Senior outfielder Taylor Heckman (13) scopes out the field before Ohio State’s 10-8 win over South Dakota State in Lexington, KY. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Tegan Cortelletti had quite a game in the Buckeyes’ (13-6, 0-0 Big Ten) 8-0 shutout win Tuesday as they traveled to Nashville to take on Belmont (14-7, 0-0 MVC) at the Bruins’ home turf in ES Rose Park, followed by a 7-5 victory in extra innings Wednesday.
The graduate shortstop went 4-for-4 with a triple and three stolen bases, pushing her to 7-for-7 on the season in bases stolen.
Cortelletti scored the game’s first run after a Belmont error during Ohio State senior right fielder Taylor Heckman’s at-bat in the top of the first inning.
Sophomore catcher Hannah Church brought the heat to the top of the third with her double RBI to left center, bringing senior first baseman Destinee Noury home and to score the first run of the Buckeyes’ six-run inning.
Junior infielder Kaitlyn Farley kept the momentum going through a single with bases loaded, bringing in two runners to make it 4-0.
Cortelletti returned to the plate and hit an RBI to bring in senior outfielder Kirsten Eppele, putting Ohio State on top by five.
Up to bat, Heckman hit a single to right field and brought in Farley and Cortelletti to take the 7-0 lead at the end of the top of the third. Farley got her third RBI of the game after she singled and brought Eppele home in the top of the fifth.
The game ended in a mercy rule after no runs from Belmont in the bottom of the fifth inning.
For their last game in Tennessee, the Buckeyes beat Austin Peay (14-10, 0-0 ASUN) Wednesday in Clarksville at Cathi Maynard Softball Park, 7-5, in extra innings.
The Governors put up the first points with a triple from graduate left fielder Kendyl Weinzapfel to bring in two runners in the bottom of the first inning, taking a 2-0 lead.
The Buckeyes waited until the top of the fourth inning to take the lead 3-2 after a home run from junior shortstop Kami Kortakrax, bringing two runners home with her.
The Governors responded with a three-run homer at the bottom of the fifth from their freshman center fielder Brie Howard to regain the lead 5-3.
The Buckeyes hung tough and came back in the sixth to tie it and take it into extra innings after a home run from senior third baseman McKenzie Bump, followed by a steal to home from Eppele after a wild pitch.
The Buckeyes won in eight innings off an RBI hit from freshman designated player Jasmyn Burns to bring in two runners.
The Buckeyes left Tennessee and are headed to Lexington, Kentucky, for a five-game series to end spring break, which began Thursday and closes Sunday.
