ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Illinois pitcher Kevin Manson pitched a complete game and Joe Bonadonna’s seventh-inning home run was the difference in Illinois’ 3-2 win over Ohio State Wednesday in the opening game of the 2008 Big Ten tournament at Ray Fisher Stadium.
Manson scattered just four hits and did not walk a batter in throwing a victory over Ohio State for the second time this season. Manson, 8-2 on the season, gave up two unearned runs in the second inning and then retired 22 of the final 24 batters he faced to send Illinois (31-23) into a winner’s bracket game tomorrow against either Purdue or Michigan.
Ohio State, now 30-25, will play Thursday at 12:05 p.m. against the loser of the second game Wednesday between Indiana and Penn State.
“Manson did a good job of throwing that first pitch breaking ball for a strike,” Ohio State head coach Bob Todd said, “and when he threw us fast balls we didn’t capitalize.”
The Buckeyes’ four hits represented a season low. Zach Hurley, Cory Kovanda and Dan Burkhart were the only starters to register hits. Ryan Dew hit a pinch hit single to lead off the ninth inning, but Manson threw a double play grounder and a fly out to end the game.
Ohio State’s Todd elected to start senior Dan DeLucia in this opening tournament game. The fifth-year player and three-time captain had exited eight of his 10 starts this season with a lead and he was the team’s most experienced tournament pitcher. He left after pitching 4.0 innings with the score tied at 2-apiece. Freshman Dean Wolosiansky relieved in the fifth, worked 3.0 innings but took the loss after giving up the Bonadonna home run.
“We just felt that throwing a left-handed pitcher was the way to beat Illinois,” Todd said. “They had four or five left-handed batters in the lineup and that’s what we saw in Columbus. And you know what, for game one of this tournament, there’s nobody else I’d rather have out there in terms of mental toughness and poise than Dan DeLucia.
Illinois scored an unearned run in the first to take a 1-0 lead but Ohio State came back with two runs in the top of the second. Burkhart, whose 15 RBI in Big Ten games were second on the team, drove home both Hurley and Kovanda with a double to left center field. Kovanda, who reached on a two-out error, hustled to score from first. The two RBI raised Burkhart’s season total to 28.
The Illini tied it in the third as Brandon Wikoff hit a one-out double and scored on Daniel Webb’s two-out single.
Illlinois regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Bonadonna led off the inning with a home run. The Illini then put three more runners on base with singles but were unable to plate any additional runs. A fine diving stop by shortstop Tyler Engle saved a run from scoring before Wolosiansky was able to get the final out of the inning on a fly out.
But unfortunately on this day, Ohio State would not be able come back with a game-tying run. The Buckeyes are now 1-13 this season when trailing after the seventh inning.
Game Notes:
- The starting lineups for the two teams featured 16 .300 or better hitters among the 18 position players.
- Joe Bonadonna’s seventh inning home run that regained the lead for Illinois was his first of the season. It cleared the 36-foot wall in left field.
- Justin Miller hit the ball hard but had his 14-game hitting streak snapped.
- In five games this season at Ray Fisher Stadium, Ohio State has managed just 28 hits and eight runs scored.
- Look for Ohio State to start Jake Hale (5-3, 4.50 ERA) Thursday.
- Ohio State will be the home team Thursday.
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