Ohio State junior infielder Ashley Prange (29) makes contact on a pitch against Maryland on March 26. Ohio State won 5-0. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Family of the Buckeyes trickled into Buckeye Field for the first time since April 28, 2019, and saw Ohio State dominate on both sides of the ball.
Behind the first complete-game shutout in the young career of freshman right-handed pitcher Allison Smith, Ohio State (9-7) defeated Maryland (7-9) Friday by a score of 5-0.
The Buckeyes bats couldn’t catch up in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader as the Terrapins used a six-run sixth inning to win 8-2. Ohio State’s offense unloaded in the second game of the day, however, recording season highs in runs and hits to split the doubleheader with a 13-3 victory.
On Sunday, Ohio State capitalized on a six-run fourth inning to propel itself to a 9-1 win behind a five-inning complete game from senior right-hander Payton Buresch.
Six Buckeyes had multi-hit games over the weekend, and junior center fielder Meggie Otte led the way with six RBIs.
Game 1
After allowing a two-out single to junior first baseman Regan Kerr in the top of the first inning, Smith settled and retired the next six hitters and seven of eight to breeze through the first three frames.
Offensively, the Buckeyes poured on the pressure in the second after going down in order to start the game. Junior shortstop Ashley Prange led off with a double to left-center field, then junior right fielder Kaitlyn Coffman followed with a single and sophomore catcher Sam Hackenbracht walked to load the bases with no outs.
Graduate third baseman Carley Gaskill flew out, then sophomore designated player Taylor Pack singled over first base to bring Prange around to score. Back-to-back RBI singles from sophomores second baseman Mariah Rodriguez and left fielder Tegan Cortelletti pushed the lead to 3-0.
The Buckeyes extended their lead in the fifth when Hackenbracht hit a two-run single up the middle to score senior third baseman Niki Carver and Prange, who reached after getting hit by a pitch and walked, respectively.
Smith retired eight of the last nine opposing batters to seal the first complete-game shutout of her career. She spun eight strikeouts while walking just one and scattering three hits.
Game 2
Buresch earned the start to begin Saturday’s doubleheader, making her first appearance in the circle on her home field as a Buckeye.
The Downers Grove, Illinois, native spun five innings of one-run ball. Buresch allowed just a solo home run off the bat of junior designated player Haley Ellefson to leadoff the fourth inning. The senior didn’t walk nor strikeout a batter but got plenty of help from her defense behind her as seven flyouts were caught and six grounders were fielded.
The Buckeyes got on the scoreboard first with two outs in the bottom of the second inning thanks to Coffman, who clubbed her first home run of the season to straightaway center field. Otte followed with an RBI double to the opposite field in left, scoring Cortelletti, who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Maryland’s sophomore righty Courtney Wyche, who entered with the Big Ten’s best ERA of 0.36 and had allowed just one earned run all season, countered with a strong outing of her own. Wyche settled after allowing two early runs and retired the next 10 of 11 batters to get through the bottom half of the sixth inning.
Smith entered in relief of Buresch in the top half of the sixth and surrendered a one-out RBI triple to freshman pinch-hitter Megan Mikami to score Ellefson and tie the game at two. A pair of full-count walks extended the Maryland rally as a fielding error by Prange at shortstop allowed two more runs to come around and score, helping the Terrapins take the lead 4-2.
The first collegiate home run — a three-run shot — off the bat of Maryland freshman Michaela Jones capped the six-run sixth inning of which junior righty Jessica Ross ultimately finished.
Junior shortstop Ruby Butler added an insurance run in the top of the seventh with an RBI double. Hackenbracht hit her second double of the game to leadoff the bottom half, and the Buckeyes threatened by putting runners on the corners with one out, but a 4-3 double play off the bat of Gaskill drew the game to an abrupt end. Wyche completed her third game of the season as she finished with five strikeouts and no walks.
Game 3
The Buckeyes bashed season highs in runs and hits behind 17 base knocks, including eight for extra bases.
Smith made her second start of the weekend in a rematch of Friday’s contest against Maryland’s sophomore righty Trinity Schlotterbeck. The Terrapins jumped on Smith early with a leadoff single from Kerr and a one-out walk to junior second baseman Taylor Okada.
Ellefson blasted a three-run homer — her second of the day and first of Game 2 — to give Maryland a 3-0 edge coming out of the first inning.
However, it was all Buckeyes from there. Cortelletti jumped out with a leadoff single and stole second before coming around to score on Otte’s RBI double off the top of the wall in right-center field. Otte scored after a Terrapins fielding error, then Prange tied the ballgame with an RBI single.
The Buckeyes batted around in the third for six hits and five runs — all with two outs that began the inning. Prange capped the big inning with a three-run homer to left-center, her first of the season. Otte added a two-run double and Carver contributed with an RBI single to go up 11-3.
Ohio State continued to pour on extra-base hits for two more runs in the fourth frame of the ballgame. Rodriguez legged out an RBI triple with one out, and two more doubles keyed the way for Carver to add another RBI to her ledger.
Several freshmen added to the Buckeyes lead as Destinee Noury and McKenzie Bump each drove doubles into the outfield gaps, and the former did so in her first-collegiate plate appearance.
Smith struck out a pair in the fifth to finish the contest. She went the distance for the fifth time this season and moved her record to 6-4, adding seven strikeouts while just two walks to her totals.
Game 4
It took a few innings for the hits to pile up, but the Buckeyes brought their hot bats with them from Saturday into the series finale.
Ten batters stepped to the plate in the fourth inning as Ohio State scored six runs on as many hits. Carver capped the big inning with her third home run of the season, a three-run shot out toward the scoreboard in right-center field.
Otte and Rodriguez added multi-hit games for their second and third games of the weekend. The third-year center fielder drove in three runs with a pair of singles, scoring a run herself, while Rodriguez scored after each of her three trips to the plate.
The Buckeyes struck first against Wyche, once again, as Carver reached after getting hit by a pitch and scoring on a passed ball, helped by a double from Prange.
Redshirt-senior Micaela Abbatine pinch-hit for Mikami with two outs in the second, and hit the first of back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Redshirt-sophomore catcher Katie Dustin, who singled, took off for second and forced a rundown, and Abbatine took the chance to score and tie the game at one.
Otte hit a chopper to shortstop in the bottom of the third, and Butler fired home but wasn’t in time as Rodriguez slid headfirst to beat the tag and give the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead.
The offense unloaded in the fourth as six hits were recorded and three bases were swiped, parlaying better scoring position into runs as freshman pinch-runner Lindsey Potter, Rodriguez and Cortelletti all scored after stealing a base.
Buresch battled Wyche in the circle, and held the upper hand over her opponents, forcing the Terrapins to ground out 10 times over the course of the game. Buresch allowed just one run and scattered six hits, all of which recorded with two outs in their respective innings.
The Buckeyes will travel to State College, Pennsylvania, next weekend for a four-game series at Penn State. The first game of the series will start at 5 p.m. Friday.
