Softball Splits Doubleheader With Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/1/1998 12:00:00 AM | Softball
%^$April 1, 1998
%^$ COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (12-11-0 overall, 2-3-0 in Big Ten) and the Indiana Hoosiers (7-17-1 overall, 1-3-0) battled to split a doubleheader. The Hoosiers won game one, 8-2 while the Buckeyes bounced back to take game two, 4-2. “Anytime you get a conference win is very positive,” Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis said. “But we still can’t be satisfied because the road through the Big Ten will only get tougher.” In game one, Indiana All-American Monica Armendarez led the way with two home runs and knocked in a total of six runs. Teresa Martinez pitched the entire game to improve her season record to 4-7.
%^$OSU’s Meaghan Robinson (Jr., Naples, Fla.) was charged with the loss. She went four innings and game up five runs in the process. Her record fell to 3-5 on the year. In game two, the Buckeyes struck first with two runs in the third inning off three key consecutive singles. Holly English (Fr., Springfield, Ohio) led off the inning with a walk. The hit parade would begin with Renae Weigel’s (So., Coldwater, Ohio) single to right field. English would put the Buckeyes on the board by scoring off a Cheryl Palaroan (Jr., Reno, Nev.) single. Candace Kollen (Sr., Cerritos, Calif.) immediately followed with an infield single to score Weigel.
%^$But Indiana would not go away quietly. The Hoosiers tacked on two runs in the fourth inning. With two outs and runners on second and third base, Monica Zahasky lined a single into left field to tie the score at two. But the two runs would be the only offense IU would be able to muster against OSU starter Kristi Martin (Fr., La Mirada, Calif.). Martin pitched a solid complete game to improve her record to 4-2 on the year and a perfect 2-0 in Big Ten play. She also recorded eight strikeouts in the game. The Buckeyes took the lead for good in the fifth inning. With two outs and runners on second and third base, Jaime Chenevey (Jr., Wooster, Ohio) lined a single into center field to clear the bases and give OSU the 4-2 lead.
%^$Kollen would score twice in the two games to increase her career runs scored total to 113. She is the OSU all-time career leader after breaking the record of 110 on Saturday against Minnesota. The win over Indiana marked the first time since 1993 that OSU defeated IU (4-1 win on March 11, 1993). The OSU drought totaled nine consecutive loses. The Buckeyes will remain home to play host to a doubleheader against Cleveland State, tomorrow at 3 p.m. Ohio State will then hit the road to play No. 2-ranked Michigan in Ann Arbor for a three-game series set to begin on Saturday.
