sweep over Michigan State with a 6-1 win Sunday at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State has now won four consecutive games and is 26-7 on the season and 6-3 in the Big Ten Conference.
Ryan Dew, Cory Rupert, Zach Hurley (twice), Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart each had an RBI hit or sacrifice fly with men in scoring position on a day when two runs could have been enough with another terrific effort put forth by the Ohio State pitchers.
“Not to take anything away from Michigan State, but I felt we did what we needed to do and we executed better this weekend,” coach Bob Todd, who won his 981st game, said. “We did enough to score some runs.”
A trio of Ohio State pitchers gave up just four hits, one walk and no earned runs in shutting the Spartans down for the third consecutive day. Starter Eric Best pitched 5.0 innings to improve to 6-1 on the season. Drew Rucinski and Jake Hale pitched flawlessly in relief once again. Rucinski pitch 3.0 innings and Hale pitched the ninth and closed out a game for the 19th time this season.
For the series, Ohio State’s pitching limited the Spartans, 11-21 and 3-6 in the Big Ten, to just five runs and17 hits.
“The key was the pitching staff was throwing strikes,” Todd said. “They are getting into a comfort zone pitching, and pitching at home has had a positive effect. This team is comfortable playing at Bill Davis Stadium.”
Michigan State starter Kyle Corcoran pitched well himself, lasting 6.0 innings while scattering nine hits. He gave up four runs, walked three and struck out four. He had just one walk entering the seventh inning, but he walked the first two Buckeyes of the inning and that was all for Corcoran, who dropped to 0-3 on the season.
After Michigan State took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the second, Ohio State came back to regain the lead with two runs in hits half of the second. Burkhart got a “thank-you” double – left fielder Johnny Lee lost the ball in the sun – and Justin Miller and Dew followed with singles. Dew’s hit scored Burkhart. After Dew moved to second on a double steal attempt, Rupert drove him home with a two-out double to center.
Ohio State added two insurance runs in the fifth inning. Tyler Engle stroked a one-out single, moved to second on a balk and scored on Hurley’s single. Hurley moved to second on a wild pitch and then Stephens drove him home with a two-out single to make the score 4-1.
After Engle and Hurley walked to open the seventh inning, Cory Kovanda moved both runners up with a sac bunt. Two batters later Burkhart hit a sacrifice fly for the team’s fifth run of the game. Michael Arp scored in the eighth after singling with one out. Hurley’s sacrifice fly drove him home.
Courtesy OSU Athletics
6-1 Box Score
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Wimmers Two-Hit Gem Stiffles Spartans
Those who braved the windy crisp conditions that struck the Midwest last night, and attended Ohio State's Big Ten home opener did not leave disappointed. Sophomore ace Alex Wimmers did his best to provide a show and his hot arm on the cool night almost went into the record books as Ohio State (24-7, 4-3) won 6-1 last night over the Michigan State Spartans (11-19, 3-4).
Wimmers had a no-hitter through 7 innings, until Michigan State catcher Eric Roof broke up the no-no with leadoff double to start the 8th, a bunt sacrifice, an infield hit, and balk brought Roof around, preventing Wimmers from throwing his second complete game shut out of the season. After returning to the dugout after the 8th inning Wimmers told coaches he wanted to finish the game, and complete the game he did.
Though the shutout was lost, the Spartans were unable to keep Wimmers from firing his third complete game of the season. In the previous two Wimmers struck out 15 and 14 batters against Pittsburgh, and Indiana, Michigan State performed slightly better, only being sat down 11 times via strikeout but the end result was the same. The defense behind Wimmers was spectacular, both middle infielders second baseman Cory Kovanda and shortstop Tyler Engle made amazing plays up the middle, helping to limit Michigan State to four base runners all game courtesy two hits, two walked.
Wimmers improved to 6-1 on the season, earning his first Big Ten victory. Wimmers now leads the Big Ten with 72 strikeouts.
The spotlight wasn't solely on Wimmers on this night. The Buckeye bats caught fire in spurts and saw the longball light up the scoreboard.
It didn't take long for the Bucks to get on the board. On just the second pitch from Michigan State starter Nolan Moody, leadoff hitter Zach Hurley sent the 1-0 pitch deep and over the right field fence to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead. The home run for Hurley, his 5th was the team's first leadoff home run of the season. The four-bagger bumped Hurley's team leading RBI total to 36, it also increased his hit total to 51 which leas the Big Ten.
The score stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th in the pitcher's duel. Ryan Dew lead off the bottom half of the 6th drawing a walk, his second of the game. Michael Arp stepped to the plate looking to move Dew into scoring position. Arp sent Moody's pitch right back up the middle to him that looked to be a 1-4-3, double-play in progress until a hard slide from Dew forced Spartan second baseman Chris Roberts' throw wide of first base, allowing Arp to reach second with one out.
Tyler Engle stepped to the plate with a runner in scoring position, but all night the Bucks struggled to capitalize with RISP, leaving sevens on base until this point. Engle was unable to advance Arp with a ground out to MSU third baseman AJ Shindler.
With two outs Matt Streng stepped into the batters boxed and showed that in this line-up, the #9 hitter is just as dangerous as any. Streng used a level swing to send a looping liner into center field, scoring the speedy Arp from second. Streng was thrown out sliding into second as Moody made a great play picking off the throw home and nailing Streng, but the damage was done, and the Bucks picked up another run to support Wimmers.
It didn't wasn't long until the Buckeyes added more runs on the scoreboard. After Wimmers sat Sparty down in order in the top of the 7th. The hot bats for Coach Todd's team picked up where they left off in the 6th. Back-to-back walks by Hurley and Kovanda put two runners on base with no outs. Junior centerfielder Michael Stephens dropped down a great sacrifice bunt to give his team two runners in scoring position with just one out.
Following Stephens at the plate was hot-hitting catcher Dan Burkhart who came in the game just behind Hurley with 31 RBI, second on the team, and was looking to add to the total. A high school teammate of Wimmers and Cincinnati Moeller, Burkhart made sure his battery mate won on this night. Where a simple sac fly would have brought in a run, and a base hit two, Burkhart put the game out of reach for Michigan State sending Moody's high inside fastball into the night and over the right field fence of Bill Davis stadium for his 5th home run of the year. The Bucks now led 5-0.
Ohio State scored for the third inning in a row in the 8th to close out the scoring. Engle led off the inning with a triple down the right field line, and scored on a sac fly by Streng. The Engle run closed the books on the scoring for the night in the Buckeyes 6-1 victory.
Leading the way offensively were Burkhart, Engle, and Streng, who all had two-hits. Hurley and Dew went 1-for-3 and 1-for-2 respectively but reache base on walks two times apiece. Burkhart's 3 RBI from his home run led the Bucks in run producing on the night. Streng collected two RBI, and Hurley's solo home run gave him 1. Kovanda, Burkhart, Arp, and Engle all crossed the plate once, while Hurley did so twice.
Recap and Game Notes Courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Box Score
Wimmers had a no-hitter through 7 innings, until Michigan State catcher Eric Roof broke up the no-no with leadoff double to start the 8th, a bunt sacrifice, an infield hit, and balk brought Roof around, preventing Wimmers from throwing his second complete game shut out of the season. After returning to the dugout after the 8th inning Wimmers told coaches he wanted to finish the game, and complete the game he did.
Though the shutout was lost, the Spartans were unable to keep Wimmers from firing his third complete game of the season. In the previous two Wimmers struck out 15 and 14 batters against Pittsburgh, and Indiana, Michigan State performed slightly better, only being sat down 11 times via strikeout but the end result was the same. The defense behind Wimmers was spectacular, both middle infielders second baseman Cory Kovanda and shortstop Tyler Engle made amazing plays up the middle, helping to limit Michigan State to four base runners all game courtesy two hits, two walked.
Wimmers improved to 6-1 on the season, earning his first Big Ten victory. Wimmers now leads the Big Ten with 72 strikeouts.
The spotlight wasn't solely on Wimmers on this night. The Buckeye bats caught fire in spurts and saw the longball light up the scoreboard.
It didn't take long for the Bucks to get on the board. On just the second pitch from Michigan State starter Nolan Moody, leadoff hitter Zach Hurley sent the 1-0 pitch deep and over the right field fence to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead. The home run for Hurley, his 5th was the team's first leadoff home run of the season. The four-bagger bumped Hurley's team leading RBI total to 36, it also increased his hit total to 51 which leas the Big Ten.
The score stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th in the pitcher's duel. Ryan Dew lead off the bottom half of the 6th drawing a walk, his second of the game. Michael Arp stepped to the plate looking to move Dew into scoring position. Arp sent Moody's pitch right back up the middle to him that looked to be a 1-4-3, double-play in progress until a hard slide from Dew forced Spartan second baseman Chris Roberts' throw wide of first base, allowing Arp to reach second with one out.
Tyler Engle stepped to the plate with a runner in scoring position, but all night the Bucks struggled to capitalize with RISP, leaving sevens on base until this point. Engle was unable to advance Arp with a ground out to MSU third baseman AJ Shindler.
With two outs Matt Streng stepped into the batters boxed and showed that in this line-up, the #9 hitter is just as dangerous as any. Streng used a level swing to send a looping liner into center field, scoring the speedy Arp from second. Streng was thrown out sliding into second as Moody made a great play picking off the throw home and nailing Streng, but the damage was done, and the Bucks picked up another run to support Wimmers.
It didn't wasn't long until the Buckeyes added more runs on the scoreboard. After Wimmers sat Sparty down in order in the top of the 7th. The hot bats for Coach Todd's team picked up where they left off in the 6th. Back-to-back walks by Hurley and Kovanda put two runners on base with no outs. Junior centerfielder Michael Stephens dropped down a great sacrifice bunt to give his team two runners in scoring position with just one out.
Following Stephens at the plate was hot-hitting catcher Dan Burkhart who came in the game just behind Hurley with 31 RBI, second on the team, and was looking to add to the total. A high school teammate of Wimmers and Cincinnati Moeller, Burkhart made sure his battery mate won on this night. Where a simple sac fly would have brought in a run, and a base hit two, Burkhart put the game out of reach for Michigan State sending Moody's high inside fastball into the night and over the right field fence of Bill Davis stadium for his 5th home run of the year. The Bucks now led 5-0.
Ohio State scored for the third inning in a row in the 8th to close out the scoring. Engle led off the inning with a triple down the right field line, and scored on a sac fly by Streng. The Engle run closed the books on the scoring for the night in the Buckeyes 6-1 victory.
Leading the way offensively were Burkhart, Engle, and Streng, who all had two-hits. Hurley and Dew went 1-for-3 and 1-for-2 respectively but reache base on walks two times apiece. Burkhart's 3 RBI from his home run led the Bucks in run producing on the night. Streng collected two RBI, and Hurley's solo home run gave him 1. Kovanda, Burkhart, Arp, and Engle all crossed the plate once, while Hurley did so twice.
Recap and Game Notes Courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Box Score
Columbus Dispatch: Wimmers baffles Spartan Hitters
Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:59 AM
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
With the count 2 and 0 on Eric Roof and the scoreboard reading zero hits for Michigan State with none out in the eighth inning, Ohio State catcher Dan Burkhart called for a fastball.
Pitcher Alex Wimmers shook his head. He wanted to throw a curveball.
Wimmers, who has been pitching to Burkhart since they were 9 years old, got his way this time.
"I was like, 'Should I have thrown that or not?' " Wimmers said. "But you can't get it back. I guess I hung it pretty bad."
Roof hit a soft double into the right field corner to break up the no-hit bid.
It was Wimmers' night, though. He threw a complete-game two-hitter in leading the Buckeyes to a 6-1 victory over the Spartans in the opener of a three-game Big Ten series last night in Bill Davis Stadium.
Wimmers (6-1) struck out 11 and walked two.
Burkhart wondered how Roof, a left-handed batter, put the ball in play.
"He threw his bat at it, and it floated to right field," Burkhart said. "Not many batters are going to sit on a 2-and-0 curveball."
Jeff Holm singled in the ninth for the second hit off Wimmers. The shutout was lost when Wimmers balked with Roof on third.
On any other night, Burkhart might have been the lead story. His three-run homer, a bomb to right, gave Ohio State (24-7, 4-3) a 6-0 lead in the eighth inning. He also singled in the fifth.
"The story, without a doubt, was Alex Wimmers," coach Bob Todd said. "He dominated the ballgame. He was able to throw strikes and had command of all three of his pitches."
For all his precision, this was not Wimmers' finest start. On March 24, he gave up one hit against No. 2 University of Miami in a 7-1 victory.
That game, though, contributed to back and shoulder tightness that bogged him down in his first two Big Ten starts, against Penn State and Minnesota. He gave up 13 earned runs in nine inningsin those.
"I took every inning like we were tied," he said. "It's a conference game, and you want to win every one you can. I was taking it inning by inning. As the game goes on, you can't think about (a no-hitter)."
Wimmers threw a perfect game in high school for Cincinnati Moeller. Burkhart was his catcher.
"Everything crossed my mind with the perfect game and no-hitter," Burkhart said. "I thought he'd do it. But it's hard to do that in baseball. We were on the same page today."
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
With the count 2 and 0 on Eric Roof and the scoreboard reading zero hits for Michigan State with none out in the eighth inning, Ohio State catcher Dan Burkhart called for a fastball.
Pitcher Alex Wimmers shook his head. He wanted to throw a curveball.
Wimmers, who has been pitching to Burkhart since they were 9 years old, got his way this time.
"I was like, 'Should I have thrown that or not?' " Wimmers said. "But you can't get it back. I guess I hung it pretty bad."
Roof hit a soft double into the right field corner to break up the no-hit bid.
It was Wimmers' night, though. He threw a complete-game two-hitter in leading the Buckeyes to a 6-1 victory over the Spartans in the opener of a three-game Big Ten series last night in Bill Davis Stadium.
Wimmers (6-1) struck out 11 and walked two.
Burkhart wondered how Roof, a left-handed batter, put the ball in play.
"He threw his bat at it, and it floated to right field," Burkhart said. "Not many batters are going to sit on a 2-and-0 curveball."
Jeff Holm singled in the ninth for the second hit off Wimmers. The shutout was lost when Wimmers balked with Roof on third.
On any other night, Burkhart might have been the lead story. His three-run homer, a bomb to right, gave Ohio State (24-7, 4-3) a 6-0 lead in the eighth inning. He also singled in the fifth.
"The story, without a doubt, was Alex Wimmers," coach Bob Todd said. "He dominated the ballgame. He was able to throw strikes and had command of all three of his pitches."
For all his precision, this was not Wimmers' finest start. On March 24, he gave up one hit against No. 2 University of Miami in a 7-1 victory.
That game, though, contributed to back and shoulder tightness that bogged him down in his first two Big Ten starts, against Penn State and Minnesota. He gave up 13 earned runs in nine inningsin those.
"I took every inning like we were tied," he said. "It's a conference game, and you want to win every one you can. I was taking it inning by inning. As the game goes on, you can't think about (a no-hitter)."
Wimmers threw a perfect game in high school for Cincinnati Moeller. Burkhart was his catcher.
"Everything crossed my mind with the perfect game and no-hitter," Burkhart said. "I thought he'd do it. But it's hard to do that in baseball. We were on the same page today."
Friday, April 10, 2009
First Big Ten Home Series: Michigan State
Quick glance at this weekend's series courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Big Ten Conference baseball is coming to Columbus this weekend as No. 28 Ohio State, 23-7 on the season and 3-3 in the Big Ten Conference, hosts 11-18 and 3-3 Michigan State in the first conference series of the season at Bill Davis Stadium.
Ohio State’s 3-3 Big Ten mark has come on the road with a 2-1 series win at Penn State and a 2-1 road loss at Minnesota in the Metrodome last weekend. Michigan State has been on both ends of the only two sweeps in the Big Ten’s new three-game series format. The Spartans were swept by Illinois but came back last week to sweep Northwestern.
Game times are 6:35 p.m. Friday and 1:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
THE PITCHING MATCHUPS
G1: RHP Alex Wimmers (5-1; 3.75) vs. RHP Nolan Moody (4-3; 2.94)
G2: RHP Dean Wolosiansky (6-1; 5.80) vs. RHP A.J. Achter (1-2; 3.35)
G3: Both team’s pitchers TBD
This Weekend in Ohio State Baseball
No. 28 Ohio State (23-7; 3-3 Big Ten Conference)
Game 31: vs. Michigan State (11-18; 3-3 Big Ten Conference)
Friday, April 10 - 6:35 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium
Game 32: vs. Michigan State
Saturday, April 11 - 1:05 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium
Game 33: vs. Michigan State
Sunday, April 12 - 1:05 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium
RADIO BROADCAST
103.9 WTDA Talk FM
INTERNET AUDIO & VIDEO
OhioStateBuckeyes.com
LIVE STATS
OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Full OSU Release
Big Ten Conference baseball is coming to Columbus this weekend as No. 28 Ohio State, 23-7 on the season and 3-3 in the Big Ten Conference, hosts 11-18 and 3-3 Michigan State in the first conference series of the season at Bill Davis Stadium.
Ohio State’s 3-3 Big Ten mark has come on the road with a 2-1 series win at Penn State and a 2-1 road loss at Minnesota in the Metrodome last weekend. Michigan State has been on both ends of the only two sweeps in the Big Ten’s new three-game series format. The Spartans were swept by Illinois but came back last week to sweep Northwestern.
Game times are 6:35 p.m. Friday and 1:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
THE PITCHING MATCHUPS
G1: RHP Alex Wimmers (5-1; 3.75) vs. RHP Nolan Moody (4-3; 2.94)
G2: RHP Dean Wolosiansky (6-1; 5.80) vs. RHP A.J. Achter (1-2; 3.35)
G3: Both team’s pitchers TBD
This Weekend in Ohio State Baseball
No. 28 Ohio State (23-7; 3-3 Big Ten Conference)
Game 31: vs. Michigan State (11-18; 3-3 Big Ten Conference)
Friday, April 10 - 6:35 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium
Game 32: vs. Michigan State
Saturday, April 11 - 1:05 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium
Game 33: vs. Michigan State
Sunday, April 12 - 1:05 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium
RADIO BROADCAST
103.9 WTDA Talk FM
INTERNET AUDIO & VIDEO
OhioStateBuckeyes.com
LIVE STATS
OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Full OSU Release
The Lantern: Todd, OSU host Spartans after 12-0 win against Morehead
Nathan Schlabach
Issue date: 4/10/09
The Ohio State baseball team will start a very important Big Ten series this weekend as they look to keep pace with other top teams in the conference.
The No. 28 Buckeyes (22-7, 3-3 in the Big Ten) will face the Michigan State Spartans (11-17, 3-3 in the Big Ten) in a three-game series this weekend at Bill Davis Stadium.
"Michigan State is playing very good baseball right now," coach Bob Todd said. "We know that this weekend is going to be a big big weekend for us. It's going to be a huge test."
It will be an important three-game series if the Buckeyes want a shot at winning the Big Ten title. OSU is sitting in a tie for fifth place with three other teams (Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State) in the Big Ten Conference.
But as coach Todd explains, "we're only one game out of first place on the loss side. There is no reason to panic, we still got a lot of baseball to play in the conference. You just got to take it one game at a time."
After zero wins in 2008 as a freshman, sophomore Alex Wimmers has improved his game and has become a reliable option for the Buckeyes pitching staff. "I'm just going out there doing my thing, I just have all my pitches working," Wimmers said.
The right-handed Wimmers will get the call tonight against the Spartans.
"This is such a big weekend," Wimmers said. "We need to do really well this weekend in order to climb back in the [Big Ten] race."
He comes in with 48 innings pitched on the year, a 5-1 record and an ERA of 3.75. He also leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 61 for the season.
Dean Wolosiansky will make his start Saturday afternoon. He comes in the game with a 6-1 record and a 5.80 ERA. The Sunday starter is unknown at this time.
The Spartans come into Friday's game winning four out of their last five games, including a three-game sweep against Northwestern. The Buckeyes come into Friday's game with a one-game win streak, winning their last game 12-0.
The Buckeyes will look to continue their heavy offensive numbers against Michigan State. Entering the game, the Buckeyes have 114 extra base hits on the season with a batting average of .332 for the team.
The Buckeyes went 2-1 in the series with Michigan State last season and are 126-82-1 all-time in the series.
The Lantern
Issue date: 4/10/09
The Ohio State baseball team will start a very important Big Ten series this weekend as they look to keep pace with other top teams in the conference.
The No. 28 Buckeyes (22-7, 3-3 in the Big Ten) will face the Michigan State Spartans (11-17, 3-3 in the Big Ten) in a three-game series this weekend at Bill Davis Stadium.
"Michigan State is playing very good baseball right now," coach Bob Todd said. "We know that this weekend is going to be a big big weekend for us. It's going to be a huge test."
It will be an important three-game series if the Buckeyes want a shot at winning the Big Ten title. OSU is sitting in a tie for fifth place with three other teams (Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State) in the Big Ten Conference.
But as coach Todd explains, "we're only one game out of first place on the loss side. There is no reason to panic, we still got a lot of baseball to play in the conference. You just got to take it one game at a time."
After zero wins in 2008 as a freshman, sophomore Alex Wimmers has improved his game and has become a reliable option for the Buckeyes pitching staff. "I'm just going out there doing my thing, I just have all my pitches working," Wimmers said.
The right-handed Wimmers will get the call tonight against the Spartans.
"This is such a big weekend," Wimmers said. "We need to do really well this weekend in order to climb back in the [Big Ten] race."
He comes in with 48 innings pitched on the year, a 5-1 record and an ERA of 3.75. He also leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 61 for the season.
Dean Wolosiansky will make his start Saturday afternoon. He comes in the game with a 6-1 record and a 5.80 ERA. The Sunday starter is unknown at this time.
The Spartans come into Friday's game winning four out of their last five games, including a three-game sweep against Northwestern. The Buckeyes come into Friday's game with a one-game win streak, winning their last game 12-0.
The Buckeyes will look to continue their heavy offensive numbers against Michigan State. Entering the game, the Buckeyes have 114 extra base hits on the season with a batting average of .332 for the team.
The Buckeyes went 2-1 in the series with Michigan State last season and are 126-82-1 all-time in the series.
The Lantern
Columbus Dispatch: With mind at peace, Dew delivering
Friday, April 10, 2009 2:59 AM
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
At the recreational level, pingpong is supposed to be a game where the fun quotient is more important than the final score.
It doesn't work that way with Ryan Dew and brother Andy. They play for keeps.
"We started playing at a beach house on vacation in Virginia Beach a couple of years ago, and then I got a table for Christmas," Ryan said. "It has just escalated. We can put on a pretty good show. Our rallies can last a minute or longer. We keep a running tally of wins and losses. We play at all hours. And we can really slam the ball."
Ryan Dew used to take the same all-or-nothing approach with baseball, and the results were a mixed bag in his first two seasons as the starting right fielder for Ohio State.
At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he was in a lineup of mostly peashooters and thought he had to provide power. He batted .269 with one homer as a freshman and .261 with three homers in 2008.
"We felt when we recruited Ryan that he would project to being a player that could hit with some power, and I think he was trying to hit for power too much and got to overswinging," coach Bob Todd said. "We've got him back to the basics and timing the baseball. His natural strength is taking care of driving the baseball.
"All this has come with maturity."
Dew, a junior from Worthington Kilbourne, is tied with two other players for the Big Ten lead in hitting with a .402 average going into the Buckeyes' three-game series against Michigan State. The first game is at 6:35 tonight in Bill Davis Stadium.
All of Dew's numbers are impressive. He has a .515 slugging percentage, a .429 on-base percentage and has struck out just five times in 97 at bats. He has two home runs and 16 RBI.
Swinging for the fences no longer dominates his thinking.
"I used to put so much pressure on myself to perform," he said. "I worried about the expectations. Now, I'm at peace with my role. I think it is a maturity thing. Before, I'd worry about driving in a runner. Now, I just look for my pitch and try to get the runner over. Before, I'd think about not having a hit in a certain number of at-bats and started to press.
"This is such a mental game, and you just can't think like that."
The transformation from good player to one of the team's best was just a matter of time, assistant coach Greg Cypret said. "Ryan is such a good, solid person and such a team guy, and he was doing all the right things," Cypret said.
"The thing about Ryan is he's so positive. The difference is that when he gets frustrated he'll shake it off. He'll realize there will be another at-bat or another day. This is a guy who is always thinking, 'This is the goal and let's see how we can get this done.' Ryan is a joy."
Dew glows when talking about what it means to play for the Buckeyes.
"All I want to do is help Ohio State win," he said. "All the other things like statistics just don't matter. It was my dream to play Division I baseball, and I've been fortunate enough to play it at Ohio State."
Dispatch Series Preview
Series preview
Ohio State (23-7, 3-3) VS. Michigan State (11-18, 3-3)
• Where: Bill Davis Stadium
• When: Nine-inning games at 6:35 tonight, 1:05 p.m. Saturday and 1:05 p.m. Sunday
• Radio: Each game on WTDA (103.9 FM)
• Series: Ohio State leads 126-82-1. Buckeyes won two of three games last season.
• Of note: Ohio State and Michigan State are one game behind Illinois in the Big Ten. There is a new brick ticket booth at the southwest corner of the stadium. The years of Ohio State's appearances in the College World Series and Big Ten championships have been placed above the archway leading into the ballpark.
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
At the recreational level, pingpong is supposed to be a game where the fun quotient is more important than the final score.
It doesn't work that way with Ryan Dew and brother Andy. They play for keeps.
"We started playing at a beach house on vacation in Virginia Beach a couple of years ago, and then I got a table for Christmas," Ryan said. "It has just escalated. We can put on a pretty good show. Our rallies can last a minute or longer. We keep a running tally of wins and losses. We play at all hours. And we can really slam the ball."
Ryan Dew used to take the same all-or-nothing approach with baseball, and the results were a mixed bag in his first two seasons as the starting right fielder for Ohio State.
At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he was in a lineup of mostly peashooters and thought he had to provide power. He batted .269 with one homer as a freshman and .261 with three homers in 2008.
"We felt when we recruited Ryan that he would project to being a player that could hit with some power, and I think he was trying to hit for power too much and got to overswinging," coach Bob Todd said. "We've got him back to the basics and timing the baseball. His natural strength is taking care of driving the baseball.
"All this has come with maturity."
Dew, a junior from Worthington Kilbourne, is tied with two other players for the Big Ten lead in hitting with a .402 average going into the Buckeyes' three-game series against Michigan State. The first game is at 6:35 tonight in Bill Davis Stadium.
All of Dew's numbers are impressive. He has a .515 slugging percentage, a .429 on-base percentage and has struck out just five times in 97 at bats. He has two home runs and 16 RBI.
Swinging for the fences no longer dominates his thinking.
"I used to put so much pressure on myself to perform," he said. "I worried about the expectations. Now, I'm at peace with my role. I think it is a maturity thing. Before, I'd worry about driving in a runner. Now, I just look for my pitch and try to get the runner over. Before, I'd think about not having a hit in a certain number of at-bats and started to press.
"This is such a mental game, and you just can't think like that."
The transformation from good player to one of the team's best was just a matter of time, assistant coach Greg Cypret said. "Ryan is such a good, solid person and such a team guy, and he was doing all the right things," Cypret said.
"The thing about Ryan is he's so positive. The difference is that when he gets frustrated he'll shake it off. He'll realize there will be another at-bat or another day. This is a guy who is always thinking, 'This is the goal and let's see how we can get this done.' Ryan is a joy."
Dew glows when talking about what it means to play for the Buckeyes.
"All I want to do is help Ohio State win," he said. "All the other things like statistics just don't matter. It was my dream to play Division I baseball, and I've been fortunate enough to play it at Ohio State."
Dispatch Series Preview
Series preview
Ohio State (23-7, 3-3) VS. Michigan State (11-18, 3-3)
• Where: Bill Davis Stadium
• When: Nine-inning games at 6:35 tonight, 1:05 p.m. Saturday and 1:05 p.m. Sunday
• Radio: Each game on WTDA (103.9 FM)
• Series: Ohio State leads 126-82-1. Buckeyes won two of three games last season.
• Of note: Ohio State and Michigan State are one game behind Illinois in the Big Ten. There is a new brick ticket booth at the southwest corner of the stadium. The years of Ohio State's appearances in the College World Series and Big Ten championships have been placed above the archway leading into the ballpark.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sweep Denied
Ohio State scored five runs in the fourth inning and held on for a 5-4 victory over Michigan State in game one of Sunday's doubleheader (box score). In the second game, Michigan State scored the game's only run in the eighth inning on a bases loaded walk to force a doubleheader split and avoid a three-game series sweep by Ohio State (box score). The Buckeyes needed 11 innings to claim a 5-4 victory on Friday.
Dean Wolosiansky got the start in game one, giving Dan DeLucia the weekend off to rest his elbow. Wolo was touched for two runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings of work before getting replaced by Andrew Armstrong who allowed two runs in his 1.1 innings. Eric Best pitched the seventh and retired the batters in order to pick up his second save of the weekend and his fourth fo the season.
Shuck was the only Buckeye with multiple hits in a 3-for-4 peformance. He had one RBI. Zach Hurley, Ryan Dew, Dan Burkhart and Tyler Engle drove in the other runs. Each team had nine hits. Ohio State committed the game's only error.
Shuck was the starter in the second game of the twinbill and was cruising along nice, though was not backed by any offense. The Buckeyes managed just two hits, one by Tony Kennedy and another by Ryan Dew.
Michigan State finally wore on Shuck in the eighth, getting two of their four hits in the inning. He allowed a single to start the inning before getting that runner on a fielder's choice bunt. He issued a walk and gave up a bunt single to load the bases before giving way to freshman Alex Wimmers. Wimmers struck out his first batter before walking in the decisive run.
Shuck was saddled with an unfortunate loss to fall to 4-2 on the year. He struck out seven against three walks, including one in the eighth.
A conference rule is in place to not allow a team to start three games in one day so the fourth game of the series was cancelled and will not be made up.
The Buckeyes are now 18-11 overall and 7-4 in the Big Ten, while Michigan State is 13-16 and 4-7. Ohio State will host Louisville Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. The Cardinals advanced to the College World Series last season.
Dean Wolosiansky got the start in game one, giving Dan DeLucia the weekend off to rest his elbow. Wolo was touched for two runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings of work before getting replaced by Andrew Armstrong who allowed two runs in his 1.1 innings. Eric Best pitched the seventh and retired the batters in order to pick up his second save of the weekend and his fourth fo the season.
Shuck was the only Buckeye with multiple hits in a 3-for-4 peformance. He had one RBI. Zach Hurley, Ryan Dew, Dan Burkhart and Tyler Engle drove in the other runs. Each team had nine hits. Ohio State committed the game's only error.
Shuck was the starter in the second game of the twinbill and was cruising along nice, though was not backed by any offense. The Buckeyes managed just two hits, one by Tony Kennedy and another by Ryan Dew.
Michigan State finally wore on Shuck in the eighth, getting two of their four hits in the inning. He allowed a single to start the inning before getting that runner on a fielder's choice bunt. He issued a walk and gave up a bunt single to load the bases before giving way to freshman Alex Wimmers. Wimmers struck out his first batter before walking in the decisive run.
Shuck was saddled with an unfortunate loss to fall to 4-2 on the year. He struck out seven against three walks, including one in the eighth.
A conference rule is in place to not allow a team to start three games in one day so the fourth game of the series was cancelled and will not be made up.
The Buckeyes are now 18-11 overall and 7-4 in the Big Ten, while Michigan State is 13-16 and 4-7. Ohio State will host Louisville Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. The Cardinals advanced to the College World Series last season.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
DH Postponed, Game Four Cancelled
Saturday's doubleheader between Ohio State and Michigan State has been postponed until Sunday because of steady rain throughout the day. The two teams will try Sunday to play two seven-inning games starting at 1:05 p.m., weather permitting. By rule you cannot start three games on the same day, so game four has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. It would be a shame if the only game these teams got to play was that 4-3 thriller Friday night. I do not know how this situation affects the pitching rotation, but if I hear I will pass it along.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Dew'in It in the 11th
Ryan Dew hit a pinch-hit, solo home run with one out in the top of the 11th inning to lead Ohio State to a 4-3 victory at Michigan State Friday in the opener of a four-game, Big Ten series at Oldsmobile Park (box score).
Dew, batting for Ryan Meade, sent the ball over the right-field fence. It was just the team's seventh home run of the season (in 27 games) and the first in nine conference games. It was his first this year.
Jake Hale pitched 10.0 strong innings and struck out seven without allowing a walk. Improving to 4-0 with the win, he allowed three runs on nine hits before giving way to Eric Best in the bottom of the 11th. Best got a line out, fly out and ground out to end the game and earn his third save.
Cory Kovanda, Justin Miller and Dan Burkhart each finished with two hits as the Buckeyes collected nine hits against MSU pitching. Miller, Hurley and Dew drove in runs. Michigan State also had nine hits in the game.
The Buckeyes and Spartans were tied at three through nine innings, marking the first extra-inning game for Ohio State this season.
Michigan State built a 2-0 lead through the first three innings, but with one on and one out in the fourth, Miller doubled in a run. Miller reached second on a throwing error by the Spartan second baseman. Hurley's sacrifice tied the game.
Sparty reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the foruth on a double by A.J. Shindler. The Buckeyes tied it up again in the seventh. With runners at the corner and one out, Tony Kennedy stole second base and on an errant throw by the MSU catcher, Dan Burkhart was able to score.
Each team had three errors in what, no doubt, had to have been a wet and sloppy playing surface at Oldsmobile Park with all the rain that moved through the area Friday.
Ohio State improved to 17-10 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten, while Michigan State dropped to 12-15, 3-6.
The teams' doubleheader Saturday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Both games can be heard on ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Game one can also be heard in Columbus on AM 920 WMNI.
Michigan State recap. Here is what the Dispatch rewrote from the OSU release.
Dew, batting for Ryan Meade, sent the ball over the right-field fence. It was just the team's seventh home run of the season (in 27 games) and the first in nine conference games. It was his first this year.
Jake Hale pitched 10.0 strong innings and struck out seven without allowing a walk. Improving to 4-0 with the win, he allowed three runs on nine hits before giving way to Eric Best in the bottom of the 11th. Best got a line out, fly out and ground out to end the game and earn his third save.
Cory Kovanda, Justin Miller and Dan Burkhart each finished with two hits as the Buckeyes collected nine hits against MSU pitching. Miller, Hurley and Dew drove in runs. Michigan State also had nine hits in the game.
The Buckeyes and Spartans were tied at three through nine innings, marking the first extra-inning game for Ohio State this season.
Michigan State built a 2-0 lead through the first three innings, but with one on and one out in the fourth, Miller doubled in a run. Miller reached second on a throwing error by the Spartan second baseman. Hurley's sacrifice tied the game.
Sparty reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the foruth on a double by A.J. Shindler. The Buckeyes tied it up again in the seventh. With runners at the corner and one out, Tony Kennedy stole second base and on an errant throw by the MSU catcher, Dan Burkhart was able to score.
Each team had three errors in what, no doubt, had to have been a wet and sloppy playing surface at Oldsmobile Park with all the rain that moved through the area Friday.
Ohio State improved to 17-10 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten, while Michigan State dropped to 12-15, 3-6.
The teams' doubleheader Saturday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Both games can be heard on ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Game one can also be heard in Columbus on AM 920 WMNI.
Michigan State recap. Here is what the Dispatch rewrote from the OSU release.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Back to Olds Park
I’m not a fan of Oldsmobile Park in Lansing. Shoot, the naming sponsor doesn’t even make cars anymore. The outfield “fence” works about as well as a pinball machine with all those angles. Hey, at least the games aren’t being played at Kobs Field, where the press tent or “wigwam” as some Michigan State athletic department personnel affectionately refer to it, sits in a puddle of mud. I’ll never forget when play had to be halted because a pair of granola hippies decided to end their hike along the Red Cedar and hop the right field fence. Yes, right in the middle of the game!
Okay, I’ll stop reminiscing and get back to the series at hand. Ohio State travels to Lansing to take on Sparty on the same field where the Lansing Lugnuts play. The Luggies are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Buckeyes enter the series with a 16-10 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play while Michigan State is 12-14, 3-5. The teams open the series Friday at 5:05 p.m. The teams play a doubleheader Saturday at 1:05 p.m. before concluding the series Sunday with a single game at 1:05 p.m.
Following the Team...
Games one, two and four will be broadcast on the radio at AM 920 WMNI. All four games will have audio available at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Audio on the Ohio State Web site is available only to subscribers. Live stats from all four games will be available (for free) on the official Ohio State web site.
The Starters...
G1: RHP Jake Hale (3-0, 5.47) vs. RHP Mike Monterey (1-2, 5.09)
G2: LHP Dan DeLucia (1-1, 3.75) vs. RHP Mark Sorensen (1-3, 3.21)
G3: RHP Dean Wolosiansky (3-2, 2.97) vs. RHP Chris Cullen (3-0, 2.83)
G4: LHP J.B. Shuck (4-1, 3.00) vs. RHP A.J. Achter (0-1, 2.84)
An Eye on the Sky...
The forecast does not look good for this series with rain or snow in the forecast each day. The projected high for Friday is expected to be 67 but as of Thursday night, the area should expect 100 percent chance of strong storms. The temperature drops from there. The high Saturday is 46 with a low of 33. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. On Sunday…. Ouch! The high is predicted at just 41 with a 30 percent chance of snow/rain showers. With the Buckeyes trying to make up ground on first-place Michigan (7-1) and the two second place teams, Illinois (6-2) and Purdue (6-2), the last thing they want to have happen is to sit in their hotel rooms. With rain in the forecast it will be interesting to see if the Lugnuts front office or grounds crew will have a quick trigger to “bang” the games. Hopefully the call rests with Michigan State.
In the Big Ten this weekend...
Ohio State (5-3) at Michigan State (3-5); Michigan (7-1) at Illinois (6-2); Penn State (3-5) at Purdue (6-2); Iowa (1-7) at Indiana (3-5); and Minnesota (3-5) at Northwestern (3-5).
From the Ohio State game notes...
About the Series: Ohio State and Michigan State have been meeting on the diamond since 1911. The Buckeyes have a 124-81-1 edge in the series. Bob Todd’s teams are 55-26 against the Spartans. The Buckeyes have won the last two series (2004 and 2006) at Michigan State by 3-1 counts. From 1989 thru 2004, Ohio State won or split 16 consecutive series with the Spartans.
Big Ten Comparison:• Ohio State leads the Big Ten in batting average (.336); Michigan State ranks ninth at .261.
• Ohio State is second in the conference with a .406 on-base percentage; Michigan State is 10th (.344).
• Ohio State ranks fourth in slugging at .420; Michigan State is ninth (.360).
• Michigan State is tied for second with 14 home runs; Ohio State is ninth with six.
• Ohio State leads the conference in hits with 295; Michigan State ranks ninth with 212
• Ohio State has scored 175 runs, which ranks second behind Illinois (176); Michigan State is ninth with 125.
• The Buckeyes rank second in ERA at 4.07; Michigan State is fourth (4.85).
• Ohio State is second in opponents’ batting average (.249); the Spartans are fourth at .273.
• Ohio State’s pitching staff has struck out the second-most batters in the Big Ten (198); the Spartans have struck out 144, which ranks sixth.
• Ohio State leads the conference with nine saves; Michigan State is ninth with three.
• Ohio State has allowed the fewest runs (118) and the second-fewest hits (204); Michigan State is tied for fifth in both fewest runs allowed (151) and hits allowed (227).
• Michigan State has walked 107 batters, ranking seventh; Ohio State has walked 109, which ranks eighth.
Okay, I’ll stop reminiscing and get back to the series at hand. Ohio State travels to Lansing to take on Sparty on the same field where the Lansing Lugnuts play. The Luggies are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Buckeyes enter the series with a 16-10 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play while Michigan State is 12-14, 3-5. The teams open the series Friday at 5:05 p.m. The teams play a doubleheader Saturday at 1:05 p.m. before concluding the series Sunday with a single game at 1:05 p.m.
Following the Team...
Games one, two and four will be broadcast on the radio at AM 920 WMNI. All four games will have audio available at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Audio on the Ohio State Web site is available only to subscribers. Live stats from all four games will be available (for free) on the official Ohio State web site.
The Starters...
G1: RHP Jake Hale (3-0, 5.47) vs. RHP Mike Monterey (1-2, 5.09)
G2: LHP Dan DeLucia (1-1, 3.75) vs. RHP Mark Sorensen (1-3, 3.21)
G3: RHP Dean Wolosiansky (3-2, 2.97) vs. RHP Chris Cullen (3-0, 2.83)
G4: LHP J.B. Shuck (4-1, 3.00) vs. RHP A.J. Achter (0-1, 2.84)
An Eye on the Sky...
The forecast does not look good for this series with rain or snow in the forecast each day. The projected high for Friday is expected to be 67 but as of Thursday night, the area should expect 100 percent chance of strong storms. The temperature drops from there. The high Saturday is 46 with a low of 33. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. On Sunday…. Ouch! The high is predicted at just 41 with a 30 percent chance of snow/rain showers. With the Buckeyes trying to make up ground on first-place Michigan (7-1) and the two second place teams, Illinois (6-2) and Purdue (6-2), the last thing they want to have happen is to sit in their hotel rooms. With rain in the forecast it will be interesting to see if the Lugnuts front office or grounds crew will have a quick trigger to “bang” the games. Hopefully the call rests with Michigan State.
In the Big Ten this weekend...
Ohio State (5-3) at Michigan State (3-5); Michigan (7-1) at Illinois (6-2); Penn State (3-5) at Purdue (6-2); Iowa (1-7) at Indiana (3-5); and Minnesota (3-5) at Northwestern (3-5).
From the Ohio State game notes...
About the Series: Ohio State and Michigan State have been meeting on the diamond since 1911. The Buckeyes have a 124-81-1 edge in the series. Bob Todd’s teams are 55-26 against the Spartans. The Buckeyes have won the last two series (2004 and 2006) at Michigan State by 3-1 counts. From 1989 thru 2004, Ohio State won or split 16 consecutive series with the Spartans.
Big Ten Comparison:• Ohio State leads the Big Ten in batting average (.336); Michigan State ranks ninth at .261.
• Ohio State is second in the conference with a .406 on-base percentage; Michigan State is 10th (.344).
• Ohio State ranks fourth in slugging at .420; Michigan State is ninth (.360).
• Michigan State is tied for second with 14 home runs; Ohio State is ninth with six.
• Ohio State leads the conference in hits with 295; Michigan State ranks ninth with 212
• Ohio State has scored 175 runs, which ranks second behind Illinois (176); Michigan State is ninth with 125.
• The Buckeyes rank second in ERA at 4.07; Michigan State is fourth (4.85).
• Ohio State is second in opponents’ batting average (.249); the Spartans are fourth at .273.
• Ohio State’s pitching staff has struck out the second-most batters in the Big Ten (198); the Spartans have struck out 144, which ranks sixth.
• Ohio State leads the conference with nine saves; Michigan State is ninth with three.
• Ohio State has allowed the fewest runs (118) and the second-fewest hits (204); Michigan State is tied for fifth in both fewest runs allowed (151) and hits allowed (227).
• Michigan State has walked 107 batters, ranking seventh; Ohio State has walked 109, which ranks eighth.
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