Ohio State Deals Mamiye Sales First Loss in Convincing Fashion

By BRIAN KEATTS 

HECKSCHER FIELD (May 6, 2013) - Ohio State returned to Central Park for the first time this season tonight to take on the undefeated and division leading Mamiye Sales team.  Mamiye is undefeated no more, as the Buckeyes put on a strong performance - shutting out the sales squad en route to a 7-0 victory.

Ohio State got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd inning when James Klingensmith led off with a single and advanced to third on a single by Jason Smith.  With one out, Andrew Vannata stroked an RBI single, staking Ohio State to a 1-0 lead. 

With the strong pitching and fielding the Buckeyes displayed, one run would prove to be enough.  Jeff Kreisler made his first start of the season and was outstanding on the hill.  Veterans Kevin Ma and Brian Keatts capably manned the outfield and infield, respectively.  OSU also utilized their overflowing estrogen wisely - rotating a team record six female players throughout the game.  Carly Klingensmith, Jessica Brown, Jen Harbour, Pam Swidler, Denise Sluterbeck and Anne Teutschel (who teamed with husband Jeff to form the first ever husband/wife pitcher-catcher battery in franchise history) flawlessly stalked the field - leaving the sales team with little hope of cashing in on a base hit.

The Buckeyes broke the game open in the 3rd inning.  Kriesler led off with a single and scored when Jon Graham (who was no doubt inspired by the posting of the team stats earlier in the day, which showed him starting the season 0 for 7) laced a two-run homer down the right field line.  With two outs, Tom Antoniello doubled and came around to score when Evan Binder launched a triple.  James Klingensmith followed with a long home run, giving OSU a 6-0 lead.

Ohio State tacked on a run in the bottom of the 5th inning when Kriesler reached second on an error and later scored on a ground ball.  Thoroughly demoralized, Mamiye went quietly in the latter innings.  It was a big win for the Bucks, who return to Riverbank for a Friday night affair on May 17th to take on Fury.

Buckeyes Lay Down the Lawsox

By BRIAN KEATTS

EAST RIVER (May 14, 2012) - The Buckeyes overcame a 3 run deficit to earn a 6-5 victory over the previously unbeaten Lawsox on the banks of the East River this evening.  After yet another impressive victory (made even more so by the absence of the Rally Baby), Ohio State's record stands at 3-1.

With the Lawsox holding a 3-0 advantage, the Bucks got on the board in the top of the 3rd inning.  Andrew Vanatta led off the inning with a single, advancing on a sharp grounder by Ethan Linen that proved too hot to handle.  Eileen Howe, who made her Buckeye debut via Alabama, advanced the runners with a key sacrifice.  Kevin Ma followed with a clutch RBI single.  Linen then scored on a Lawsox fielding error, bringing the Buckeyes to within 3-2 after the frame.

After the Lawsox extended their lead to 4-2, the Buckeyes returned to the plate during a steady rain.  Brian Keatts doubled with one out and came home when Evan Binder belted a two-run homer.  With the score knotted at 4 after 3 ½ innings, the Buckeyes turned up the heat on defense.  Viviana Dinucci moved from behind the plate to second base for this game (in part due to a failed public relations campaign entitled “Catch VD”), and made a bid to hold down the spot with her fine fielding.  Tom Antoniello kept runners at bay with his strong arm in left field, while JT Ferrara shuttled between the outfield and infield, excelling at both.

With the lights on and the rain having subsided, OSU made their move in the top of the 6th inning.  Jon Graham started the inning with a single and scored when Jessica Brown scorched a double down the left field line.  With one down, Keatts lined a single up the middle to advance Brown to third base.  Binder then lofted a sacrifice fly, scoring Brown and giving Ohio State its first lead at 6-4. 

That's the way things stood going into the bottom of the 7th, when Ohio State conceded a run before closing the case on the Lawsox with continued solid defense.  It was another big win for OSU over a strong opponent - a theme the Buckeyes will look to continue when they return to the field on May 24th.

Buckeyes Break Out Big Bats in 15-5 Victory

By BRIAN KEATTS

ROOSEVELT ISLAND (June 3, 2011) - Ohio State didn't need to rely on their late inning magic on this evening. Instead, they jumped out to an early lead that they never relinquished and cruised to a 15-5 win over JWT to move to 3-1 on the season.

Kevin Sheen and Evan Binder took advantage of some suspect JWT fielding to start the game and reached base safely. Tom Antoniello made JWT pay by blasting a three-run homer to give the Buckeyes the early lead. The McClafferty's then went to work, with John drawing a walk and Claire reaching base on a sharp single. Both came around to score on a triple by Andrew Vannata, extending the OSU lead to 5-0 after half a frame.

JWT managed to cut the lead to 5-3 after one inning, but they would get no closer. OSU put up another 5 spot in the second inning, which began with a single by Jeff Kriesler. Sheen followed with an RBI double and scored on a double by Brian Keatts. Binder singled to put runners on the corners, with Keatts scoring on a fly ball by Antoniello. John McClafferty then laced a 2 RBI single to complete the scoring.

Ohio State did not let up. In the top of the 3rd inning the Buckeyes added another 5 runs to their tally. Kevin Ma started the inning with a single, followed by Jessica Brown reaching base on a fielder's choice. Sheen singled with one out. Keatts followed with an RBI double, which preceded a double by Binder that scored two more. Antoniello completed the scoring by rounding the bases when the JWT center fielder, who had a difficult evening with the glove, couldn't handle a fly ball. After 2 1/2 innings, Ohio State held a commanding 15-3 lead.

The Buckeyes flashed the good leather for the rest of the game to keep JWT in check. Carly Klingensmith played a stellar third-base, making several putouts and collecting two hits. The highlights, however, came when the Bucks threw out not one, but two runners at home to thwart a would-be run scoring triple and a home run. Antoniello-to-Klingensmith-to Claire McClafferty mowed down the first runner, while John McClafferrty-to-Antoniello-to Claire took care of the second victim. On both occasions Claire stood tall at the plate, undeterred by the recent season ending injury to Giants' catcher Buster Posey during a collision at home, to apply the tags.

Ohio State gets looks to continue their ascension in the standings when they take on the first place and undefeated (5-0) 24/7 Real Media on June 9th.