Then-freshman infielder, Ashley Prange (29), prepares to catch the ball from the catcher as her Indiana opponent attempts to steal. The game was played on March 24, and Ohio State won 2-0. Credit: Gretchen Rudolph | Lantern File Photo
The Buckeyes experienced the highs and lows all in its first day of the season.
Ohio State (1-1) opened the 2021 season with a 3-2 win over Iowa (1-1) in the first game of its doubleheader Friday. The Buckeyes lost 4-3 in the second game after the Hawkeyes hit a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Allison Smith impressed in her Buckeyes debut during Game 1. She twirled a complete game and allowed just five hits and two runs while striking out nine.
Smith and utility Kirsten Eppele were the lone freshmen to make their Buckeyes debuts Friday.
The Buckeyes jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning of Game 2, thanks to an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Taylor Pack.
Senior right-handed pitcher Payton Buresch helped Ohio State take a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning until Iowa surged for two, two-out runs.
Game 1
Smith earned the nod to begin the season for the Buckeyes, who started as the home team, and struck out two batters in the top of the first to get the game underway.
After Iowa senior right-handed pitcher Sarah Lehman and Smith virtually matched one another through the first three innings, Hawkeyes sophomore first baseman Grace Burns hit a solo home run to left field in the top of the fourth inning to begin the scoring.
In the bottom of the frame, junior shortstop Ashley Prange led off with a double into the right-centerfield gap. Sophomore first baseman Taylor Pack was hit by a pitch, then senior third baseman Niki Carver drove a three-run home run to left field to put the Buckeyes ahead.
Iowa sophomore right fielder Nia Carter began the sixth inning with a triple, then freshman second baseman Grace Banes flew out to left field. On the flyout, the umpires determined Carter left third base too early, and Buckeyes sophomore left fielder Tegan Cortelletti threw to third to complete the double play.
The Hawkeyes didn’t stay down, however. Sophomore first baseman Kalena Burns drew a walk, then scored on freshman designated player Denali Loecker’s RBI double.
Iowa threatened in the seventh inning after junior left fielder Riley Sheehy hit a single, then senior pinch-hitter DoniRae Mayhew advanced to second base on a throwing error. Smith locked in to strike out the final batter and seal the win and her first complete game as a Buckeye.
Game 2
The Buckeyes were the designated visitors in the second game of the doubleheader, and they turned the ball over to Buresch. The senior started 10 games in 2020, throwing 81 innings and boasting a 1.99 ERA.
Junior centerfielder Meggie Otte led off the game with a single. Two batters later, Otte stole second and advanced to third base on the throwdown. Pack drove in Otte with an RBI single.
Ohio State scratched the scoreboard again in the third inning. Back-to-back singles from Cortelletti and Otte set the stage for Prange to drive the former in on a single. Sophomore designated player Avery Clark laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Otte and put the Buckeyes ahead 3-0.
Buresch cruised through the first three innings on the mound. Burns singled to open the bottom of the fourth inning and later scored on a single from freshman catcher Marissa Peek.
Iowa’s senior left-handed pitcher Lauren Shaw ran into trouble in the first three frames, but kept the Buckeyes at bay in the fourth and fifth innings. The Hawkeyes turned a critical double play during Clark’s at-bat to cinch a potential Buckeyes rally.
The Hawkeyes threatened in the bottom of the fifth when Sheehy reached third base. Buresch settled down and got Burns to ground out to second base.
The Buckeyes clung to a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, and head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly lifted Buresch for the return of Smith after a leadoff walk to senior utility Ashley Hamilton. Smith, who had thrown a nine-strikeout complete game earlier in the day, was tasked with stopping the Iowa rally.
Freshman center fielder Brylee Klosterman drew a walk, and a sacrifice bunt from Sheehy put runners on second and third with two outs. Carter, who led the Hawkeyes with a .509 batting average in 2020, ended the game with a walk-off two-run single up the middle.
The last seven Buckeyes hitters were retired in Game 2 as late-offensive struggles prevented any insurance runs.
The Buckeyes will play the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 4:15 p.m.
