Ohio State Slams Fullerton, 10-7

Ohio State, boosted by a boisterous sellout crowd on its home field, got the big hit it needed, almost as if on cue Friday night against Cal State Fullerton.

Sophomore second baseman Chad Ehrnsberger hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning that carried Ohio State to 10-7 victory over the Titans in the opener of the NCAA best-of-three super-regional in front of 4,378 at Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State (50-12) needs only a victory today against Fullerton (47-12) to advance to the College World Series. After the game, Titan Coach George Horton was left wondering what happened to the team that he saw most of the season and was seeded No. 3 nationally at the start of the tournament.

“We did things in this game that were totally out of character,” Horton said. “This was a big-time environment, and that tends to increase your adrenaline rushes. But I think that worked against us. I think everyone was trying too hard.”

The winning homer came against the Titans’ highly regarded closer, Kirk Saarloos (7-3), who lost his first game since Feb. 28 at Alabama.

Ehrnsberger worked Saarloos into a 3-1 count with the bases loaded and two out before getting the pitch he wanted.

“I knew he was going to come with a fastball because he wasn’t going to walk in a run,” Ehrnsberger said. “He seemed to be having trouble getting his breaking ball over for strikes.”

Saarloos said he left the pitch higher in the strike zone that he wanted. “My fastball wasn’t sinking as much as it normally does,” he said.

The previous batter, Jason Trott, had fouled off three 3-2 pitches before walking to load the bases. “I thought I had him on a couple of changeups,” Saarloos said, “but you have to give him credit. He did a good job of hitting.”

The Titans built a 5-2 lead after consecutive home runs by Aaron Rifkin and Ryan Owens in the top of the fifth inning, but Fullerton starter Matt Sorensen gave up four runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Sorensen walked four batters in the inning, two of them with the bases loaded, and John Driscoll hit a two-out double that drove in two more runs.

“I was trying to do too much,” said Sorensen, who gave up six runs on eight hits and six walks. “I was trying to do it all myself, and I got too fine with my fastball. My mechanics broke down.”

Sorensen’s control problems also cost him a run in the third. With two out, he walked consecutive batters and Ehrnsberger’s single scored a run.

Ohio State starter Justin Fry (11-2) also had trouble early, but recovered and earned the victory. Fry gave up seven runs on nine hits and four walks in 8 1/3 innings. He struck out 12.

OTHER GAMES

Daylan Holt hit two home runs and drove in four runs, pacing a 22-hit attack that carried Texas A&M; past Clemson, 20-3, at College Station, Texas. The Aggies scored seven runs in each of the first two innings and Holt homered in both of them. . . . Southwestern Louisiana scored six runs in the seventh inning to defeat Rice and its All-America pitcher Mario Ramos, 12-8, at Houston. Will Hawkins had a two-run home run and Steve Feehan a two-run double in the inning. . . . At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Erik Smallwood’s two-run homer and Sam Bozanich’s three-run double highlighted a seven-run first inning that carried Alabama past Southeastern Conference rival Louisiana State, 13-6. LSU starter Brandon Bowe (9-4) failed to retire a batter. . . Little-used freshman Ryan Barthelemy hit two home runs and Matt Diaz added a three-run homer in the first inning as Florida State defeated Auburn, 10-2, at Tallahassee, Fla. Nick Stocks (12-2) scattered six hits and struck out seven in eight innings for the Seminoles. . . . David Gill (11-0) allowed four hits and two runs while striking out seven in seven innings as Miami defeated Wake Forest, 10-2, at Coral Gables, Fla. Mike MacDougal (13-3), the Kansas City Royals’ first-round draft pick, took a no-hitter into the fifth, but left after surrendering seven runs on five hits and six walks. . . . At Waco, Texas, Billy Gasparino hit a three-run triple and Josh Holliday added a solo homer as Oklahoma State scored eight runs with two out in the seventh inning to beat Baylor, 18-11. Cowboy reliever Ryan Herrmann (4-3) threw six innings of shutout relief, striking out seven and allowing two hits.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.