Softball Sweeps Cleveland State – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/2/1998 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 2, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (14-11-0 overall, 2-3 in Big Ten) took care of business by sweeping a doubleheader against the Cleveland State Vikings (5-13-0 overall), 8-0 and 9-4. The Buckeyes improved their winning streak to three games and are rolling with wins in seven out of their last 10 games.
“We came out and did the things we needed to do to win,” Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis said. “Our leadoff hitters got on base and we got some clutch hits with runners in scoring position. Our outfielders made some spectacular plays and our pitching did the job.”
In the first contest, the Buckeyes dominated every facet of the game. The 8-0 win saw the Buckeyes jump on the Vikings early with six runs in the first inning.
Candace Kollen (Sr., Cerritos, Calif.) and Renae Weigel (So., Coldwater, Ohio) led the way with 2 for 3 performances. Kollen would also drive in a run while Weigel chipped in two. On the mound, Jodi Dolan (Sr., Fallon, Nev.) pitched a near perfect game, giving up only two hits in four innings of work. She improved her record to 4-2 on the year. Even with Dolan’s super performance, she was somewhat overshadowed by the one inning of relief work by Kelli Tom (Jr., Fullerton, Calif.). Tom made her first appearance of the season after knee surgery last fall. She had an extremely positive outing, retiring all three batters she faced. Her return is a definite boost to the pitching staff. CSUs Amy Johnson was charged with the loss. Her record fell to 3-7. In game two, Cleveland State tried to turn the tables by taking a 4-0 lead after the top of the third inning. But the early rush would not fluster the Buckeyes. OSU ran off nine unanswered runs to win the contest 9-4. Kollen led the way in game two with another 2 for 3 performance. Julie Bauman (Sr., Canfield, Ohio), also added to the hit barrage with a 2 for 3 game. The two would also drive in two runs each. Weigel, Jaime Chenevey (Jr., Wooster, Ohio) and Natalie Kratzer (Jr., Ashland, Ohio), would account for the rest of runs with each driving in a run. Pitcher Meaghan Robinson (Jr., Naples, Fla.) improved her record to 4-5 on the year. She pitched a complete game seven innings, gave up four runs and struck out three. CSUs Cassie Pittman saw her record fall to 1-3 on the year. “Hopefully today’s victories will give us some momentum going into this weekend,” Kalafatis said.
The Buckeyes will have their toughest test of the season when they travel North to Ann Arbor for a three-game series against No. 2-ranked Michigan beginning Saturday. The rivals will have a doubleheader, Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game, Sunday at 1 p.m.
