Softball: A winning weekend kicks off the 2024 Buckeye season

McKenzie Welch
Tue, 13 Feb 2024 01:59:53 +0000
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Then-junior infielder, Kaitlyn Farley, and Ohio State softball fell to the Ohio Bobcats 1-0 on April 4, 2023 in Columbus.
Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File

The Buckeyes left Miami this past weekend with a 4-1 series in the Felsberg Invitational, riding a four-game win streak.?

It was a rough start for the team Friday after a 7-5 loss to Stony Brook (1-4, 0-0 CAA). With two outs and bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning, Seawolves’ senior center fielder Alicia Orosco singled to left field to bring graduate infielder Brooke Dye home to take an early 1-0 lead before the Buckeyes got the last out to close the inning.

Ohio State came back to tie the game at one apiece in the top of the third inning when senior catcher Sam Hackenbracht singled to bring in freshman outfielder Taylor Cruse. With runners on the corners, junior second baseman Kaitlyn Farley singled to right field to bring in both runners, taking the lead for the Buckeyes 3-1.

Stony Brook answered in the bottom of the third with six runs to take the lead 7-1 after three walks, a hit batter and three hits from three Ohio State pitchers, sophomores Lexi Paulsen and Julia Miller, and senior Emily Ruck.

In an attempt to make a comeback, junior center fielder Melina Wilkison homered to bring in sophomore utility Skylar Limon to make the score 7-5 in the top of the sixth. After a scoreless rest of the sixth and top of the seventh, the Seawolves handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.

Ohio State returned to the field Friday evening with a chip on its shoulder, ending the night with a 6-1 win over the Florida International University Panthers.

The Buckeyes took an early lead when Hackenbracht doubled, bringing in junior infielder Kami Kortokrax to make the score 1-0.

Still, 1-0 entering the top of the third, freshman designated player Jasmyn Burns homered to extend the lead to 2-0.?

The Panthers remained scoreless entering the top of the fifth when sophomore catcher Hannah Church hit a double to bring Farley home and make it a 3-0 game.?

FIU scored its only run when its junior shortstop Ashton Lansdell hit an RBI.?

Church got things going again in the top of the seventh when she hit a double RBI to extend the lead to 5-1. To finish the night on a high note, senior third baseman McKenzie Bump doubled and brought Church home to end the game 6-1.

The Buckeyes continued the series in Miami Saturday with a 13-0 shutout versus Southeast Missouri State.?

Coming in hot to the second inning, graduate shortstop Tegan Cortelletti got things started for the Buckeyes when she hit a single with bases loaded to bring in Limon, making it a 1-0 game.?

Farley reached on an error, allowing senior outfielder Kirsten Eppele to score, putting another point on the board for the Buckeyes, 2-0. With bases loaded, Burns hit a grand slam before the close of the second inning with a significant 6-0 lead.?

After RBIs from Cortelletti, Farley, Wilkison, Burns, Heckman and Church, the Buckeyes took a 13-0 lead in the bottom of the third. After the top of the fifth inning, the mercy rule went into effect to finish the game, putting the Buckeyes on top with a 2-1 series record going into the evening.

Riding off the momentum from the earlier shutout, the Buckeyes prepared for their last game of the day going back up against Stony Brook. Looking to avenge themselves from their early loss at the beginning of the series, the Buckeyes got their second shutout and came out victorious beating the Seawolves 9-0.

The Buckeyes held off Stony Brook thanks to their pitcher, Ruck.

“Emily has another gear,” head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said. “I think that she is very capable and she’s got a fire in her belly.”

Hackenbracht scored in the bottom of the second after a sacrifice hit from Cortelletti to get a 1-0 edge on Stony Brook.?

The Buckeyes left the fifth inning with a 5-0 score after a 3-score home run from Church followed by a walk from a patient Cortelletti, allowing Eppele to score.?

An explosive sixth inning took place shortly after Eppele’s RBI and before Hackenbracht’s 3-run homer, giving them a 9-0 lead and putting in effect yet another mercy rule.

To cap off the series, the Buckeyes won their fourth straight game when they beat FIU one final time, 7-5.

The Panthers came out in the top of the first inning, scoring twice to take an early 2-0 lead over the Buckeyes.?

The Buckeyes responded in the bottom of the first with a run, followed by a homer from Hackenbracht in the second inning to make it a tie game. To take the first Buckeye lead of the game, Burns brought in Farley at the end of the second inning to make it a 3-2 game.?

After fielding errors from the Panthers in the fourth inning, Ohio State scored two more runs, advancing its lead to 5-2.

Burns hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to make it 7-2.

The Panthers attempted a comeback, scoring three in the top of the seventh, but came up short, handing the Buckeyes another win to end their weekend in Miami.?

“I think our lineup is stacked from top to bottom,” Hackenbracht said. “So I think that we’re gonna have a really good year and we’re going to shock some people.”