Baseball
Weekend Baseball Roundup - OSU vs. Minnesota
By John Porentas

Game Two, Game Three, Game Four

The Buckeye baseball team had a successful weekend taking three of four from Minnesota at Bill Davis Stadium. OSU (16-9, 5-3 Big Ten) took the opener Friday night by a score of 11-6. The Gophers (13-14, 3-5 Big Ten) took the first game of Saturday's doubleheader 6-0 but OSU rallied in the nightcap to split the twin bill with a 4-1 decision. OSU took the getaway game on Sunday with a see-saw 8-7 win.

Friday: OSU 11, Minnesota 6

Minnesota pitchers issued eight walks, their fielders committed six errors and the Buckeyes belted out 13 hits as OSU defeated the error-plagued Gophers by a final of 11-6.

The Gophers took the early lead off OSU starter senior right hander Jake Hale with two runs in the second inning, but the Buckeyes answered with four in the bottom of the second and two more in the bottom of the third to take control of the game. The Buckeyes took advantage of two costly Minnesota errors in the second and left the bases loaded in establishing their lead.

The Gophers added a single run in the fourth to cut OSU's lead to 6-3 but the Buckeyes added three in the sixth inning to take a commanding 9-3 lead. Minnesota rallied for three of their own in the seventh and chased Hale who struggled most of the game. Hale allowed 10 hits, issued four walks and committed two balks in his six and one third innings of work.

"He did not have his stuff tonight," said OSU Head Coach Bob Todd.

"He pitched behind a lot of hitters but was still competitive enough on the mound to pitch around that situation," said Todd.

"I came in here sick as a dog," explained Hale following the game. "I've got a big sinus infection. I couldn't really breathe that well. I was off on my command and wasn't really feeling it. I just tried to find a way to get outs," Hale said.

Hale was relieved by OSU sophomore left hander Eric Best who got the Buckeyes out of the inning and went on to finish the game. Best gave up just two hits and no earned runs in two and one third innings.

"I thought Eric did a good job in relief. He didn't walk anybody and he threw key pitches in the strike zone when he had to do it," said Todd.

Two walks and an error helped OSU add two more runs in the eighth.

Freshman third baseman Corey Rupert had a three-hit night. Junior center fielder J. B. Shuck and sophomore designated hitter Zach Hurley each had two hits. The Buckeyes were impressive at the plate with a hefty hit total and with the patience to earn walks, but in the end it was Minnesota's errors that were really the story of the game.

"When you look at the final score it probably would have been a lot closer if you take away a couple of their errors," said Todd. "We were able to take extra bases which led to runs for us."

Box Score and Play by Play

Saturday: Minnesota 6, OSU 0; OSU 4, Minnesota 1

In game one of the doubleheader Minnesota shutout the Buckeyes behind the pitching of left handed junior Kyle Carr. Carr pitched a complete game going all seven innings and scattered seven OSU hits, all of them singles.

Normal OSU starter Dan DeLucia did not go against the Gophers. DeLucia has been experiencing shoulder problems and the OSU coaching staff elected to give DeLucia the weekend off. The start went to freshman left hander Andrew Armstrong who pitched five innings on Wednesday against Toledo.

Armstrong struggled with his control, particularly with his breaking ball, and issued four walks while allowing six hits in five innings. Armstrong was able to keep the Buckeyes within striking range however by limiting Minnesota to three runs. Sophomore left hander Josh Edgin took over for Armstrong to start the sixth and that's when things unraveled for the Buckeyes.

Edgin pitched effectively in the sixth, but the seventh inning was a horror story for OSU. The Gophers plated three runs in the inning on just one hit. Two hit batsmen, two walks and three Buckeye errors allowed three runs to cross the plate before Edgin could get out of the inning.

In game two of the doubleheader OSU got a complete game performance from freshman left hander Dean Wolosiansky to take the nightcap 4-1 and earn a split of the doubleheader. Wolosiansky scattered six hits to earn the win.

"The story of game two was Dean Wolsiansky," said OSU Head Coach Bob Todd.

"He had some easy innings in the middle where he was throwing a lot of ground balls. He was throwing 89, 90, 91 mph with some sink and they just beat it into the ground and we played good defense behind him."

"The fastball was really working today, I could spot it real well," said Wolosiansky. "The slider was there, the changeup was there, and the defense was really strong today," said Wolsiansky.

The Buckeyes staked Wolosiansky to a 2-0 lead with two runs in the first inning. First baseman Justin Miller and shortstop Corey Rupert each delivered RBI singles in the inning. Minnesota cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the fifth, but Wolosiansky got out of the inning with the lead still intact. The Buckeyes added two more insurance runs in the sixth on an RBI single by little-used pinch hitter Ben Toussant and a run scored on a ground out.

"Ben came through with a big base hit," said Todd.

"That's difficult for somebody to sit on the bench for 13 innings and then come up with a big hit," Todd said.

"I just had a gut feeling," responded Todd when asked why he went to Toussant. Toussant, who has just 19 at bats this season and is now hitting .211 said almost everyone was surprised when he got the call, including Minnesota, who had no idea on how to pitch to him since he has been at bat so few times.

"Actually, when I got up to the plate the catcher joked with me and said 'Want to give me a scouting report real quick,'" said Toussant drawing a laugh from reporters.

Toussant's at bat got more interesting when Todd gave him his last-minute instructions.

"Coach Todd told me to jump on the first fastball strike I had. You just try to get a fastball to hit," said Toussant, who got his big hit on, you guessed it, a breaking ball.

"It was actually a curve ball. After he said that I ended up taking a fastball inside. It was a curve ball he left up," said Toussant.

"It was two different tales altogether," said Todd summing up the day.

"In game one we didn't pitch very well and didn't make plays behind our pitcher. At the end the game got away from us, but really it was a 3-0 game. We just didn't do enough to win that ball game. In game two I thought we came out much more aggressive. In the first inning we swung the bats and got some key base hits with two outs and played some solid defense behind Dean."

Box Score and Play by Play Game One of Double Header

Box Score and Play by Play Game Two of Double Header

Game Four: OSU 8, Minnesota 7

In the wildest game of the weekend the Buckeyes secured a series win with a come-from-behind 8-7 win over Minnesota.

Minnesota had the advantage in the early going putting up two runs in the first off OSU starter junior J. B. Shuck. The Gophers added one more in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Minnesota starter freshman right hander Seth Rosin was able to keep the Buckeyes off the scoreboard until the fourth when a two-out double by left fielder Ryan Dew drove in two runs to cut the Minnesota lead to 3-2.

The Gophers added what looked like an insurance run in the top of the sixth, but the Buckeyes were able to answer with a crooked-number inning when they put five runs on the board in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-4 lead. The Buckeyes put together five hits in the inning, two of them off Rosin who was lifted with two on and none out after Corey Rupert and J. B. Shuck each singled to open the inning. Reliever Luke Rassmusen promptly walked the first Buckeye he faced, right fielder Ryan Dew, to load the bases. Rupert scored on a ground ball fielder's choice that left runners at first and third. A single by freshman catcher Tyler Engle drove in another run and ended Rassmusen's day. Minnesota brought on reliever Chancy Handrian who was greeted by a single by sophomore second baseman Corey Kovanda to drive in two runs. A sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Justin Miller closed out the OSU scoring.

Minnesota was down, but not out, and came up with a three-run inning in the seventh to to tie the game at seven of OSU reliever Drew Rucinski who came on in relief of Shuck to open the inning.

"J. B. was struggling to find his rhythm. He just could not find a tempo," said said OSU Head Coach Bob Todd.

Minnesota's rally was much simpler than OSU's. After a walk and single put two runners aboard Gopher catcher Mike DeSchmidt crushed a baseball over the left field fence for three runs to tie the game. When Rucinski walked the next batter he faced he was lifted without having retired a batter. Reliever Eric Best came on to retire the Gophers on a fly out and double play.

With the game tied, Shuck again came to the plate in the top of the seventh as the designated hitter and drew a walk. Shuck was retired when he was hit by a batted ball. The play left Ryan Dew at first, and Engle delivered again, this time with a double to score Dew all the way from first with the winning run.

"It was good to see the way we battled back," said Todd. "Really they took the wind out of sails with that three-run homer," Todd said.

Best retired the Gophers one-two-three in the eighth and allowed one hit in the ninth before closing out the game to earn the win.

"We've been trying to groom that (Best in the closers role) for quite a while," said Todd. "He's always had good stuff. He's been a little inconsistent throwing strikes, but in the last few outings he's come into his own, which is good to see. This team needs that."

The Buckeyes have struggled in the bullpen, especially at the closer spot, for the last two seasons. If Best can fill that role it will be good news for the Buckeyes.

"In a situation like that where they just took the momentum, when I get put in a situation like that, my main focus is stop the momentum and get our guys to stay in the game so we can go out there and hit," said Best.

"This was a big series," Todd.

"Minnesota is a very good team. They played in the NCAA tournament last year and have quite a few returning people. For us to win three out of four here, this is a big series."

Game Four Play by Play and Box Score

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