Eight Is Enough - Buckeyes Win In Extra Innings

By BRIAN KEATTS

GREAT LAWN (June 21, 2013) - Ohio State returned to Central Park's Great Lawn for the first time in several seasons this evening and made the trip a memorable one.  Trailing late in the game, OSU rallied and came away with an 11-8 victory over Pubs in 8 innings.

Things started off well for the Bucks in the top of the 1st.  With 2 outs, Brian Keatts reached base on an error by the shortstop. Jimmy Klingensmith singled and everyone came home when Jonathan Graham cleared the bases with a 3-run home run.  Advantage Buckeyes.

Ohio State added to their lead in the 4th inning.  Carly Klingensmith started things off with a sharp single and took third on a double by brother Jimmy.  Graham came through with a double, scoring the Klingensmiths and giving OSU a 5-0 lead.

Over the next two innings the wheels fell off a bit as Pubs scored 8 times, most of which were unearned, to take an 8-5 lead heading into the 6th inning.  As has become their specialty in recent years, the Bucks rallied.

JT Ferrera led off the 7th with a double.  With one out, Keatts connected for a 2-run homer, cutting the deficit to one.  Brother Jimmy collected his third hit of the day with a single, using his speed to take second after some lacksidasical fielding by the Pubs.  Andrew Vannata came through with a clutch two out single to knot the game at 8.

The Buckeyes fielding shined from that point forward - holding Pubs in checks for the rest of the evening.  Jackie Sunderland made a fine play from the catcher position to snag a foul ball for a key out.  Not to be outdone, Denise Sluterbeck accomplished a similar feat the next inning at catcher.  Ted Anderson, Kevin Ma, Anne Teutschel and Sam Strassman all added to the cause by fielding their positions in fine fashion.

With the game tied at 8 and darkness encroaching, the game moved to extra innings.  In the top of the 8th, Jen Harbour reached base on a fielder’s choice.  With two outs, Carly came up big with a single, making it two chicks on the pond with two outs.  Keatts then lifted a 3-run homer to right center field, and with that Ohio State had retaken the lead at 11-8.

OSU put the game away in the bottom half of the 8th, capped by a fine diving stop and put out by Jeff Kreisler at first base.  It was a satisfying victory for the Scarlet and Gray, who return to the field on June 25th for the season finale against the undefeated Lawsox on the banks of the East River.

OSU's Resiliency Too Much For TCI

By BRIAN KEATTS

EAST RIVER (November 9, 2011) - Ohio State concluded the fall season in dramatic fashion, overcoming a late-inning deficit to pull out a 12-10 victory in 9 innings.

The Buckeyes broke out on top in the first inning on a double by Tommy Antoniello, who came around to score on an errant throw by the TCI third baseman on a ground ball. The lead was short lived however, as TCI took a 3-1 lead after one inning. OSU chipped away in the second inning. Carly Klingensmith led off the inning with a single, one of her four hits on the evening. Andrew Vannata and Rebecca (Ms. Nackson if you're nasty) Nackson followed with singles to cut the lead to 3-2. Then things got interesting. Though Vannata was clearly safe at 3rd on a Kevin Ma grounder, the umpire - who was sporting a seven o'clock shadow and coming off an 8 day bender - called Vannata out, despite TCI's acknowledgement that he was safe. The umpire was quoted as saying, "My bad", but the call stood. Instead of having bases loaded with no outs, the Bucks had runners at first and second with one out. A double play then put an end to a once promising inning.

Facing a 5-2 deficit, the Buckeyes struck again in the top of the 4th. Brian Keatts reached second on an error by the third baseman, and scored on a Klingensmith single, making the score 5-3. TCI extended the lead to 7-3, but Ohio State remained undeterred.

With the game nearing its conclusion, the Bucks stood tall in the top half of the 6th. Jonathan Keller tripled to start the frame, and scored when John McClafferty followed with a two run homer. A Keatts walk and (another) single by Klingensmith put runners on first and second. Vannata blooped a shot that confused the TCI fielders, and resulted in runners at the corners with one out. Ma came through with a two out single that scored Keatts and a hustling Vannata, tying the game at 7.

The Buckeyes mowed down TCI in the bottom half of the 6th, due in no small part to the nice game called by the Buckeye catcher, Viviana (Don't-Call-Me-VD) Dinucci. OSU's momentum carried into the top of the 7th inning, when they would score three more times. Juton Horstman and Antoniello set the table with back-to-back singles. With two outs, Keatts doubled down the line to score two runs, and came around to score on (another) Klingensmith single.

Ohio State took a 10-7 advantage into the bottom half of the 7th inning. Unfortunately, TCI managed to put together a 3 run rally. Let's not dwell on that - on to extra innings.

After a scoreless 8th inning, and with the fans on their feet as the longest game of the year now stretched into the 9th inning, more Buckeye drama unfolded. Antoniello singled to start the inning, and remained on first with two outs when Keatts belted a two run home run to centerfield, giving Ohio State a 12-10 lead. This time, the Buckeyes made the lead stand up, closing out TCI in the bottom of the 9th to earn the 12-10 victory - and a fine finish to the season.