The Ohio State softball team’s historic season came to an end Friday with a 7-6 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the NCAA Super Regional in Athens, Ga.
The Buckeyes led Georgia 6-2 through five innings and were six outs away from forcing a deciding game three, but OSU surrendered five runs in the sixth inning to lose 7-6.
Senior pitcher Kim Reeder started her final game as a Buckeye. She gave up seven runs on nine hits through seven innings. For Reeder it was a disappointing end to a distinguished career.
“I wish I could go back and change a few things, but I can’t, so I’m happy with my career and happy with the way our team came out,” she said.
Reeder’s 26 wins this season is an all-time OSU record and the 77 wins in her career make her the all-time wins leader in school history.
In the game Friday, the Bulldogs took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning before the Buckeyes answered right back with a home run from junior right fielder Courtney Pruner. She hit a grand slam, the first of her career, in the bottom half of the first inning to give OSU the 4-1 lead.
In the third inning OSU added two runs on a pair of hits. Junior first baseman Tory Haddad singled to left center and scored freshman short stop Alicia Herron. Then Pruner scored on an RBI double from sophomore third baseman Rachael Shepherd to give the Buckeyes a 6-1 lead.
Georgia added a run in the fourth inning to make it 6-2, and then scored five runs in the sixth to take the 7-6 lead.
“I think our team battled as hard as ever today, I think that we came to play,” Pruner said. “Hats off to Georgia they came back from a 6-1 deficit.”
The Bulldogs’ freshman catcher, Tori Moody, hit a lead-off home run to center and was the catalyst to three consecutive hits that culminated with sophomore center fielder Taylor Schlopy’s three-run home run.
The Buckeyes faced a 7-6 deficit but had six outs left to win the game or force extra innings. In the sixth OSU was retired in order. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Buckeyes had runners on first and second with no outs, but recorded three consecutive outs to end the season.
“We felt very confident and that our chances were pretty good. However, they executed on the mound and did better than we did in the batter’s box,” said OSU coach Linda Kalafatis.
Kalafatis said the team was very emotional after the loss, but she was impressed with the team’s success this season.
“They fought their hearts out all year long,” she said. “I’m so proud of how hard they fought.”
Evan Winkofsky can be reached at [email protected].
