Scarlet and Gray World Series

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Ohio State Baseball Begins Scarlet and Gray World Series Wednesday

Teams will play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 2:30 p.m. Thursday and 3 p.m. Friday

Head coach Bob Todd and the Buckeyes conclude fall practice with the Scarlet and Gray World Series beginning Wednesday.

Oct. 11, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Five weeks of fall baseball practice culminates this week at Bill Davis Stadium with the annual Scarlet and Gray World Series, which this year will be a best-of-three intra-squad showdown, where the biggest thing on the line is pride.
"This is our biggest event of the fall season," head coach Bob Todd said. "We match up our better hitters against our better pitchers. This way, we as a coaching staff can get a true evaluation for their abilities. With a good showing, players can win or lose a starting job."
What is at stake? Well... steak. The winning team gets a catered meal of steak, chicken, ribs and potatoes. The meal is served on nice plates with silverware and the players are served in a pleasing atmosphere. The losing team gets to share a pot of beans and hot dogs with plastic plates and utensils and watch the victorious team enjoy the spoils of winning.
Fall baseball is an important time for the program. The five-week period gives the coaching staff an early opportunity to evaluate the team.
"With the Scarlet and Gray World Series we try to create an atmosphere and intensity of what we will see in the spring," Todd said. "This is a big jump for the freshmen to go from the high school setting to playing Division I college baseball.
"We will evaluate not just how they perform on the playing field, but we will also try to assess how they handle things mentally. Once the intensity cranks up, the ability to play with poise is crucial."
Admission to the games is free. . The Diamond Club will be tailgating outside the stadium prior to the opening game of the series. The Thursday game will be played at 2:30 p.m., while first pitch for the Friday game, if necessary, will be thrown at 3 p.m.
Scarlet & Gray World Series Schedule
Game One - Wed., Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Game Two - Thurs., Oct. 13 at 2:30 p.m.
Game Three* - Fri., Oct. 14 at 3 p.m.
* if necessary

 

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Game One of Scarlet and Gray World Series Goes to Gray

Stephen delivers go-ahead runs with single in sixth inning

Jedidiah Stephen's single in the sixth inning yielded the go-ahead runs for the Gray, which cruised to a 7-2 victory in the opening game of the Scarlet and Gray World Series.

Oct. 12, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jedidiah Stephen drove in two runs in the top of the sixth inning to break a 2-2 and spark the Gray to a 7-2 victory over the Scarlet in the first game of the annual Scarlet and Gray World Series Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium.
With two runners in scoring position, Stephen, a senior from Caldwell, Ohio (Shenandoah), took an Eric Best (Fr., Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) pitch and sent it into right field to score both Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) and Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South). Both walked around a sacrifice bunt by Wes Schirtzinger (Jr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) and moved into scoring position when Angle stole third. Bourquin advanced to second on the steal. Zach Hurley (Fr., Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) followed with a single to center and then he and Stephen moved to second and third for Kris Moorman (Jr., St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry), who doubled to left-center field to score two more runners.
Tony Kennedy (So., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) delivered Moorman with a triple to the wall in right-center field. Best, who had come on to begin the inning for starter Dan Barker (So., Dayton, Ohio/Northmont), was pulled for Rory Meister (So., Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Madison). Meister got a strikeout and a pop out to end the inning, but the damage had been done with five runs in the inning on four hits, all charged to Best, who was pegged with the exhibition loss.
Trey Fausnaugh (Jr., Circleville, Ohio/Westfall) picked up the win for the Gray. He quietly struck out seven batters over his five innings before giving way to Brad Hays (Fr., Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) with a five-run lead.
Bourquin's towering shot in the fourth cleared the fence in right field to give Scarlet a 2-0 lead. Schirtzinger doubled with one out before the blast by Bourquin.
Scarlet answered those two runs in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a throwing error by shortstop Ben Toussant (Fr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) on a ground ball by Justin Miller (Fr., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) to start the inning. Fausnaugh struck out the next two batters before Jonathan Zizzo (So., Youngstown, Ohio/Sarasota [Fla.]) doubled to right-center field to score Miller. J.B. Shuck (Fr., Galion, Ohio/Galion) singled to right to plate Zizzo and knot the score 2-2.
Schirtzinger and Bourquin each had a pair of hits to lead the Gray though Stephen and Moorman joined Bourquin with two RBI apiece. Gray overcame three errors with eight hits to the Scarlet's four hits. Scarlet did not have an error.
The two teams continue the three-game intrasquad series Thursday at 2:30 p.m. What had been scheduled as a best-of-three game series will instead award a winner as the team that allows the fewest runs during the course of the three games. The series concludes Friday at 3 p.m. All games at Bill Davis Stadium are free.

 

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Gray Claims 6-3 Victory to Win Game Two vs. Scarlet

Team allowing fewest runs during three-game series will be declared winner Friday

Jason Zoeller led hitters on both teams in going 3-for-4 in game two of the Scarlet and Gray World Series.

Oct. 13, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gray tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth and then exploded for five runs in the sixth and then held off a Scarlet comeback in the top of the seventh to win 6-3 over Scarlet in game two of the Scarlet and Gray World Series Thursday at Bill Davis Stadium.
Gray won game one 7-2 Wednesday and took a 2-0 lead in the three-game series, but that does not matter in determining the winner of this year's series. The winner will be the team that allows the fewest runs during all three games. Gray has outscored Scarlet 13-5. Scarlet finds itself in an eight-run hole with seven innings remaining in the series and would need to win the series finale by a huge margin to claim the series.
Scarlet jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Jason Zoeller (Jr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) delivered a one-out single, but was snagged at second on a fielder's choice by Jacob Howell (Jr., Ashland, ohio/Ashland). Howell went to second on a wild pitch by Gray starter Cory Luebke (So., Maria Stein, Ohio/Marion Local) and then scored on a single to center by Adam Schneider (Jr., Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) for the early lead.
Gray scored the equalizer in the fifth thanks to a lead-off base hit by Ben Toussant (Fr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington). He went to second on a ground out by Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling) and then scored on a single to right by Tony Kennedy (So., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) to even the score 1-1.
Scarlet went to reliever Dan McCauley (Fr., Freemont, Ind./Freemont) to start pitch the bottom of the sixth to the Gray. He immediately gave up three straight base hits. Kris Moorman (Jr., St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry) reached on a infield single to short and then stole second before being awarded third on a balk. He scored on a single to right by Wes Schritzinger (Jr., Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North) to break the tie. Josh Hula (Fr., Castalia, Ohio/Margaretta) beat out a bunt single that sent Schirtzinger to third. Schirtzinger ended up scoring on a throwing error by McCauley trying to pick off Hula who was trying to get to second. Hula moved to third on the miscue and scored on a sac fly by Zach Hurley (Fr., Springboro, Ohio/Springboro).
McCauley walked Toussant, but became the second out on a fielder's choice by Angle. Angle stole second and then scored on a double down the left-field line by Kennedy. He scored the fifth run of the inning when Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South) doubled to right-center field.
Scarlet answered with three straight hits to start the top of the seventh. J.B. Shuck (Fr., Galion, Ohio/Galion) led off with a single to left-center and then Chris Macke (So., Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute North) followed with a single to left. Jonathan Zizzo (So., Youngstown, Ohio/Sarasota [Fla.]) plated Shuck for the second Scarlet run of the game with a single to left. Macke, who went to second on the single by Zizzo reached third on a fly out by Zoeller and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Howell. Gray reliever Matthew Selhorst (Fr., Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles) walked the next batter before getting Chris Griffin (Fr., Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) to fly out and end the game.
Kennedy and Schirtzinger led the Gray with two hits apiece, while Kennedy knocked in two RBI. Each team had nine hits in the game though Scarlet could not overcome two errors. Zoeller, the Scarlet second baseman, led all hitters in going 3-for-4.
Selhorst got the win for the Gray, while McCauley was tagged with the loss for the Scarlet. Scarlet starter Dan DeLucia allowed four hits in his five innings of work though McCauley allowed five runs on five hits in one inning of action. Luebke struck out three in 2.2 innings before giving way to Selhorst who allowed two runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings.
The teams close out the series Friday with first pitch at 3 p.m. Scarlet must win by at least nine runs to wrestle the series title from the Gray.

 

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Gray Wins Series despite Game Three Loss to Scarlet

Gray outscores Scarlet 19-13, wins two of three games

Adam Schneider drove in two runs for the Scarlet thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies.

Oct. 14, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Scarlet came back from a 6-0 deficit to down the Gray 8-6 in the final game of the Scarlet and Gray World Series Friday at Bill Davis Stadium. Gray won the first two games and outscored Scarlet 19-13 in the three games to claim the series. Gray won the first two games, 7-2 and 6-3.
Friday, Scarlet made the score 6-1 in the third and then scored three runs in each the fourth and fifth innings before adding a final run in the sixth.
Justin Miller's (Fr., Dayton, Va./Turner Ashby) sacrifice fly in the third scored Jacob Howell (Jr. Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), who led off the inning with an infield single to short. Scarlet got three runs in the fourth, getting three straight hits to start the inning before an error plated the inning's first run, represented by Michael Arp (Fr., Reynoldsburg, Ohio), who led off the inning with a single up the middle. A second run scored on a sac fly by Adam Schneider (Jr., Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) that allowed Jonathan Zizzo (So., Youngstown, Ohio/Sarasota [Fla.]) to score. Zizzo had followed Arp's hit with a shot through the left side. J.B. Shuck (Fr., Galion, Ohio/Galion), the starting pitcher for the Scarlet and now playing centerfield, singled to right and plated Matt Curran (Fr., Wormleysburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff), who provided the third straight hit to start the inning, a shot to center field. The three runs pulled Scarlet within a 6-4 score.
Just as they had the inning before, Arp, Zizzo and Curran crossed the plate for the Scarlet in the fifth. Arp led off the inning with a single to left. Zizzo walked and Curran loaded the bases with a base hit through the right side. Taylor Barnes (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) walked Jason Zoeller (Jr., Verona, Pa./Shady Side Academy) to score the first run of the inning and Zizzo tied the game when he scored on a fielder's choice by Howell. Schneider gave Scarlet the lead with a second straight sac fly that enabled Curran to score.

Miller's double to lead off the sixth, turned into the game's final run. He went to third on a ground out Chris Griffin (Fr., Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) and scored when Zizzo doubled to right-center field.
Gray scored first crossing the plate twice in the second inning. Kris Moorman (Jr., St. Henry, Ohio/St. Henry) reached on a one-out throwing error and then went to second on a single through the left side by Zach Hurley (Fr., Springboro, Ohio/Springboro). Moorman stole third and then scored on a suicide squeeze by Ben Toussant (Fr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington). Hurley moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on an infield single by Matt Angle (So., Whitehall, Ohio/Whitehall-Yearling).
Another four Gray runs scored in the third to build a 6-0 lead. Ronnie Bourquin (Jr., Canton, Ohio/Canton South) led off with a walk, stole second and went to third on an infield single by Jedidiah Stephen (Sr., Caldwell, Ohio/Shenandoah). He scored on a single to shallow center by Toussant that also scored Stephen to build a four-run lead. Hurley, who walked to reach base, scored on a double down the left-field line by Seth Sanders (Fr., Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) that sent Toussant to third. Toussant scored on a ground out by Nick Steponovich (Fr., Columbia, Mo./Hickman).
Four different players - Shuck, Arp, Zizzo and Curran - tallied two hits in the game. Schneider and one hit and knocked in two runs thanks to a pair of sac flies. Zoeller also plated two runs. Stephen had two hits to lead the Gray. Scarlet out hit Gray 12-6. Each team had one error.
Eric Best (Fr., Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) got the win for the Scarlet. He struck out three and walked one in two scoreless innings. Barnes took the loss for the Gray.
For the series, Zizzo batted .500 (4-for-8) with three RBI. Zoeller batted .455 (5-for-11) with two RBI. Shuck was the only other player from either team to bat .400. He was 4-for-10 with two RBI. Bourquin and Kennedy each belted in three RBI.
Ohio State begins the 2006 season at the Pepsi Baseball Classic in Gainesville, Fla., Feb. 24-26. The Buckeyes open against Wake Forest and will play Florida, the runnerup at the 2005 College World Series, and Missouri.