Baby Rally Sparks Dramatic Ohio State Victory

By BRIAN KEATTS

RIVERSIDE PARK (April 17, 2012) - Ohio State softball returned to the banks of the Hudson River this evening to kick off their 12th season...and did so in style. Facing a 2 run deficit heading into the bottom of the 6th inning, and with the umpire threatening to call the game after 6 innings due to darkness, the Buckeyes pulled off one of the signature comebacks that they have became known for over all these years and came away with an 8-7 victory over Dublin House.

The House jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, which was quickly erased in the bottom half of the frame. With one out, Brian Keatts doubled and took third on a single by Tom Antoniello. Evan Binder lofted a sacrifice fly to score Keatts, and J.T. Ferrara completed the scoring with an RBI single.

The scored remained unchanged over the next few innings, during which the Bucks demonstrated some early season proficiency in the field. This included Andrew Vanatta scooping up grounders at shortstop, Ethan Linen tracking down fly balls and Viviana Dinucci ("VD") holding it down behind the plate.

Dublin House took a 4-2 lead in the top of the 4th inning, but once again, the lead was short-lived. Ohio State's two out rally in the bottom half of the game tied things up. Antoniello, Binder and Ferrara hit back-to-back-to-back singles to bring the Bucks within a run. Anne Teutschel followed with a solid single to load the bases. After Dublin House couldn't handle a Linen blooper, Binder scored and the game was knotted at 4.

Ohio State took a 5-4 lead after 5 innings when newcomer Jonathan Graham led off the inning with a single and scored on a one out line drive single by Kevin Ma. The House rebounded for 3 runs in the top of the 6th to grab a 7-5 lead. With darkness approaching, the umpire ruled that the game might not reach the 7th. So, the Buckeyes struck quickly. Binder doubled and showed his wheels by coming around to score on a double by Ferrara, closing the gap to 7-6. The scoring ended there, and the game moved to the 7th, where OSU shut down the House to get to their last licks. That's when the Buckeyes brought out their new weapon, the "Baby Rally" - spearheaded by 4 month-old Scott Kriesler, spawn of Anne and Jeff (each of whom picked up a hit between diaper changes). The Baby Rally proved to be unstoppable. Jessica Brown clubbed a double to lead off the inning, and scored when Graham followed with a sharp single. However, the Baby Rally had clearly flustered the Dublin squad, and they failed to cleanly field the single, threw the ball away, allowing an alert Graham to round the bases and score the winning run. Dramatic, indeed.

Ohio State looks to keep the momentum going when they return to the field on April 26th to take on Thirteam.

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.

Shorthanded Buckeyes Turn Back Perfect Strangers

By BRIAN KEATTS

DEWITT CLINTON (November 3, 2011) - On an unusually warm November evening, the Ohio State Buckeyes overcame playing short-handed, with an automatic out, and a three run deficit to emerge with a 6-4 victory over Perfect Strangers.

Playing 9 against 10, OSU allowed 3 runs to come across the plate in the top of the first inning. However, the Bucks quickly got a pair of those runs back in the bottom half of the frame. Juton Horstman led things off with a single and advanced to third on a seeing-eye double by DJ Tommy Antoniello. Sacrificing themselves for the greater good, Jonathan Keller and John McClafferty followed with run producing sacrifice flys to draw OSU within a run.

After a scoreless second inning, the teams traded runs in the 3rd. Keller and McClaffery started the inning with singles, and the bases were soon loaded after a walk to Brian Keatts. Keller later came home on a ground ball by Andrew Vannata.

From the 4th inning on, the Buckeye defense refused to talk to Strangers, or allow them to cross home plate. Carly Klingensmith was particularly sure-handed at third base.

The Buckeyes took the lead for good in the bottom half of the 4th inning. With one out, OSU's key last minute pick up, Whitney-The-Red-Headed-Twin, stroked a solid single. The automatic out followed, and so did a Buckeye rally. Horstman and Antoniello walked to load the bases. Keller then came through with a 2-RBI single, giving Ohio State a 5-4 lead.

OSU added an insurance run in the 5th inning when Keatts lead off the inning with a single and later scored on and RBI single by Kevin Ma. The Buckeyes then closed out the game for well earned 6-4 victory. Ohio State takes their talents to the East River next week for the season finale.

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.

Buckeyes Tax McGladrey in 17-13 Comeback Win

By KEVIN MA

ROOSEVELT ISLAND (July 20, 2011) – The Ohio State Buckeyes took a much needed victory this evening as they beat McGladrey 17-13 at Pony Field in Roosevelt Island. With this win, the Buckeyes are back at .500 and move closer to clinch a playoff spot with three games remaining this season.

John McClafferty led off the game with a triple, and scored as Carly Klingensmith reached base. Tom Antoniello followed with a double, putting two ducks on the pond in scoring position. Carly’s brother James “Brother Jimmy” Klingensmith then smoked a triple to drive in two runs. After a walk to Claire McClafferty, Jeff Kriesler hit a fielder’s choice to bring in James.

Led by ex-Bucks Alicia Korney, McGladrey came back and scored three runs at the bottom of the frame. Though, the Bucks answered with one run in the next inning. John McClafferty singled, and moved to second on Carly Klingensmith’s grounder. Antoniello then lined a single off the opposing pitcher (a Tyler Clippard lookalike), sending in John to make it 5-3.

The narrow field at Pony Field did not help the Buckeyes at the bottom of the second inning, as McGladrey scored seven runs with some lucky hits and miscues from the defense.

The theme for the Bucks this year is comeback, and the comeback trail started at the top of the third inning. Kreisler singled, and moved to second on Jessica Brown’s pop fly. Kevin Ma then hit a single up the middle to bring in Kreisler. After Anne Teutschel singled, super-sub Kit from Boston College hit a double to bring in Ma and cut McGladrey’s lead down to three.

It took the Bucks one inning to remove a 3-run deficit and put 3 additional runs on the board. Carly Klingensmith walked, and moved to third base on James Klingensmith’s double. Claire McClafferty bought in Carly with a fielder’s choice, followed by Kreisler’s single bringing in James. The hit parade continued as Brown singled, and another single by Ma scored another run. Teutschel then singled, followed by Kit’s second double of the game as Brown and Ma scored. John McClafferty hit another single to bring in Teutschel, and when all said and done the Bucks batted around and scored six runs to put them back on the top.

McGladrey scored a run at the bottom of the 4th, but the hitting onslaught from the Bucks resumed. James Klingensmith belted a solo homer in the fifth inning, followed by singles from Claire McClafferty, Kreisler and Brown to load the bases. Ma drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Claire for another run. McGladrey scored two runs at the bottom of 5th, but the Bucks answered with their own two runs. John McClafferty led off the 6th inning with a walk, and Antoniello hit a long homer to the left, cashing in another two runs to make it 17-13.

The Buckeyes were able to hold McGladrey’s heart of the order in check at the bottom of the frame, and the umpire called the game due to darkness. Three games remaining on Buckeyes’ schedule and all three games will be played in the first week of August. Stay tuned.

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.

Buckeyes Storm Back for Dramatic Victory

By BRIAN KEATTS

QUEENSBRIDGE PARK (May 19, 2011) – Don’t call it a comeback…they’ve been here for years. Finding themselves down 5-1 heading into the top of the final inning against a very good K&L Gates team, only two outs away from defeat, Ohio State summoned one of the great rallies in team history. Everyone in the Buckeyes' short-handed lineup of nine players scored, and when all was said and done, OSU scored 11 times en route to a rousing 12-8 victory to remain unbeaten on the season.

Things started off quietly for Ohio State, who failed to score in the first three innings while playing a fielder short and breaking in several new players. However, the team gelled quickly, with Jessica Brown pitching 6 strong innings and Grace Sacro returning behind the plate to turn in the defensive gem of the game by deftly hauling in a pop up. Facing a 5-0 deficit, the Buckeyes broke through in the top of the 4th inning. John McClafferty led off the inning with a double and scored on back to back sacrifice flys by Brian Keatts and Evan Binder.

Oho State kept the momentum going by shutting out K&L Gates for the next two innings while mastering the challenging grounds of Queens Vernon Boulevard Field - and doing so with only three outfielders. Then came the drama.

With darkness falling and down to their final two outs, the Bucks exploded in the top of the 6th inning. John McClafferty singled and advanced to third on a double by Keatts. Both came home when Binder blasted a three run homer to right field. Energized, J.T. Ferrara and Claire McClafferty followed with sharp singles, which in turn were followed by an RBI single by Kevin Ma to tie the game. Unsatisfied, OSU went for the knockout blow...and delivered. Brown singled to load the bases. Tom Antoniello drove home the go ahead runs with a 2-RBI single. After Sacro reached base to load the bases, John McClafferty commenced unloading them with a 2-RBI single. A Keatts single loaded the bases again. Binder picked up his 5th RBI on a sacrifice fly. Ferrara capped the scoring with a 2-RBI single, giving Ohio State a 12-5 advantage heading into the final inning. The opposition managed to scrape up a few runs before Ohio State closed the door for a 12- 8 win.

The OSU squad showed a lot of heart this evening, and looks to keep the momentum going when they return to the field on May 24th against Thirteam.