Softball Loses to Cal-State Fullerton, 4-2 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 1999
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (7-10 overall, 0-0 in Big Ten) wrapped up their trip to Southern California with a 4-2 loss to Cal-State Fullerton (16-12).
“We had our chances to win,” head coach Linda Kalafatis said. “We needed people to step up and make some plays.”
The Titans took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the second inning with one run off three hits.
The Buckeyes fired back in the top of the very next inning. With one out, Holly English (So., Akron, Ohio) drilled a single into centerfield. She immediately advanced to second off an infield slap single by Cheryl Palaroan (Sr., Reno, Nev.). The duo successfully executed a double steal to put themselves into scoring position. Two batters later, Jaime Chenevey (Sr., Wooster, Ohio) blooped a single into shallow leftfield to score both runners and give OSU a 2-1 edge. Chenevey is currently carrying an eight-game hitting streak.
Cal-State Fullerton tied the contest in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs, CSUFs Jessica Maloney reached base on a questionable call by the first base umpire. Maloney dropped a bunt to OSU third baseman Natalie Kratzer (Sr., Ashland, Ohio) who fired the ball to Anna Smith (Fr., Walnut, Calif.), who was covering first base, for what appeared to be the third out of the inning. The umpire ruled the ball and the runner reached base simultaneously, leaving the runner safe. Two batters later, she would score off a single to rightfield by Nikki Hart.
The Titans reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Stephanie Little led off with a home run to centerfield to give CSUF a 3-2 advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Titans added a run off three hits to increase their lead to 4-2.
Inside the circle, Toni Hileman (Jr., Alliance, Ohio) saw her record drop to 3-7 on the year.
The Buckeyes will travel to Atlanta this weekend to compete in the Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic. Play begins Saturday with a 1 p.m. game against Evansville.
