Buckeyes Regroup, Down Bradley

The offense continues to be dominant during spring break. Today, the Buckeyes pounded out 19 hits on their way to a 10-3 victory over Bradley (box score). J.B. Shuck and Cory Rupert each had three hits and five others had two. Rupert drove in three runs, while Shuck and Miller were responsible for two each.

The 19 hits today runs the four-game spring break total to 69 with a game each of the next three days before returning to Columbus. The Buckeye Nine has outscored the opposition 43-31 in the four games.

Pitching was much better Tuesday vs. Bradley. Dan DeLucia got the start and did not strikeout a batter according to Gamewatcher. Thanks to Rockybuckeye, we know Dan struck out 10 batters through 6.0 innings. The folks in the athletic department need to make sure the folks who run the website are aware of that glitch. DeLucia allowed three runs on five hits and walked one today. Drew Rucinski and Tom Popadak combined to pitch three scoreless innings. Rucinski allowed the only hit by the bullpen.

Ohio State scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third and the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth. The Buckeyes put the game out of reach with five in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Bradley managed six hits and fell to 5-8. Click here for the Bradley recap.

The 8-5 Buckeyes continue action over brunch Wednesday, meeting St. Louis at 10 a.m. Looks like true freshman Andrew Armstrong will get the start on the mound.

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