The No. 11 Ohio State Softball team defeated the Western Michigan Broncos twice Wednesday in a doubleheader at Buckeye Field.
The Buckeyes (40-7) defeated Western Michigan 1-0 in game two, 2-0 in game one and have won five games in a row.
CHRIS UHLER/THE LANTERNOhio State junior second baseman Whitney Cooper attempts to tag out a Western Michigan baserunner who was safe on the play. OSU won both games Wednesday.”Coach Linda Kalafatis said that Reeder is on a mission this season.
“She threw with a lot of confidence and no doubt we road the pitcher’s coat tails tonight,” she said.
Reeder tallied her 72nd win of her OSU career and is just four wins behind the all-time record held by former Buckeye Jamee Juarez.
“It would definitely be a big accomplishment for me and I would not mind holding that record,” Reeder said.
Freshman shortstop Alicia Herron hit an RBI single in the second inning and pushed across the first and only run of the game on junior Megan Thomas. Thomas (6-8) gave up one run on four hits over six innings.
Sophomore Lindsay Bodeker started for the Buckeyes in game one and pitched a gem. Bodeker notched her 11th complete game of the season and stifled the Broncos’ offense.
Through seven innings, Bodeker (14-3) gave up just one hit and struck out eight. She lowered her ERA to a stingy 1.76.
She commanded the strike zone and sat down hitters with effective use of her off-speed pitch.
“I thought she threw her best game of the year,” Kalafatis said.
OSU scored two runs on five hits and was held at bay by freshman Meredith Whitney. The Broncos’ right-hander struggled throughout her first few innings and walked three in inning number one.
Whitney settled in, and at one point retired six out of the seven Buckeye batters she faced. Whitney received an undeserved loss and fell to 13-8 on the season. The Broncos fell to 19-19 this season.
In the bottom half of the first inning, OSU struck first on a sacrifice fly to left field by Alicia Herron.
OSU was held scoreless through the next four innings before junior third basemen Rebecca Schultz knocked in an insurance run over the fence in left center. The home run in the bottom of the sixth inning was Schultz’s second of the season and secured the win for Bodeker and the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes’ pitching staff gave up just four hits in both games Wednesday and are on a roll as they resume Big Ten play on Saturday.
OSU is 12-2 in the Big Ten and is sitting atop the conference. The Buckeyes will try to hold off Michigan and Northwestern down the final stretch of this season to win their third Big Ten title in program history.
The Buckeyes begin a four game road trip Saturday, taking on the No. 3 Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, Ill. OSU’s final six games are against conference opponents.
“We play six really tough games we will have to really battle it out. If we deserve it we will earn it,” Kalafatis said.
Evan Winkofsky can be reached at [email protected].
