Around the Oval on Friday, April 12

By Grant Miller on April 12, 2013 at 12:00 pm
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Around the Oval is Eleven Warriors' weekly love letter to Ohio State sports that don't get the coverage they should.

Another week, another five games for Buckeye baseball, beginning with three games at Minnesota. The first game came off the back of two midweek wins for Ohio State, and it included a 20-hour delay due to snow which stopped the game on Friday and had to be finished the next day. Buckeye bats were about as cold at the surrounding weather as they had only two hits through the first four innings. In the home half of the fourth, the Gophers offense struck first through a single, double and dropped fly ball to lead, 3-0.

The festivities were halted after the fifth with the difference still three runs, and when things began again on Saturday, Minnesota notched another three runs in the sixth and one in the eighth to finish 7-0 winners. Left-hander Tom Windle and rightie Alec Crawford combined to give up only three Buckeye hits.

Stronger than the treesMcKinney got his third win against West Virginia 

Game two quickly displayed more Ohio State offense than the first one as the Scarlet & Gray scored five after three innings. Kirby Pellant tripled home Jacob Bosiokovic before Brad Hallberg grounded to second to score Pellant. In the third Aaron Gretz's single scored two, and it was he who leisurely jogged into home after Hallberg was walked with the bases loaded.

Minnesota scored in their half of the third before Mother Nature intervened again. This time it was the rain, and another postponement meant the game would finish on Sunday morning. Ryan Riga took the hill for Ohio State and gave up one run in the fourth but was solid after that. David Fathalikhani and Trace Dempsey closed out the win and the Buckeyes bounced back with a 5-2 triumph. 

The rubber match saw both pitchers in control with both teams combining for only four hits. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes they only had one, and among the three Gopher connections was a solo home run by Tony Skjefte, a drive that proved to be the game's only run as the hosts won, 1-0, to win the weekend series. Troy Kuhn had Ohio State's only hit as Brian King's solid pitching effort went to waste. 

West Virginia came to town on Tuesday and the Buckeyes made quick work of the visiting Mountaineers. Three runs in the first two innings were more than enough with Brett McKinney giving up one hit over five innings of work and four Buckeye relievers combining to only concede three more. The lead remained at three until the eighth inning when two fielding errors helped Ohio State bat around and score six more runs to conclude the 9-0 win. 

Another nonconference opponent, Marshall, visited Columbus the next day, and they met a similar Ohio State performance to the night before. Jake Post allowed three hits over five innings while striking out four, and again the bullpen kept the opponents off the score sheet. Bosiokovic contributed with two RBI in a four-run first inning that set the tone as the Buckeyes won, 5-0.

With a record of 21-10, the team has another five-game week with a three-game trip to Nebraska over the weekend, and then two in-state opponents during the week, with Akron coming to town on Tuesday and a trip to the Queen City on Wednesday to face Cincinnati. 

the perfect ten

The Ohio State men's tennis team competed in a doubleheader on Sunday against Minnesota and Wright State, looking to extend their home winning steak to an incredible 10 years. 

A move to the outdoor facility for the first time this season didn't break the Buckeyes' stride, as they swept the doubles section with little difficulty. The duo of Peter Kobelt and Connor Smith got the win in the top matchup after Ille Van Engelen and Devin McCarthy started things off strongly for the home team. McCarthy got the first singles win and he was followed by five more home victories as the Buckeyes got the sweep, 7-0

Back inside for the afternoon, the Buckeyes performed just as they had earlier. McCarthy and Engelen started things off right yet again, and another two victories meant Ohio State had their 25th doubles point of the year. The Raiders had as much success as the Gophers and Ohio State had their third straight shutout, 4-0, to complete 10 perfect years at home. The team competes again this afternoon in Champaign against the Illini at 4, and Sunday they'll travel north to Evanston for a tilt against Northwestern. 

Vandy Vanquished 

Coming off of two straight wins, the Ohio State women's lacrosse team looked to get their first conference win of the season as Vanderbilt paid a visit to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The Facchina sisters revel in familial celebration

Early on it was evident who the superior side was, as the Buckeyes scored five unanswered to begin the game. Two of those came from sophomore Kelsea Ayers, and after Vanderbilt finally responded to make it 5-1, the Buckeyes scored another five to take a 10-1 halftime lead.

The second period was more of the same, and even though the visitors tallied three more of their own, the Buckeyes put another nine past goalies Chelsea Pasfield and Maddie Kratz. Ayers finished with a total of five goals to lead the team, and Jackie Cifarelli had five assists as the two combined on four goals. Sisters Mary Kate and Cara Facchina were also among the nine total Buckeyes who scored to help the team to their biggest win since last season, 19-4.  

Now at 6-6, the squad travels to State College on Sunday to take on Penn State, the No. 7 team in the country. The game is at 1:05 p.m.

solid weekend for women's golf

For the second week in a row the Buckeye women's golf team finished in the top three at a tournament; this week, they placed third at the SMU Dallas Club Invitational. Seniors Amy Meier and Susana Benvides had the team's best finishes with a tie for fourth place, while sophomore Claudia Lim shot a 2-over in the final round to finish in eighth.

The team finished with a three-round total of 906, ten strokes behind the winner Oklahoma State, and five behind second-place Oklahoma. They'll look to secure another solid finish as they host the Lady Buckeye Invitational next Saturday and Sunday.

Bands will make her dance

After a quiet week last time out, this week sees an abundance of opportunities to enjoy the wonderful arrangements of Buckeye musicians:

  • The Athletic Band will be performing a pregame and halftime show at the spring game on Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium. They'll also be at the "But For Ohio State" fundraiser later in the day in Cincy.  
  • The OSU Symphony Orchestra will be performing its annual Concerto Concert on Friday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m. at Weigel Hall Auditorium. Tickets prices are the same as usual.
  • The OSU First-Year Undergraduate String Orchestra and OSU Community Orchestra will be performing their annual end of term combined concert FOR FREE on Sunday, April 14 at 3:00 p.m. at Weigel Hall Auditorium. 
  • The OSU Collegiate Winds and University Band will be presenting a combined concert on Tuesday, April 16 at 8:00p.m. at Weigel Hall Auditorium. Usual ticket price.
  • The OSU Symphonic Band will be performing on Wednesday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m. in the Weigel Hall Auditorium. Usual ticket price.
  • Finally, there will be a free jazz concert at the Browning Amphitheater by Mirror Lake on Thursday, April 18 at 5:30 p.m. 
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