Baseball
Buckeyes Capture Game Two With Clutch Hitting
By John PorentasOhio State (34-10, 13-4 Big Ten) needed an inning to come back to earth after Alex Wimmers' no hitter in game one of the doubleheader against Michigan (23-21, 6-11 Big Ten) on Saturday. They did just that to complete the sweep with with a 9-6 win in game two.
"We talked about that (between games), getting that focus back," said OSU Head Coach Bob Todd.
"When you have a no hitter like that and such an emotional high, you're dealing with young people and sometimes it's tough to get them back focused, but I thought we did a very good job with that."
The Wolverines wasted no time in limbering up their bats in game two, picking up their first hits of the day in the first inning when they score two runs on two hits and an OSU error to jump out to a 2-0 lead on the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes scratched out a run in the bottom of the first when catcher Dan Burkhart delivered a two-out RBI single to put the Buckeyes on the board. The two-out clutch hitting theme continued in the second inning when OSU plated five more runs, four of them after two were out.
Designated hitter Ryan Dew led off the second with a solo homerun, his second of the day after homering in game one. Right fielder Mike Arp then singled, but a strikeout and a ground out left Arp at second with two gone. The flood gates then opened when Michigan second baseman Nick Urban booted a grounder to allow Arp to score the tying run unearned. Consecutive two-out singles by second baseman Corey Kovanda, center fielder Mike Stephens and Burkhart allowed the Buckeye to plate four more in the inning and chase Wolverine starter Tyler Burgoon.
"I think that was just pride," said Dew. "The past few years we really have gotten beat up by Michigan. After that first win (in the first game) which was just huge we knew we couldn't get down after one inning. We had to get our heads mentally back into it."
The Buckeyes added another run in the third to stretch the lead to 7-2, but Michigan fought back with a run in the fourth then plated three more in the sixth to make it a one run game at 7-6. OSU starter Dean Wolosianski gave way to reliever Drew Rucinski who got the third out of the inning to stop the rally.
Rucinski blanked the Wolverines in the seventh and eighth innings to allow OSU to cling to the one run lead until the bottom of the eighth when OSU scored with two more to up the lead to 9-6. Buckeye closer Jake Hale then came on to close out the victory registering two strikeouts in the ninth inning.
OSU designated hitter Ryan Dew was outstanding in game one and spectacular in game two. In game two he had five hits in five trips to the plate that included his sixth homerun of the season. He also stole two bases, scored twice and drove in two runs. For the doubleheader Dew was seven of nine at the plate, scored three times and drove in five runs. He homered in both games, both solo shots. One of his biggest hits came in game one when he broke up the scoreless tie with a two-out single. The single came after Michigan catcher Chris Berset failed to make the catch on what appeared to be a routine popup behind the plate. Dew got new life when the ball fell out of Berset's reach. Dew then made the Woleverines pay with a sharp single to right to drive in two runs.
"I was fortunate the catcher didn't catch that," said Dew.
"That was a big break for me and I knew when that happened I was going to be able to come through with a hit. I was very relieved. My first at bat the same thing happened. It was a changeup and I popped it back and they caught it. That was going to be pretty rough on me if it happened two times in a game, but as soon as he dropped that it was a huge relief. You go from a terrible swing to getting another chance. You almost have to get a hit after that."
The sweep allows OSU to remain tied with Illinois for first place in the Big Ten standings.
"We're still in the hunt," said Todd. "We're still in the running for a championship.
"Wimmers was just outstanding, what else can you day about him, but offensively we swung the bats well and scored a lot of runs. It's the same thing we've done all year. We came through with a lot of two out base hits that produced RBI.
"We've been able to do that all year. We've been able to play the short game, put runners in scoring position, then other people have come through with some base hits. You talk about it being a team game. That's exactly what it is."
The lone negative to come out of game two was a possible injury to Burkhart. In his last at bat in the eighth inning he collided with Michigan first baseman Mike Dufek and came up limping on his way back to the dugout. He did not catch in the top of the ninth.
"He has been outstanding for us all year and I've said all year he is the one person in this entire lineup that we cannot afford to lose," said Todd.
"That was knee to knee and that's why we had to take him out in the ninth. We're trying to get him treated right now and we'll see what happens tomorrow."
Game One- Alex Wimmers No-hits the Wolverines
STANDINGS (as of May 02, 2009) Big Ten Overall Team W L T Pct W L T Pct Ohio State.......... 13 4 0 .765 34 10 0 .773 Illinois............ 13 4 0 .765 29 13 0 .690 Minnesota........... 12 4 0 .750 29 13 0 .690 Indiana............. 11 5 0 .688 22 23 0 .489 Michigan State...... 10 7 0 .588 20 24 0 .455 Purdue.............. 6 10 0 .375 19 22 0 .463 Michigan............ 6 11 0 .353 23 21 0 .523 Penn State.......... 5 12 0 .294 22 21 0 .512 Northwestern........ 3 12 0 .200 12 29 0 .293 Iowa................ 3 13 0 .188 14 29 0 .326
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