The Ohio State Softball team huddles up before the Ohio State-Michigan game April 9, 2021. Ohio State lost 7-0. Credit: Christian Harsa | Special Projects Director
The Buckeyes rebounded Friday and Saturday following a couple of losses to finish their Florida road trip on a high note.
Ohio State (17-5) won both games of its doubleheader Friday, first with a 3-0 victory against Canisius (8-8), then a 5-2 win versus St. Thomas (3-20). The Buckeyes ended with a 9-0 run rule triumph against No. 22 South Florida (26-6), taking two of the three games played against the Bulls this season.
The Buckeyes’ pitching staff only gave up two runs in the last 19 innings pitched, with each of the three pitchers earning a win. The player on offense who broke out the most this past week was undoubtedly junior catcher Sam Hackenbracht, who hit seven home runs, including two in the past three games.
Canisius
A shutout from sophomore right-hander Allison Smith and solid defense behind her led to a 3-0 Ohio State victory over Canisius.
The first run on the board came in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman infielder Kami Kortokrax reached on a single, then scored from a double off the bat of senior outfielder Kaitlyn Coffman.
The Buckeyes didn’t score again until the fifth inning, when senior outfielder Meggie Otte clubbed a solo home run to stretch the score to 2-0.
The defense came in clutch in the top of the sixth, with Ohio State only ahead by two runs. With one out and runners on first and second base, sophomore utility Gianna Fazzolari lined into an unassisted double play by senior first baseman Niki Carver to end the inning.
The final run came in the bottom half of the frame when Coffman drove in a second run, singling to score sophomore infielder McKenzie Bump.
In Smith’s second complete-game shutout of the season, she only gave up three hits and three walks while striking out eight, improving her record to 5-1 on the season.
St. Thomas
Four different Buckeyes drove in runs to top the Tommies in the second half of their doubleheader Friday.
Ohio State struck first in the opening inning. Freshman outfielder Melina Wilkison led off with a walk, then advanced to third base on an Otte single. Hackenbracht hit a sacrifice fly to score Wilkison.
The Buckeyes’ offense continued into the second inning, scoring another run. Kortokrax tripled to left center, then scored off a groundout from junior infielder Avery Clark.
In the fourth inning, Wilkison hit an RBI single with the bases loaded to score junior outfielder Tegan Cortelletti. Immediately after, Otte grounded out to score Kortokrax and make the score 4-0.
The Tommies fought back in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman infielder Brooke Ellestad hit a two-run home run off of sophomore right-hander Emily Ruck to cut the Buckeyes’ lead in half.
Hackenbracht’s hot bat added an insurance run in the seventh inning, hitting her sixth home run of the spring break trip to make it 5-2 Buckeyes.
Graduate lefty Lexie Handley came in during the sixth inning and earned her third save of the season. Ruck earned her fifth win of the season, going 5 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out nine.
USF
The Buckeyes came out victorious in the rubber match versus USF.
Ohio State scored in each of the five innings played in its run-rule win. Starting in the first inning, Bump singled to right field to score Carver and Hackenbracht, who reached on a double and hit by pitch, respectively.
In the next inning, Wilkison hit her first collegiate home run. Hackenbracht followed suit in the third, crushing her seventh and final home run of the spring break trip.
Moving along to the fourth, Otte reached on a fielder’s choice which scored Wilkison. Hackenbracht wasn’t finished for the night, as she doubled to score Otte, making the score 6-0.
The Buckeyes sealed the run rule in the fifth inning. Coffman singled up the middle to score both Kortokrax and Bump, then senior outfielder Jaycee Ruberti grounded out to score junior infielder Mariah Rodriguez, who pinch ran for Coffman.
While the Buckeyes’ bats were hot, Handley was stellar in the circle to keep the Bulls scoreless. The lefty threw all five innings, only giving up two hits and three walks while striking out ten, earning her sixth win of the season.
The Buckeyes will travel to Athens, Ohio, and play Ohio University Wednesday at 6 p.m. before starting conference play at home Friday against Indiana.
