ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Indiana defeated Ohio State, 10-8, in a Big Ten tournament elimination game Thursday at Ray Fisher Stadium that featured six ties and lead changes. The win sends Indiana, 29-29, into a 12:05 p.m. “breakfast bracket” game Friday against an opponent that won’t be known until the conclusion of the Thursday games. The 125th season of Ohio State baseball comes to a close with the loss. Ohio State finishes with a 30-26 record.
Tony Kennedy had three hits and three RBI in his final collegiate game. Ryan Meade also had three hits and two runs scored. Dan Burkhart and Cory Kovanda had a pair of hits apiece. Alex Wimmers pitched well in relief of starter Jake Hale but took the loss to drop to 0-3 on the season. IU reliever Matt Carr pitched 7.2 innings, allowed just two runs to score and improved to 3-1 with the win.
IU built a 5-0 lead. Ohio State rallied with six runs in the second and third innings to take a 6-5 lead. IU went ahead 8-6 in the fourth. Ohio State scored single runs in the fifth and eighth to tie it and had an opportunity to win the game in the ninth, but it just didn’t happen.
A fielding error in the first inning allowed Indiana to score four unearned runs and take a quick 4-0. A balk in the second inning advanced IU runner Chris Hervey from first to second. He scored on Josh Phegley’s double to increase the lead to 5-0. Michael Arp’s throw from right field to catcher Burkhart one batter later was in time to get Phegley, who was trying to score on a single by Jerrud Sabourin.
Ohio State loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second and ended up scoring two runs. The Buckeyes’ three freshmen starters in the game – designated hitter Meade, Burkhart and shortstop Tyler Engle – all reached base via walks. Kennedy, the only senior starter in the lineup for coach Bob Todd, drove in two runs with a single to right center to cut the lead to 5-2.
Ohio State took the lead with four runs off three hits and an IU error in the third. Burkhart had an RBI single, Engle walked with the bases loaded and then Kennedy, from Bloomington, Ind., gave the Buckeyes the lead with a run-scoring single that made the score 6-5.
IU came right back, though, scoring three runs – two of them unearned – off four hits to reclaim an 8-6 advantage. Ohio State starter Jake Hale finished the inning, but that would be all for the junior, who gave up 11 hits and eight runs with only two of them earned. He walked six and struck out two. The freshman Wimmers came into the game in relief and would pitch extremely well in his longest outing of the year (5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB and 2 K).
The Buckeyes crept to within 8-7 with a single run in the fifth. J.B. Shuck drew a bases loaded, two-out walk that scored Cory Kovanda. IU reliever Matt Carr got out of a bases loaded jam by getting a soft liner out to end the inning.
Ohio State tied the game at 8-all in the eighth, scoring a run off two hits with help by IU’s fifth error of the game. Justin Miller, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a sacrifice fly by Kovanda.
In the ninth, Ohio State loaded the bases with one out but it could not score the winning run. IU’s Carr got OSU pinch-hitter Ryan Dew to ground into an inning-ending double play that sent the game into extra innings.
“Ryan hit the ball as hard as you can hit it, but it ended up being right at the second baseman and that’s the only way you get a double play in that situation,” Todd said.
Then in the 10th, with a Hoosier sitting on second and one out, Wimmers was replaced by Eric Best. Best got a fly ball out but then Andrew Means stroked a two-out double to left center to score the go-ahead run. One batter later, Chris Hervey singled to left to score Means giving IU a 10-8 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
The 2008 season came to a close after Ohio State went three-up-three-down in the 10th.
Some Final Game and Season Notes (with more to come next week):
- This is the last season for four-game Big Ten series that feature two seven-inning games and two nine-inning games. Next season the Big Ten schedule will consist of three nine inning games. Nine-inning double headers will be played Saturday and Sunday in the case of inclement weather claiming a Friday or Saturday game.
- 30 wins by this team kept alive a streak of 23 consecutive seasons of 30 wins or more for a Bob Todd-coached team, but the total was the fewest since Todd’s 1985 Kent State team finished 27-27.
- In 20 Big Ten tournament appearances under Bob Todd, Ohio State has been sent home after its first two games only five times.
- Ohio State left 15 runners stranded on base against the Hoosiers.
- IU starter Matt Bashore lasted but 2.1 winnings and allowed six runs, five of them earned, with six walks and two strikeouts.
- The Buckeyes hit .318 as a team and the pitching staff finished with a 4.99 ERA.Junior Justin Miller led the team in batting average (.395), hits (79), doubles (16), home runs (4) and RBI (61).
- Michael Arp (.367), J.B. Shuck (.356), Cory Kovanda (.324) and Tony Kennedy (.318) rounded out the top five Buckeye hitters by average.
- Shuck led with 47 runs and was followed closely by Kovanda (45) and Kennedy (43).
- Cory Rupert (39) and Kennedy (32) were second and third in RBI, respectively.
- Ten Buckeyes hit .300 or better.
- Dean Wolosiansky led the pitching staff with a 7-4 record and a 4.29 ERA.
- Reliever Eric Best also had a 4.29 ERA with 26 appearances and eight saves.
- Shuck’s 76 strikeouts were tops on the staff, as were Jake Hale’s 74.0 innings. Both players are juniors.
- Andrew Armstrong (4.42) and Alex Wimmers (4.50) joined Wolosiansky as freshmen pitchers with ERAs at 4.50 or below.
- The team loses four seniors: Dan DeLucia, Tony Kennedy, Chris Macke and Rory Meister.
- All four seniors will graduate next month. Well done. Good luck and all the best in your future endeavors.
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