Senior Taylor Heckman (13) rounds second base after an Ohio State hit. The Buckeyes lost their series against Wisconsin two game to one in Madison, WI. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to continue their Big Ten play against the Badgers and lost another conference series, 1-2.
Ohio State (21-17, 3-9 Big Ten) lost 8-4 in its series opener against Wisconsin (15-23, 4-8 Big Ten) on Friday. The Buckeyes tried to hang tough and make a comeback to win their first Big Ten series but fell short 10-5. The Buckeyes avoided the series shutout with a 9-5 victory on Sunday.
The Badgers started strong Friday night, scoring back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first, one from graduate first baseman Fiona Girardot and one from junior catcher Emmy Wells.
The Buckeyes took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third after senior center fielder Kirsten Eppele scored on a fielding error, followed by a single to bring in two runners from junior shortstop Kami Kortokrax.
Wisconsin tied it in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI from junior second baseman Ellie Hubbard.
The Badgers regained their lead with a two-run RBI from senior center fielder Peyton Bannon in the bottom of the fifth. Not to be outdone, junior right fielder Brooke Kuffel hit a three-run homer to make it 8-3.
The Buckeyes attempted to make a comeback in the top of the seventh when sophomore first baseman Hannah Church was hit by a pitch and walked with bases loaded to make it 8-4, but the game ended before they could score any more runs.
The Buckeyes changed their lineup on Saturday to try and bring a different outcome but fell short.
Wells started the game with another home run, bringing two home with her at the bottom of the first to take an early 3-0 lead.
Kuffel extended the lead 4-0 with her sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.
The Buckeyes responded at the top of the fourth with an RBI from Church followed by a steal to home from senior third baseman McKenzie Bump, making it 4-2.
Adding another run to the board, senior catcher Sam Hackenbracht tripled to bring Kortokrax home.
The Badgers had a high-scoring fifth inning, starting with a two-run homer from sophomore shortstop Ava Kuszak to make it 6-3.
Bannon hit her second two-run RBI of the weekend to make it 8-3 and then returned home with a triple from Hubbard.
Wisconsin ended the inning with a 9-3 lead when Hubbard scored on a single from junior pinch hitter Molly Schlosser to make it 10-3.
Hackenbracht tried to make a comeback in the top of the seventh with a two-run homer, but the Buckeyes could not finish, ending the game 10-5.
The Buckeyes changed the lineup again on Sunday, leaving with their sole win from the weekend.
“I think our coaching staff just wanted to see something different, like put people in uncomfortable positions and see if they would perform, and I think we did that really well,” Church said.
Kuszak and Kuffel each hit an RBI in the bottom of the first to make it 2-0.
The Buckeyes responded with an RBI from freshman catcher Jasmyn Burns in the top of the second to narrow the Badgers’ lead to one run.
Kuszak homered in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1.
The Buckeyes tied the game with their back-to-back homers from Bump and Burns in the top of the fourth.
Wisconsin’s freshman left fielder Alivia Bark hit a sacrifice fly to take a 4-3 lead.
Ohio State kicked off a six-run inning in the top of the fifth with an RBI from Bump, Burns and Eppele to make it 6-4.
Junior second baseman Kaitlyn Farley singled to right field to bring Burns and Eppele home and make the score 8-4.
Senior right fielder Taylor Heckman tacked on another run with her RBI to end the top of the fifth.
Bannon answered with an RBI in the bottom of the fifth to make it 9-5, but the Buckeyes held them off on offense to end the game and avoid the series shutout.
“I think it was just everyone communicating on our defense. I mean, when you love who you’re sitting next to, you don’t really have a problem talking constantly,” Kortokrax said. “Coach Kelly [Schoenly] talks a lot about [how] there’s not a lot of things we can always control in softball, but we can always control our effort.”
The Buckeyes will play a doubleheader at home against Penn State Tuesday. The first game begins at 4 p.m., and the second will follow at 6:30 p.m.
