By BRIAN KEATTS
MORNINGSIDE PARK (April 22, 2008) - The Buckeyes put on quite a show in their season opener this evening, erasing an early five run deficit to defeat the Mighty Hurricanes 12-10. OSU's veteran presence combined with an infusion of new talent looked like it could be a force to be reckoned with in 2008.
Ohio State showed some rust in the field in the top of the 1st inning, allowing the Hurricanes to jump ahead 4-0. OSU got three of those runs back in the bottom half of the frame. With 2 outs and Lee Abramowitz on second base, Dave Busick smacked an RBI single. Sam Rosner followed with a 2 run blast, bringing the Buckeyes to within a run.
It took another couple of innings for the Bucks to completely shake off the rust. Heading into the bottom of the 3rd inning, OSU found themselves trailing by a score of 8-3. Kevin Ma started off the 3rd inning with a single, and scored with two outs when Nick Ponder stroked a triple. Brian Keatts drove home Ponder with a single, making the score 8-5.
Rick Muskat and Claire McClafferty found the zone after that. The pitcher/catcher duo shut out the Hurricanes over the next three innings. They were aided by some fine fielding by the likes of John McClafferty, Mike Green and a new slick-fielding second baseman, Annie Heck.
The Bucks chipped away at the lead in the 4th inning when Alicia Korney hit a screaming double down the left field line to score Rosner. The Bucks inflicted the bulk of the damage in the bottom half of the 6th inning, when they turned a 2 run deficit into a 4 run lead. Ma and Jackie Sunderland lead off the 6th with back to back singles. With 1 out, Ponder hit an RBI double. Keatts cleared the bases with a double of his own, giving Ohio State a 9-8 lead. Abramowitz and Busick followed with RBI singles. The scoring was completed when Danny Muskat lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Busick and staking Ohio State to a 12-8 lead.
Though the Hurricanes managed to score twice in the top of the 7th inning, the Bucks eventually slammed the door shut to claim an exciting 12-10 win. It was a great start to a long season. Ohio State returns to the field on May 1st when they take on the U.S. Bank Five Stars.
