Buckeyes Storm Back for Dramatic Victory

By BRIAN KEATTS

QUEENSBRIDGE PARK (May 19, 2011) – Don’t call it a comeback…they’ve been here for years. Finding themselves down 5-1 heading into the top of the final inning against a very good K&L Gates team, only two outs away from defeat, Ohio State summoned one of the great rallies in team history. Everyone in the Buckeyes' short-handed lineup of nine players scored, and when all was said and done, OSU scored 11 times en route to a rousing 12-8 victory to remain unbeaten on the season.

Things started off quietly for Ohio State, who failed to score in the first three innings while playing a fielder short and breaking in several new players. However, the team gelled quickly, with Jessica Brown pitching 6 strong innings and Grace Sacro returning behind the plate to turn in the defensive gem of the game by deftly hauling in a pop up. Facing a 5-0 deficit, the Buckeyes broke through in the top of the 4th inning. John McClafferty led off the inning with a double and scored on back to back sacrifice flys by Brian Keatts and Evan Binder.

Oho State kept the momentum going by shutting out K&L Gates for the next two innings while mastering the challenging grounds of Queens Vernon Boulevard Field - and doing so with only three outfielders. Then came the drama.

With darkness falling and down to their final two outs, the Bucks exploded in the top of the 6th inning. John McClafferty singled and advanced to third on a double by Keatts. Both came home when Binder blasted a three run homer to right field. Energized, J.T. Ferrara and Claire McClafferty followed with sharp singles, which in turn were followed by an RBI single by Kevin Ma to tie the game. Unsatisfied, OSU went for the knockout blow...and delivered. Brown singled to load the bases. Tom Antoniello drove home the go ahead runs with a 2-RBI single. After Sacro reached base to load the bases, John McClafferty commenced unloading them with a 2-RBI single. A Keatts single loaded the bases again. Binder picked up his 5th RBI on a sacrifice fly. Ferrara capped the scoring with a 2-RBI single, giving Ohio State a 12-5 advantage heading into the final inning. The opposition managed to scrape up a few runs before Ohio State closed the door for a 12- 8 win.

The OSU squad showed a lot of heart this evening, and looks to keep the momentum going when they return to the field on May 24th against Thirteam.

Buckeyes Prevail in "Good Friday Massacre"

By BRIAN KEATTS

CENTRAL PARK (April 22, 2011) - Ohio State opened its 2011 campaign in Central Park in fine fashion, knocking of Edison by the score of 17-2. Though the Bucks welcomed several new faces to the squad, the result was one that OSU softball fans have become familiar with over the past decade.

After shutting down Edison in the top of the 1st, Ohio State took a lead they would not relinquish in the bottom half of the frame - thanks in part to some superior plate discipline. Andrew Vannata and Brian Keatts started off the inning with back-to-back walks (2 of 8 walks drawn by the Bucks on the evening). Both scored on a triple by Evan Binder. A Kevin Sheen sacrifice fly made it 3-0 OSU. The McClafferty's then reached base, via a single by John and a walk by Claire. Newcomer Carly Klingensmith, whom the Buckeyes drafted out of Macalester College in Minnesota this spring, completed the scoring with an RBI single.

Ohio State started the 2nd inning just like the 1st; this time it was new recruits Jeff "Funny Man" Kriesler and Jessica Brown who lead off the inning with back-to-back walks. Vannata reached base to load them, and took part in a scoring barrage courtesy of RBI hits by the likes of Binder, Sheen, Ethan Linen and Klingensmith. Newcomer Anne "If It Ain't Hoboken Don't Fix It" Teutschel (she hails from Hoboken) got into the act with her keen eye by drawing the ever difficult RBI walk. By the end of the inning Ohio State lead 11-0.

OSU allowed Edison two sympathy runs in the top of the 3rd inning, but that would be it for the evening. The Bucks got those runs back, and then some, in the bottom of the inning. Vannata hit a one out triple and scored on a fly ball by Keatts. Binder, Sheen, John McClafferty, Claire McClafferty and Linen ignited a hit parade with five singles in a row, extending the Buckeye lead to 17-2 after three innings. The mercy rule ended things when Edison went quietly in the top of the 5th inning.

It was a fine way to start the season for the Buckeyes. The competition is sure to increase in difficulty as the season wears on. Ohio State returns to the field on May 4th when they make their lone visit to Queens Vernon Blvd Field to take on K&L Gates.