Megan.Husslein
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Buckeye softball had a solid spring break, including a top-25 win
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateSB
Defeating No. 23 Kentucky was a great way to end the break.
Last week, Ohio State played seven games in Tennessee and Kentucky during its spring break road trip. They won five out of the seven games, making them 16-8 on the season.
Starting on March 12, the Bucks took down Belmont in five innings, 8-0. Senior outfielder Tegan Cortelletti was one of the stars over the break, as in this game alone, she went 4-for-4 with an RBI and three stolen bases.
In the top of the third inning, Ohio State scored six runs, all with two outs. Only one of these hits was for extra bases, so clearly the Bucks know how to chalk up the hits and run the bases. Pitching was also really solid, as three Buckeye pitchers, Allison Smith, Lexi Paulsen, and Kennedy Kay allowed just five hits over five innings, walked two, and struck out eight.
The next day, the Bucks took on Austin Peay and had to go into extra innings to take the victory. Ohio State was down going into the sixth inning, but third baseman McKenzie Bump homered and a score off a wild pitch tied things up.
In the top of the eighth inning, freshman phenom Jasmyn Burns delivered a two-out, two-run single to take the lead, and then Smith sat down Austin Peay 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to earn the win, 7-5!
Two wins down, how about a third? Moving on to March 14, it was time to square off against South Dakota State. Here’s a stat that will wow you: the Buckeyes produced 13 hits and 10 runs, yet still had to battle for the win. Here’s how it went down.
Cortelletti, who went 4-for-5 on the day, hit her first career home run and the Bucks scored four runs in the third inning and five in the fifth on a day when the two teams combined for 18 runs and 23 hits.
SDSU chipped away at the lead, scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth – all coming with two outs – and once in the sixth to make the score 10-8 in Ohio State’s favor. However, Smith is as reliable as they come and closed the door in the seventh to prevent the total comeback.
Something to note: Sam Hackenbracht’s home run was the 41st of her career and puts her into sole possession of fourth place on Ohio State’s all-time list.
Ohio State stretched its winning streak to five games on March 15, as a seven-run first inning led them to a 9-0 victory against Columbia.
Senior Kirsten Eppele demolished a grand slam as part of that huge first inning, which gave freshman pitcher Julia Miller plenty of run support. The Buckeyes went on to win in five innings and Miller picked up her second win of the season.
Unfortunately, the winning streak did come to an end this past Saturday, after falling to SDSU and No. 23 Kentucky.
In the first game, the Jackrabbits held Ohio State to just one hit over the first five innings. They scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but failed to rally anymore as they lost, 7-3.
The Bucks did get on the board first against Kentucky, but the Wildcats hit a pair of two-run home runs in the bottom half of the first to go ahead 4-1. Eppele and Burns both homered to tie the game up in the next inning, but a four-run fifth inning was ultimately too much for Ohio State, as it suffered its second consecutive loss, 9-4.
However, they did end things on a high note with a bounce-back win against the Wildcats! A grand slam off the bat of shortstop Kami Kortokrax in the sixth inning sealed the deal for the Buckeyes, as they had a big offensive day.
Catcher Hannah Church, first baseman Destinee Noury, and Kortokrax all had trips around the bases this game as the Bucks showed off their power. In addition to Kortokrax’s grand slam, they scored seven runs in the sixth to win 12-6.
Cortelletti was on fire during the road trip, as collected 20 hits in 36 at-bats through Saturday and had a .556 batting average. She was also 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts. The fifth-year senior collected her 100th career hit on Sunday with an infield single in the second inning.
Kortokrax was finding her power as well, as she hit six home runs on the spring break trip and drove in 15 runs.
Up next, the Buckeyes begin the Big Ten portion of their schedule this weekend when they travel for a three-game series at Rutgers. The opener with the Scarlet Knights is slated for Friday, March 22 at 3 p.m. All three games will be streamed on BTN+.
Continue reading...
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateSB
Defeating No. 23 Kentucky was a great way to end the break.
Last week, Ohio State played seven games in Tennessee and Kentucky during its spring break road trip. They won five out of the seven games, making them 16-8 on the season.
Starting on March 12, the Bucks took down Belmont in five innings, 8-0. Senior outfielder Tegan Cortelletti was one of the stars over the break, as in this game alone, she went 4-for-4 with an RBI and three stolen bases.
In the top of the third inning, Ohio State scored six runs, all with two outs. Only one of these hits was for extra bases, so clearly the Bucks know how to chalk up the hits and run the bases. Pitching was also really solid, as three Buckeye pitchers, Allison Smith, Lexi Paulsen, and Kennedy Kay allowed just five hits over five innings, walked two, and struck out eight.
The next day, the Bucks took on Austin Peay and had to go into extra innings to take the victory. Ohio State was down going into the sixth inning, but third baseman McKenzie Bump homered and a score off a wild pitch tied things up.
In the top of the eighth inning, freshman phenom Jasmyn Burns delivered a two-out, two-run single to take the lead, and then Smith sat down Austin Peay 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to earn the win, 7-5!
Clutch hitting @BurnsJasmyn
Her two-out bases loaded single scores two and the Buckeyes grab a 7-5 lead in the eighth!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ES2vbUT6Pp
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) March 14, 2024
Two wins down, how about a third? Moving on to March 14, it was time to square off against South Dakota State. Here’s a stat that will wow you: the Buckeyes produced 13 hits and 10 runs, yet still had to battle for the win. Here’s how it went down.
Cortelletti, who went 4-for-5 on the day, hit her first career home run and the Bucks scored four runs in the third inning and five in the fifth on a day when the two teams combined for 18 runs and 23 hits.
SDSU chipped away at the lead, scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth – all coming with two outs – and once in the sixth to make the score 10-8 in Ohio State’s favor. However, Smith is as reliable as they come and closed the door in the seventh to prevent the total comeback.
Something to note: Sam Hackenbracht’s home run was the 41st of her career and puts her into sole possession of fourth place on Ohio State’s all-time list.
Ohio State stretched its winning streak to five games on March 15, as a seven-run first inning led them to a 9-0 victory against Columbia.
Senior Kirsten Eppele demolished a grand slam as part of that huge first inning, which gave freshman pitcher Julia Miller plenty of run support. The Buckeyes went on to win in five innings and Miller picked up her second win of the season.
Unfortunately, the winning streak did come to an end this past Saturday, after falling to SDSU and No. 23 Kentucky.
In the first game, the Jackrabbits held Ohio State to just one hit over the first five innings. They scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but failed to rally anymore as they lost, 7-3.
The Bucks did get on the board first against Kentucky, but the Wildcats hit a pair of two-run home runs in the bottom half of the first to go ahead 4-1. Eppele and Burns both homered to tie the game up in the next inning, but a four-run fifth inning was ultimately too much for Ohio State, as it suffered its second consecutive loss, 9-4.
However, they did end things on a high note with a bounce-back win against the Wildcats! A grand slam off the bat of shortstop Kami Kortokrax in the sixth inning sealed the deal for the Buckeyes, as they had a big offensive day.
Catcher Hannah Church, first baseman Destinee Noury, and Kortokrax all had trips around the bases this game as the Bucks showed off their power. In addition to Kortokrax’s grand slam, they scored seven runs in the sixth to win 12-6.
It’s @KamiKortokrax’s world we’re just living in it
This GRAND SLAM gives us a 10-6 lead in the sixth!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/PSRK48Nh1l
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) March 17, 2024
Cortelletti was on fire during the road trip, as collected 20 hits in 36 at-bats through Saturday and had a .556 batting average. She was also 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts. The fifth-year senior collected her 100th career hit on Sunday with an infield single in the second inning.
Kortokrax was finding her power as well, as she hit six home runs on the spring break trip and drove in 15 runs.
Up next, the Buckeyes begin the Big Ten portion of their schedule this weekend when they travel for a three-game series at Rutgers. The opener with the Scarlet Knights is slated for Friday, March 22 at 3 p.m. All three games will be streamed on BTN+.
Continue reading...