Megan.Husslein
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Buckeye softball has a phenomenal opening weekend
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 Twitter
Four wins, a no-hitter and a freshman grand slam is a pretty good start to the season.
The Ohio State softball team officially kicked off its 2024 season this past weekend. The Buckeyes headed down to Florida to participate in the Felsberg Invitational at FIU. The offense and pitching looked stellar, and a freshman made her collegiate debut with a bang.
The Buckeyes played five games in total and did end up losing their first game. It was a back-and-forth battle against Stony Brook, but the Seawolves broke the game open in the third inning, scoring six runs. Melina Wilkison hit a home run in the sixth to chip away at their lead, but it wasn’t enough as Ohio State fell, 7-5.
Now, only good news for the rest of the weekend...
The second game on Friday was against FIU. Freshman catcher Jasmyn Burns hit her first collegiate home run in the third inning. More on her to come, but she is definitely someone you want to keep your eye on. She was mashing home runs left and right during the fall, and she picked up where she left off during this tournament.
Senior Allison Smith pitched a great game, going the full seven innings while only giving up six hits and striking out 11.
The second day of the invitational was perhaps the best of all. Ohio State’s first game on Saturday was against Southeast Missouri State, and it was a quick one. The Buckeyes ended up run-ruling SEMO in five innings, a 13-0 walloping.
In total, they had 15 hits, the biggest one coming off the bat of Burns, once again. Her grand slam in the bottom of the second inning contributed to the six runs scored in the frame, as the offense got going early in the game.
Smith pitched another great game, and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kay came in for a 1-2-3 relief inning in the fourth.
Their second matchup of the day was versus Stony Brook, and they definitely got their revenge. Senior Emily Ruck pitched her third collegiate no-hitter, and her offense backed her up once again.
Up 1-0 in the fifth, sophomore catcher Hannah Church (who had an amazing offensive performance the whole weekend) blasted a three-run home run to widen the Buckeyes’ lead. Sam Hackenbracht hit a game-ending double, as the run rule kicked into effect after six innings, and the Bucks came out on top, 9-0.
Ohio State played their final game on Sunday, another rematch versus FIU. This one wasn’t as easy as a win, but it showed the ladies’ grit early on this season.
Down 2-0 early in the game, Hackenbracht does what she does best and took the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the second over the fence, tying the game up at two. In the sixth, (who else?) Burns hit her third home run of the weekend to add some insurance runs to the Buckeyes’ lead, making it 7-2. FIU did threaten a comeback, but OSU held on for a 7-5 win.
Now for some fun stats on the weekend. In five games, Ohio State finished with a .406 team batting average and a .466 on-base percentage. Among players who had 10 or more at-bats, six hit .400 or better.
They’ll be heading back down to Florida this weekend — this time Leesburg — for another five-game slate, with the first game on Friday against Coastal Carolina at noon.
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 Twitter
Four wins, a no-hitter and a freshman grand slam is a pretty good start to the season.
The Ohio State softball team officially kicked off its 2024 season this past weekend. The Buckeyes headed down to Florida to participate in the Felsberg Invitational at FIU. The offense and pitching looked stellar, and a freshman made her collegiate debut with a bang.
Friday
The Buckeyes played five games in total and did end up losing their first game. It was a back-and-forth battle against Stony Brook, but the Seawolves broke the game open in the third inning, scoring six runs. Melina Wilkison hit a home run in the sixth to chip away at their lead, but it wasn’t enough as Ohio State fell, 7-5.
Now, only good news for the rest of the weekend...
The second game on Friday was against FIU. Freshman catcher Jasmyn Burns hit her first collegiate home run in the third inning. More on her to come, but she is definitely someone you want to keep your eye on. She was mashing home runs left and right during the fall, and she picked up where she left off during this tournament.
Senior Allison Smith pitched a great game, going the full seven innings while only giving up six hits and striking out 11.
First dub of 2024#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/6cWNyzOBEn
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) February 10, 2024
Saturday
The second day of the invitational was perhaps the best of all. Ohio State’s first game on Saturday was against Southeast Missouri State, and it was a quick one. The Buckeyes ended up run-ruling SEMO in five innings, a 13-0 walloping.
In total, they had 15 hits, the biggest one coming off the bat of Burns, once again. Her grand slam in the bottom of the second inning contributed to the six runs scored in the frame, as the offense got going early in the game.
Smith pitched another great game, and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kay came in for a 1-2-3 relief inning in the fourth.
Their second matchup of the day was versus Stony Brook, and they definitely got their revenge. Senior Emily Ruck pitched her third collegiate no-hitter, and her offense backed her up once again.
Up 1-0 in the fifth, sophomore catcher Hannah Church (who had an amazing offensive performance the whole weekend) blasted a three-run home run to widen the Buckeyes’ lead. Sam Hackenbracht hit a game-ending double, as the run rule kicked into effect after six innings, and the Bucks came out on top, 9-0.
Sunday
Ohio State played their final game on Sunday, another rematch versus FIU. This one wasn’t as easy as a win, but it showed the ladies’ grit early on this season.
Down 2-0 early in the game, Hackenbracht does what she does best and took the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the second over the fence, tying the game up at two. In the sixth, (who else?) Burns hit her third home run of the weekend to add some insurance runs to the Buckeyes’ lead, making it 7-2. FIU did threaten a comeback, but OSU held on for a 7-5 win.
Introducing your 2024 Feslberg Invitational Champions:
More on our opening weekend that included four consecutive wins: https://t.co/6przslaFaB#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/HApYyXKVSA
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) February 12, 2024
Now for some fun stats on the weekend. In five games, Ohio State finished with a .406 team batting average and a .466 on-base percentage. Among players who had 10 or more at-bats, six hit .400 or better.
- Church ended up finishing the weekend with a .600 average. She collected nine hits in four games and also drove in eight runs.
- Burns ended the weekend with a .412 batting average. Her power numbers were big, too: she had a 1.000 slugging percentage and a team-high three home runs.
- Smith’s line from the weekend included a 3-0 record. She pitched a team-high 17.1 innings and struck out 20 batters, only giving up ONE extra-base hit on the weekend.
- As a team, Ohio State hit .434 with runners in scoring position and .460 with two outs.
- Conversely, Ohio State pitchers held opponents to a .147 average with two outs and gave up just four extra-base hits, including no home runs.
They’ll be heading back down to Florida this weekend — this time Leesburg — for another five-game slate, with the first game on Friday against Coastal Carolina at noon.
Continue reading...