Michigan State University
Ohio
Ohio Overpowers Spartan Baseball
3/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2001
Athens, Ohio - The Ohio Bobcats used nine home runs on Saturday (Mar. 17) to defeat the Michigan State baseball team by a score of 21-2. The Spartans (6-7 overall) committed a season-high seven errors on the day, contributing to the Bobcats (5-4 overall) victory. The two teams were to play a doubleheader today, however, due to the cold weather, the doubleheader was rescheduled for Sunday, Mar. 18 beginning at noon.
Brett Wattles (So., Rochester), who went four-for-five on the day, had the Spartans lone offensive highlight, as he blasted a lead-off home run to center field to put MSU ahead 1-0 in the first inning. It was his team-leading third homer of the year. The Spartans put two more runners on base in the inning but were unable to score them.
Ohio answered in the bottom of the first, taking a 2-1 lead off two hits and two Spartan throwing errors. Jeremy Johnson added a lead-off home run in the bottom of the second to increase the Bobcats' lead to 3-1.
The Bobcats broke the game open in the fourth inning, again, Johnson led off with a homer to right field, starting the offensive onslaught. The Bobcats then scored eight more runs and took a 12-1 lead off seven hits, including three home runs.
MSU scored the only run of the fifth inning off a single by Wattles that scored James Moreno (Fr., Holt). In the sixth, Mike Arbinger hit a three-run home run and Greg Myer belted a two-run homer and Andrew See hit a solo shot to increase Ohio's lead to 18-2. They hit two more solo home runs in the seventh inning and added another run to make the final score 21-2.
Starter Kyle Geswein (Jr., Dayton, Ohio) took the loss for MSU, pitching 3.2 innings, giving up nine hits, 10 runs (three earned) and struck-out two. For Ohio, Chuck Lombardy picked up his first win of the season, pitching six innings and giving up six hits and two runs.
Nick Bates (Jr., Blissfield) and Jon Huizinga (Jr., Wayland) are scheduled to pitch tomorrow's doubleheader for State.
Ohio 21, Michigan State 2 R H EMichigan State 100 010 000 2 8 7Ohio 210 906 30x 21 20 1
Win-Lombardy (1-0)Loss-Geswein (1-2)Sv.-Dunn (1)
