By BRIAN KEATTS
RIVERBANK PARK (April 4, 2013) - Wow. Coming off of a division championship in the Fall, Ohio State picked up right where they left off as they took to the banks of the Hudson for a chilly season opener against ASCAP. Demonstrating, yet again, a flare for the dramatic and refusing to wilt under pressure, OSU overcame a 6 run deficit and came without one out of losing before charging back to win 10-7.
Much like the weather, OSU started off cold, allowing ASCAP to
take a 6-0 lead after the 1st inning.
Such a start would demoralize a lesser team, but not these
Buckeyes. OSU began chipping away in the
2nd inning. Tom Antoniello led off with
a double and came around to score on a scorching double by Evan Binder. After Jessica Brown smartly moved Binder to
third with a sacrifice, David Loss came through in his first ever at-bat for
Ohio State with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
The Buckeye defense settled in from that point forward. Jen Harbour made her long awaited return to
the diamond and played a stellar second base, including sparking a 4-6-3 double
play that shifted momentum in favor of the Scarlet & Gray.
With the score unchanged, OSU struck again in the top of the 5th
inning. Loss led off with a single and
advanced to second one out later on a single by Kevin Ma. Denise Sluterbeck, who singled in her first
ever at-bat for the Bucks a few innings earlier and played flawlessly at the
catching position, reached on an error, allowing Loss to score. Rally Baby's Daddy, Jeff Kreisler, then
singled in another run. With ASCAP's nerves
clearly fraying, JT Ferrera reached on an error, allowing another run to
score. Brian Keatts followed with an RBI
single. The Bucks had come all the way
back, knotting the game a 6.
ASCAP regained the lead in the bottom of the 6th inning, scoring
once to take a 7-6 advantage. The damage
was limited by superb lunging snares of line drives by Antoniello at third and
Keatts at shortstop. Time for the
drama.
The first two Buckeye hitters went down quietly in the top of the
7th. Undaunted, Ferrera came through
with a clutch single to keep OSU alive.
Keatts then blasted a triple to right center field, tying the game. Curiously, ASCAP intentionally walked Jimmy
Klingensmith (his second walk of the evening) - showing little respect for
NYC's favorite DJ, Tom Antoniello. He
made them pay by lacing an RBI single to give Ohio State its first lead at 8-7. Binder and Brown then hit sharp grounders
that ASCAP couldn't handle, allowing two more runs to score. By the end of the inning, OSU had charged out
to a 10-7 lead.
The Buckeyes continued to flash the good leather in the bottom of
the 7th, slamming the door on their opponent.
It was truly an outstanding effort all around - no better way to start a
title defense. OSU looks to keep the
momentum going next week when they return to Riverbank Park to take on NY &
Company.
