Baseball Buckeyes Squeeze Into Big Ten Tournament

While Buckeye football and basketball are in their quiet period, there are other sports at play, including Ohio State baseball, who despite losing its last three games (including 4-2 to Indiana yesterday in Bloomington, Ind.), Ohio State managed to force themselves into the final spot of the Big Ten baseball tournament.

The Buckeyes (31-25, 11-13) tied for sixth in the conference with Illinois (28-25) and Minnesota (29-27) but advanced to the tournament because they have a better record against common opponents.Ohio State will face third-seeded Penn State on Wednesday afternoon at Huntington Park.

“We’re very fortunate that we have been given another opportunity,” Ohio State coach Greg Beals said, “and we need to come out re-energized on Wednesday.”

Ryan Cypret homered in the first inning and Greg Solomon had an RBI double in the second to give Ohio State a 2-0 lead.

The Hoosiers (30-26, 16-8) tied it in the sixth on a passed ball and groundout.

Ohio State starter John Kuchno allowed one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts in six innings.

After Buckeyes reliever Andrew Armstrong put two runners on base in the eighth, he was replaced by Josh Dezse, who was touched for two RBI singles.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics.

Reddies are on fire!

How about those Reds? I have been a Reds fan all of my life, and this is one of the best starts for us in a long time. We are 23-16, 1st in the NL Central, and have a .590 percentage of winning. We are currently on a streak of 4, and the last 10, we have won 9. Mike Leake is undefeated, 4-0, with an OK ERA of 3.09. The chemistry is there, and Dusty Baker hasn't even brought up the Cuban superstar named Aroldis Chapman. He throws a 100 mph fastball, and apparently is just right under Strasburg as the best pitcher not in the MLB yet. Yesterday Joey Votto, our go to hitter, hit a walk in single into right field giving the Reds a 5-4 victory against the Brewers. It keeps the streak alive for now, and I hope it continues. Savor the sound of "Reds are in 1st place for the NL Central". I hate to say it, but I still don't think it will last. The Cards are just too good. Hey, for right now we can celebrate. I hope they can continue on and at least try for the Wild Card. As for the status of Chapman, he is currently at Triple A, so one more jump, and he will be in the Red's uniform.

Spring Finals start back up again tommorow!

Hangover.

We feel the same way right now.

With the hangover of the Game 5 loss looming over me, I couldn't bring myself to do a Spring Finals, so expect the WR's tommorow. The Cavs played so terrible, I didn't think it was possible they were a 1 seed. I think LeBrowns' Town said it best when one of their writers stated that the Cavs think they can turn it on at any point in the game, no matter how much they are down by, and win. Well, we see where that cockiness has gotten them. This venting is feeling pretty good, but I feel like a hypocrite since earlier I thought it was bad that all the Cavs writers were destroying Lebron and the Cavs, and I mean absolutely ripping them. I can understand where they are coming from, and I did just do it, but still. I shouldn't have.

David Lighty broke his left foot. Again. My heart goes out to him, and I hope he will be able to play come this fall/winter. If he can, that would be good news for our championship hopes. How ironic that we are all sitting here pouting over a championship season going down the drains (almost, it's not over till the fat lady sings!) and yet were looking ahead to 2 sports where we could win a Championship. Buckeye basketball and football. How about that?

The Reds are doing pretty well, winning against the Pirates last night in which Johnny Cueto had a 1 hitter. Oh so close. Some writers are saying that they might be able to finish above .500 this year, and try and compete for that NL!

So that's all I've got for you today. Sorry I didn't put a Spring Finals up. I need another writer with me, so if any one's interested drop a comment. Or email us @ insidetheshoe2009@hotmail.com. Thanks!

What to expect.

For the next week or so, ITS will be breaking down all the spots on offense and defense, telling you how they did this spring and who to expect where come fall. This includes our early predictions for the fall depth chart. It's been a busy weekend, but were making it up to you starting tommorow. As we wait for fall, this will ease the pain, if just a little. Of course, to get the rest of your fix, head over to Eleven Warriors, as they  are doing a tremendous job right now with the stats pouring in. I'm excited for this series, and we won't let you down. The Rivalry Esq. is on Wisconsin now for their Big Ten team of the week, and they will go over everything from spring, to the MVP of last season, even down to Rivalry day.

Won't be too long until we see this.

Lebron and the Cavs got destroyed physically and mentally in the third quarter to a point where they were down by almost 30. Eventually the comeback started, but it was too late, although the Cavs came within 8 at one point. Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo were key players, but my MVP of the night goes to Ray Allen. Boy, for being too old to play on a superstar level, he seemed like he couldn't miss from the 3 point line, as he made two awkward shots, as well as draining them from the perfect spot. The Cavs will have to now bounce back on the Celtics court, which is no small task. I look for them to take at least 1.

The Reds last night went into extra innings with the Mets, going to the bottom of the 11th, it was tied 2-2. Lance Nix then hit a walk-off homer to keep the Reds in the hunt of those Cards. Good pitching was key, and Kyle Masset provided.