Some years, the Big Ten tournament champion is determined by Saturday night. In this strange year of one tough team in the loser’s bracket plus dealing with Mother Nature rearing her ugly head, three teams were still in the mix on Sunday morning.
Unfortunately, I was on my way home on the train. Thanks to Brian DeCaussin from Big Ten Hardball who phoned me while I was headed home with the results.
Picking up where we left off Saturday, Minnesota and Penn State continued their suspended game from the afternoon before. Minnesota had just given up the lead before the suspension was called and PSU had the advantage 3-2. The Golden Gophers came ready to play and tied the game in the ninth. Two innings later, they scored the winning run on a rbi double by Jeremy Chlan.
Chlan pinch hit in the ninth and sacrificed the tying run to second and stayed in the game, by the way. Funny how those things, work out.
That eliminated Penn State. I’m sure there were a lot of fervent PSU fans out there who were probably very heartbroken. And I got to give the Penn State team a lot of credit. They had a lot of heart losing their very first game then coming this far.
That said, Minnesota and Ohio State had a championship game to play. Ohio State was playing for the Tournament title and Minnesota was simply playing for the right to play Ohio State again.
By this time, there was another rain delay. Once they got started, it was 2:25. Ohio State had better win or they be playing till midnight.
Actually, that was exactly what happened. All the fears (on both sides) of depleted pitching were for naught as Cory Luebke came on for the Buckeyes and pitched brilliantly allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings.
If it were any other day, Gary Perinar’s performance would be pretty good, too. He allowed 3 runs on 7 innings. But dang if that one extra run made the difference.
Minnesota came back to tie the game after the Buckeyes scored two in the first. It wasn’t till the eighth when the Gophers put together a rally consisting of two singles and a double. The Buckeyes didn’t sit quietly. With two on, pinch hitter Michael Arp hit a double that broought both runners home.
Ohio State win the Big Ten Tournament!