It took one inning for the Buckeyes to take a commanding 5-2 lead on Akron, a lead they would never relinquish. The big inning of the game came in the bottom of the third inning when two men were out. The Buckeyes put five on the board on five hits.
The big hit came off the bat of catcher Dan Burkhart, who hit a three-run bomb to right center, which just cleared the outfield fence and the outstretched arm of the right fielder.
Burkhart had one hit and three RBIs Wednesday night.
He also had a stellar night behind the plate, blocking the plate and preventing runners from moving up bases all night. The DH Michael Stephens also had a big day offensively with two hits and three RBIs in four at bats.
"I'm starting to click a little bit I mean I am starting to see pitches up and hammering them," Stephens said. "[I'm] just doing my job and trying to get the RBIs in." Stephens and Burkhart accounted for six of the seven OSU runs.
The Bucks used a combination of five pitchers to hold Akron with three runs and nine hits.
Jake Hale came in for the ninth and the Stomper of the Year candidate secured the three outs.
Armstrong returns OSU pitcher Andrew Armstrong returned from a month-long injury that he suffered on March 29 against Penn State. He started the game and pitched three innings, allowing two runs and four hits. He is now 2-1 for the season with a 5.18 ERA. "I felt a lot better than I have," Armstrong said. "I'm just working everyday to get back to where I need to be in order to help this team."
Defense The Buckeye defense showed up on Wednesday with a couple diving catches and some good plays. It was a better performance than previous Wednesday games. "It's one of the things we've worked on. We've emphasized the defense all season," coach Bob Todd said. "As long as were handling the baseball out there, it's taking a lot of pressure off our pitching staff." The Buckeyes are ranked fifth in team fielding with a .965 fielding percentage.
Game notes This marked the 30th matchup between these teams, a series that started in 1980. It was also a matchup of mentor against assistant, as Akron's coach Pat Bangtson was once an assistant under OSU coach Bob Todd.
Stats The Buckeyes are now 2-3 on Wednesday games this season. They have been outscored 45-25 in four Wednesday games. At Bill Davis Stadium the Bucks are now 216-100 all time with a .689 winning percentage. They are 8-4 at home in 2009. OSU relief pitcher Jake Hale and starting pitcher Alex Wimmers have been named to the national Pitcher of the Year watch list.
Nathan Schlabach can be reached at schlabach.15@osu.edu.
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