Bucks' earn top seed in conference tourney
Right: Ohio State closer Jake Hale broke a school record by earning his 15th save of the season, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning against Iowa, Saturday afternoon. (File Photo)
The Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team secured the top-seed in the Big Ten baseball tournament next weekend and won the Big Ten regular season championship by sweeping the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they needed a little help, which they got from Penn State.
The Buckeyes finished the regular season with a record of 18-6, and held a half-game lead over second place Minnesota, who were still playing the Nittany Lions at Medlar Field in State College, Penn., after the Buckeyes defeated Iowa on Saturday.
If Minnesota had won, the Gophers would of claimed the Big Ten regular season title, but the Nittany Lions scored five consecutive runs after trailing 8-5 to start the fifth inning, and the PSU relievers pitched six shutout frames to deny the Gophers the conference crown.
Earlier back in Columbus, the Buckeyes trailed the Hawkeyes 4-0 entering the sixth inning, but scored five times in the home half of the frame thanks to a two-run double by Cory Kovanda, an RBI single from Dan Burkhart, and a two-run homer over the center field fence off the bat of Justin Miller.
Iowa added a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to take an 6-5 lead, but the Ohio State came right back in their half of the eighth as Ryan Dew hit a one-out single, Miller walked, and Micahel Arp’s single loaded the bases. Tyler Engle followed with a double to right field that plated Miller and Dew. Arp later scored when Kovanda reached on an error, making the score 8-6 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Buckeyes’ closer Jake Hale come on in relief in the ninth and faced the minimum three batters to earn his 15th save of the season, breaking a school record.
Drew Rucinski recorded the win for Ohio State, allowing two runs on two hits in two innings of work with one strikeout and one walk. Starting pitcher Eric Best last six frames and gave up four runs on seven hits while fanning six and issuing just one base on balls.
Up next in the Big Ten tournament, Ohio State will take on the lowest seed winner of the games pitting (4) Illinois vs. (5) Michigan State, or (3) Indiana vs. (6) Purdue. The Buckeyes will play either of those four teams at 7:05 p.m., Thursday night at Huntington Park.
The Big Ten Network will broadcast all of the tournament games live, and BuckeyeBanter.com will be there blogging the Buckeyes, even if I have to buy a ticket and sit in the outfield bleachers.
