Softball Splits a Doubleheader With Cleveland State – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 31, 1999
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (10-13 overall, 0-0 in Big Ten) split a doubleheader with Cleveland State (8-7 overall) losing game one, 2-1,and winning game two, 3-2. The second game was called after the fifth inning due to darkness.
In the first contest, the two schools combined for just three runs. CSU struck first in the top of the second with one run off two hits. But the Buckeyes answered quickly with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Stacy Roth (Fr., Wauseon, Ohio) doubled to centerfield. Samantha Kimura (Fr., Placentia, Calif.) immediately followed with a single to centerfield to score Roth.
The only other run of the game came in the top of the seventh inning when CSU scored off a pair of hits to win, 2-1.
Inside the circle, Toni Hileman (Jr., Alliance, Ohio) took the loss. She pitched a complete game and yielded nine hits. Her record falls to 4-10. CSUs Kim Evans improved her record to 5-4.
“All the little things we didn’t do added up,” head coach Linda Kalafatis said after the first game. “It’s simple, when you don’t execute, you don’t win.”
Game two featured the pitching debut of Kimura. With the OSU pitching staff decimated by injuries, the freshman got the call and pitched a solid outing.
With the Buckeyes down 1-0 in the bottom of the second, Sarah West (Fr., Galloway, Ohio) stepped up to the plate in a big way. With Renae Weigel (Jr., Coldwater, Ohio) on second base, West launched her first career home run to dead centerfield to give the Buckeyes a 2-1 edge. CSU answered with a run off two hits in the top of the third but the Buckeyes were quick to respond. In the bottom half of the inning, Anna Smith (Fr., Walnut, Calif.), who is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak, reached base on a single and scored two batters later off a Katie Wessendorf (So., Waterville, Ohio) ground out.
“Sarah really made a big play for her team today,” Kalafatis said. “We know she is capable of making a difference in every game she plays. I couldn’t be any happier for her.” Kimura (1-0) pitched four innings to earn her first career win. CSUs Cassie Pittman (3-2) was charged with the loss.
“I want to do whatever I can to help this team win,” Kimura said. “The defense made some nice plays behind me and we got the clutch hits when we needed them.”
The Buckeyes will open the Big Ten portion of their schedule when they host No. 4 Michigan in a three-game series beginning on Saturday.
