Players on the Ohio State softball team huddle during their game against Clemson at the Clearwater Invitational on Sunday. The Buckeyes fell 3-11 to the Tigers. Credit: Mary Holt via Ohio State Athletics
The Buckeyes’ inconsistent play against tough competition caused Ohio State to drop three out of five games in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational in Florida.
The Buckeyes entered the tournament as one of two teams to not make the 2024 NCAA Tournament out of the 16-team field.
At times, Ohio State (5-3-1) proved it could hang with the best teams in the country. However, a lack of consistency cost the Buckeyes in the end.
Game 1: No. 9 Florida State
On Friday, the Buckeyes faced their first ranked opponent of the season in the Florida State Seminoles (7-1) and fell 9-1.
In the top of the first inning, Ohio State’s batters caught fire, tallying four hits. However, the Buckeyes only mustered one run off an RBI single from first baseman Reagan Milliken, stranding two runners on base.
The remainder of the game, Florida State proved why it is ranked as a top-10 team in the country, limiting the Buckeyes to only two hits and zero runs while scoring nine unanswered runs.
Game 2: No. 16 Missouri
Ohio State bounced back on the same day from its first loss with a strong performance against another ranked opponent thanks to an overpowering fourth inning, defeating No. 16 Missouri (6-5) 7-2.
The Buckeyes were led by pitcher Kennedy Kay, who threw a career-high 129 pitches.
Ohio State trailed early though, allowing a two-run RBI double by Missouri in the first inning.
But the Buckeyes answered the Tigers’ early score with a run of their own, as second baseman Kaitlyn Farley’s RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the first cut the Missouri’s lead to one.
In the fourth, third baseman Sami Bewick hit the first triple of the season for the Buckeyes, scoring two. The next at-bat, Bewick scored on a single from right fielder Lottie Landmesser. A few batters later, three more Buckeye runners scored, putting Ohio State up 7-2 after four innings.
Kay did not give up a run the rest of the way, giving Ohio State their first win of the weekend.
Game 3: No. 12 Alabama
Ohio State’s offense came alive late, but it wasn’t enough as Alabama (5-4) jumped out to an early lead the Buckeyes could not overcome, falling 9-5 to the Crimson Tide.
In the Buckeyes’ lone game Saturday, left fielder Hadley Parisien got things started for Ohio State, hitting a solo home run in the first at-bat of the game.
From there, Alabama fought back and tallied the game’s next seven runs. Ohio State scored two runs but the Crimson Tide quickly answered with two of their own to take a 9-3 lead.
In the top of the seventh, the Buckeyes loaded the bases with no outs, trailing by six.
But Ohio State only managed to tack on two runs and the Crimson Tide put away two straight Buckeye batters to give them their second loss of the season.
Game 4: Clemson
Despite an early Buckeyes lead, the Tigers overwhelmed Ohio State with its offensive attack as Clemson’s (4-6) firepower propelled them to an 11-3 victory in six innings.
For the second game in a row, Parisien hit a home run in the first at-bat of the game. With two outs in the first, Bewick and first baseman Morgan Frye each hit an RBI single, extending the Buckeyes lead to 3-0.
Ohio State’s strong offensive start produced the most runs in the first inning of the weekend, but it was all Clemson from there.
The Tigers quickly took the lead back, scoring four runs in the first inning. In the second, Clemson struck out three Buckeye batters and extended their lead to 6-3 in the bottom half.
The Tigers continued to pile it on in the fourth and sixth innings, as they hit three more home runs, gaining an 11-3 decision over the Buckeyes.
Game 5: UCF
After falling behind early, the Buckeyes stormed back to tie UCF (7-4-1) 4-4, but the game ended early due to the weather.
The Buckeyes gained a 1-0 with a solo home run from Farley in the top of the second inning. But the Golden Knights erupted in the bottom of the third inning, loading the bases and scoring four.
In the top of the fourth, momentum shifted as Ohio State shortstop Kami Kortokrax knocked in a runner, cutting the UCF lead to two. An inning later, the Buckeyes scored two more runs and tied the game.
However, the Knights gained momentum back in the bottom of the fifth as they loaded the bases with only one out. Ohio State inserted freshman pitcher Layna Gerhard, who got out of the jam and put away two straight batters.
In the top of the sixth, the Buckeyes scored once and had two runners in scoring position. Looking to take the lead back, the game was stopped due to the weather and it ended in a 4-4 tie.
Ohio State finished the weekend 1-3-1 and heads to Evansville, Indiana for the 2025 Aces Home Tournament next weekend.
