Ohio State sophomore infielder Mariah Rodriguez (7) identifies the number of outs during the Ohio State-Maryland game March 26. Ohio State won 5-0. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Riding momentum after winning three of four at Buckeye Field, the Buckeyes softball team will have a chance to continue its hot hitting during its first true-Big Ten road series weekend.
Ohio State (9-7) heads back on the road as it travels to State College, Pennsylvania, for four games at Penn State (1-15).
In their last two games, the Buckeyes mashed a combined 26 hits and scored 22 runs, boosting their team batting average to a conference fourth-best .262.
Sophomore second baseman Mariah Rodriguez led the way with seven hits over her 10 at-bats, driving in a pair of runs on as many extra-base hits — all from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. Junior center fielder Meggie Otte had a standout day at the plate during Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a triple and team-high three RBI.
Head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said she saw how intentional Otte was standing in the batter’s box, and that her 5-foot-9 frame allows her to cover more area of the plate.
“I think that she put a lot of work in leading up to this past weekend,” Schoenly said. “Since the day we recruited her, we’ve always known that her strength is her power with those long levers. She’s able to pick the right pitch and she can do a lot of damage with it. I think she got super streaky this weekend and just kept going with it.”
Seven Buckeyes poked multiple hits last weekend, and two newcomers capitalized in their first-career at-bats.
Freshmen utility McKenzie Bump and infielder Destinee Noury each pinch-hit in the fourth inning of Game 2 Saturday, and clubbed doubles to extend the Buckeyes’ two-run inning.
“I don’t think anybody can really understand how hard it is to sit the bench for 13 or 14 games, and then get put in and you just hit a double,” Schoenly said. “Like, that doesn’t happen, and they both did it. It just shows you that they still had their heads in the game, and when it was their chance, they came through. I feel great about giving them more opportunities down the road seeing as they came through so easily.”
In the circle, freshman right-hander Allison Smith continued to impress. She earned the nod to start the first Ohio State home game since 2019 and spun a complete-game shutout with eight strikeouts, holding the Terrapins to just three hits.
Although Smith was touched up for five runs during Game 1 on Saturday, she attacked hitters with the best pitches in her arsenal, including several change-ups to which Smith pumped her fist after catching opposing hitters off balance.
“She doesn’t back down; she attacks each team she plays,” Schoenly said. “She’s super aware of what we’re trying to do from a pitch-caller’s point of view. You would never guess she was a freshman if you didn’t know that. I’m super proud of her.”
The Buckeyes pitching staff has held opponents to a Big Ten fourth-best .213 batting average, led by Smith’s stifling .194 and senior right-hander Payton Buresch’s .207 offering. Smith also sits 10th in the Big Ten with 48 strikeouts.
Looking across the field, the Nittany Lions have struggled for much of the season. They began the year on a 14-game losing streak before snapping it with a 7-5 extra-inning win at Nebraska last time out.
Offensively, Penn State’s team batting average of .159 is the worst in the conference, and its 29 runs scored are also the least in the Big Ten. Sophomore infielder Michelle Leone sits atop the Nittany Lion leaderboard with a .250 batting average and .719 OPS, having smacked three doubles.
Penn State pitchers have performed better in the circle, yet its 3.75 ERA is second-highest in the Big Ten. Although two other Nittany Lions have started more games, sophomore lefty Vanessa Oatley has been efficient in relief. Oatley has held opposing batters to a .235 batting average while striking out a team second-most 12 batters.
“Looking at what they’ve been able to do, they’ve played a lot of really close games,” Schoenly said. “I think that they can stay in a lot of games. Our job is to try to do anything to get the next pitcher on the mound. Making it difficult for them, that’s our goal. I feel like we did that against Maryland.”
Ohio State and Penn State begin with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and will play one game on both Sunday and Monday. All four games will be broadcast on BTN+.
