Home Runs By Weigel and Wessendorf Lead Softball Over Akron, 11-1 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 6, 1999
Lexington, Ky. – With the gametime wind chill around 10 degrees, The Ohio State Buckeyes (6-6) trounced the Akron Zips 11-1 in game two of the Kentucky Invitational.
The Buckeyes did not waste any time. In the top of the first inning, Anna Smith (Fr., Walnut, Calif.) reached first base off a throwing error by Akron catcher Kelli Metzger. Then the roof caved in for the Zips. Jaime Chenevey (Sr., Wooster, Ohio) singled to advance Smith to second. Renae Weigel (Jr., Coldwater, Ohio) immediately followed with a bomb over the centerfield wall, her first home run of the sesason. The next batter, Samantha Kimura (Fr., Placentia, Calif.), increased her hitting streak to nine consecutive games with a single to right field. The very next batter, Katie Wessendorf (So., Waterville, Ohio), tattooed her first career home run over the left field wall to give OSU a 5-0 lead. Akron would pull its starting pitcher Tiffany McCoy at the conclusion of the inning.
The top of the second showcased more OSU offense. Cheryl Palaroan (Sr., Reno, Nev.) walked to leadoff the inning. She would advance to third off a single by Chenevey. With Weigel at the plate, Palaroan proceeded to steal home to give OSU a 6-0 lead. Weigel eventually walked and Chenevey advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kimura drove in her first run of the day with a single to score Chenevey. The Buckeyes ended the inning with a 7-0 lead.
OSU capped off its scoring in the top of the seventh inning. Kimura led off with a double to left-centerfield. She scored off a Holly English (So., Akron, Ohio) double, also to left-centerfield. The next batter, Natalie Woods (Jr., Gilbert, Ariz.) singled to leftfield. The duo would then score off a Stacy Roth (Wauseon, Ohio) pinch-hit double to centefield. The two-RBI shot gave OSU its final score, 11-1.
Inside the circle, Meagan Robinson (Sr., Naples, Fla.) earned her second win of the day. She pitched a complete game, gave up one run (unearned) and struckout eight batters.
“I was happy with it considering the weather conditions,” Robinson said. “The team came out and hammered the ball so my job was the easy part.”
The win gave OSU a 2-0 tournament record and guaranteed a birth in the tournament championship game, tomorrow at 5 p.m. But before that, OSU will play Canisius at 11 a.m.
