Buckeyes Win Thriller to Advance to Title Game

By BRIAN KEATTS

HARLEM (November 26, 2012) - There are good wins, and then there are those rare, foundation-building great wins that are remembered throughout the years.  Over the past dozen years, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been fortunate enough to rack up some great wins.  This evening, they got another one.  Trailing a very strong McGladrey team 8-0 after an inning and a half, these Buckeyes showed their mettle and battled back for an 11-10 victory, propelling them into the title game.

As the Buckeyes came to bat in the bottom of the 2nd inning, they found themselves in an 8-0 hole - McGladrey having pounded the ball the first 2 innings.  The momentum was about to change.  Jimmy Klingensmith led off the inning with a double, scoring when DJ Tom Antoniello stroked an RBI single.  Brian Keatts followed with a double down the left field line, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd.  Tom O'Leary smacked a single to score both runners, cutting the deficit to 8-3.

It was at this point that OSU dug in its heels and started flashing the good leather.  Kevin Ma and Jessica Brown patrolled the outfield, while Vivianna Dinucci held down the catching duties, calling a good game behind the plate.  Soon, the Buckeyes were back at bat, creeping closer.

With 1 out in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Andrew Vannata used his keen eye to draw a walk.  Juton Horstman followed with a single.  With 2 out, Jon Graham came through with a huge three-run homer to bring OSU within 2 runs at 8-6.

Ohio State continued chipping away in the 4th inning.  Keatts reached second base on a fielding error to lead things off.  With one out, JT Ferrera lined a single to score Keatts.  With two outs and 2 on, Andrew Singer came through with a run scoring single.  OSU had come all the way back to tie the game at 8.

With the momentum firmly on their side, The Buckeyes took the lead in the 5th inning.  Horstman singled to start things off and moved to second when Carly Klingensmith crushed a single.  After a fielder's choice, Jimmy Klingensmith stroked an RBI single.  Antoniello then lined a single, scoring two more and giving OSU an 11-8 advantage.

McGladrey scored twice in the top of the 6th inning to draw within a run, making for a suspense-filled 7th inning.  OSU held strong in the field and shut out McGladrey, putting the finishing touches on a dramatic 11-10 victory.  Ohio State now plays in the Championship Game on November 29th against a Cooper team that has been dispatching its opponents with ease in the post season.

OSU Quiets Chaos to Reach Final Four

By BRIAN KEATTS

HARLEM (November 19, 2012) - The top seeded Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) played like it this evening in their first trip to Harlem's 128th Street Field, as they displayed solid fielding and timely hitting in dispatching 8th seeded Chaos by a score of 9-3 in the opening round of the playoffs.  With the win, the Buckeyes advance to the Final Four against #5 seed McGladrey.

After a quiet 1st inning, the Buckeyes got on the board in the 2nd.  Brian Keatts led off the inning with a triple to deep right centerfield.  Tom O'Leary followed with a double to give OSU a lead they would never relinquish.  With two outs, Jessica Brown singled and OSU held a 2-0 lead heading into the 3rd inning.

Kevin Ma started off the bottom of the 3rd with a single.  The Bucks then scored three more times.  Carly Klingensmith hit a one out single to put runners at first and second. Jon Graham reached on a fielder's choice, leaving the Bucks with 2 on and 2 out.  Jimmy Klingensmith came through with a clutch, 2-RBI double, followed by an RBI single by Tom Antoniello to give Ohio State a 5-0 advantage.

The Buckeyes continued to keep Chaos in check with an excellent fielding performance.  Andrew Vannata patrolled the outfield as part of the 13 player rotation the Buckeyes successfully employed on the diamond.  Meanwhile, the OSU offense continued to tack on runs.  O'Leary led off the 4th with a single, and scored when Viviana Dinucci laced a two-out hit that landed her at third base.  Ohio State scored again in the 5th when Juton Horstman's triple (a shot to left field) was backed up by a sacrifice from Carly Klingensmith.

In the top of the 6th, Chaos finally broke through for 2 runs to close within 7-2.  However, the Buckeyes quickly regained the momentum by re-assuming their lead and scoring twice more in the bottom half of the frame (OSU scored in all but the 1st inning).  Jimmy K started things with a double and held his ground when Antoniello singled.  Keatts followed with a single to load the bases.  O'Leary followed with a sacrifice to score a run.  Pam Swidler completed the scoring with a single, giving Ohio State a 9-2 lead.

Chaos scored a meaningless run in the top of the 7th before OSU slammed the door shut on an impressive 9-3 victory.  The Buckeyes advance to the Final Four, to be held on November 26^th at Harlem’s 128^th Street Field.  A Final Four appearance is nice, but these Buckeyes have their sights set on the big prize.

Buckeyes Give Wedding Crashers the Boot, 18-0

By BRIAN KEATTS

HARLEM (October 16, 2012) - Making their lone appearance in Harlem for the season, the Buckeyes gave the locals something to remember.  OSU put forth their most dominating performance of the season, eliminating the Wedding Crashers 18-0 in a game ended by the mercy rule after 5 innings.  In that span, the Buckeyes amassed 16 hits, with 9 of their 11 batters scoring at least once.

Juton Horstman started the game with a home run, providing the only run OSU would need.  Jimmy Klingensmith doubled with one out and scored on a single by Jon Graham.  Brian Keatts and Tom O'Leary followed with a single and double, respectively.  Andy Singer then stroked a single to drive in two more and complete the scoring for the inning at 5-0. 

Kevin Ma led off the 2nd inning with a single and scored when Horstman hit his second home run.  Pam Swidler followed with a walk.  Klingensmith and Keatts then peppered the third baseman with grounders that he could not handle.  A sacrifice by O'Leary drove home the 4th and final run of the inning, giving Ohio State a 9-0 advantage.

The Buckeyes put another five spot on the board in the 3rd inning.  Linda Vannata, making a rare substitute appearance, reached on an error.  She advanced to third on a fielder's choice by Horstman.  Swidler reached on an error, scoring Linda.  Klingensmith then tripled to clear the bases, which was followed by a run scoring triple by Graham and a run scoring double by Keatts, staking Ohio State to a 14-0 lead.

OSU took it easy on their hapless opponent and only scored once in the 4th inning.  That occurred when Viviana Dinnuci reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to 3rd on a double by Andrew Vannata, and scored on a fielder's choice by Linda.

By this point, the umpire had seen enough and tried to end the game after 4 innings.  However, law and order prevailed, and the umpire relented and allowed the game to move forward to the 5th inning, per rule.  The Buckeyes took the opportunity to score three more times. After a Klingensmith fielder's choice and a double by Graham put runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs, Keatts hit a home run[1] down the left field line.  The Buckeye defense made the 18-0 lead stand up in the bottom half of the frame, securing the shutout performance by O'Leary on the mound.

The win keeps Ohio State in first place at 6-0 with one game to go.  The Buckeyes return to the field on October 26^th in their continued quest for a perfect season.

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[1] Yes, that was a home run.