Wednesday, August 3, 2011

OSU Shuts Down Dublin House

By BRIAN KEATTS

RIVERSIDE PARK (August 2, 2011) - The Buckeyes entered the make-up part of their schedule by playing two on the banks of the Hudson River this evening. OSU exercised timely hitting and superb hitting to walk away with a 9-4 win over Dublin House in the opener.

After Dublin House took a 2-0 lead to start the game, Ohio State took the lead for good in the bottom of the 1st inning. Brian Keatts laced a one-out single up the middle and scored on a triple by Evan Binder, who peppered the first baseman with sharp grounders all day. JT Ferrera followed with an RBI double and came around to score on a grounder by Carly Klingensmith giving Ohio State a 3-2 lead.

The Buckeyes added a run in the 3rd inning. Singles by Binder and Ferrera put runners on the corners. Ethan Linen came through with a big two-out double to give OSU a 4-2 advantage. Ohio State broke it open in the bottom of the 4th inning by scoring three more times. Anne Teutschel, who put on an impressive display of pregnancy softball (so much so that the team is considering requiring that next season's female players play whilst knocked up), reached base with one out. John McClafferty reached when Dublin House couldn't handle his hot shot. Both scored on Binder's second triple of the game. Ferrera connected for an RBI single, making the score 7-2 after 4 innings.

The Buckeyes held Dublin House in check behind some strong fielding. Kevin Ma stepped in to man second base, while Claire McClafferty called her typical smart game from behind the plate. Andrew Vannata roamed the outfield while contributing a hit to the cause. And, Klingensmith sparkled at third base in both game. These efforts did not go unnoticed - by anyone at Riverside Park - thanks to the color commentary provided by Jeff Kriesler, who found himself on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the evening.

After Dublin House managed to scratch out two runs in the top of the 6th inning, Ohio State served notice that there would be no comeback win on this night by returning the favor in the bottom half of the frame. Teutschel singled and scored on a home run by Keatts that completed the scoring at 9-4.

After a brief respite, Ohio State returned to the field for the second game, this time taking on the league's top team. Despite a valiant effort, the Bucks dropped a 9-4 decision, evening their record at 5-5. The season finale is on August 5th, as the squad looks to finish with a winning record and possibly weave their way into the playoffs.

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