Softball Sweeps Northwestern with 3-2 Win – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 1, 2001
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio– The Ohio State softball team (25-11 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) defeated Northwestern (9-1 overall, 2-2 Big Ten), 3-2, in eight innings to win game two of a two-day series and give it a weekend sweep of the Wildcats. The sweep marks the first time the Buckeyes have swept a conference opponent since defeating Penn State in both ends of a doubleheader April 7, 1998.
“This was a great weekend for us,” Linda Kalafatis, OSU head coach, said. “We have talked about coming from behind all year long. We really haven’t done that enough this season up to this point. Coming from three down in the bottom of the seventh yesterday and then sticking it out today when our backs were against the wall shows a lot about the character of our team.”
Kristi DeVries (Fr., Corona, Calif./Corona) started in the pitching circle for the Buckeyes, allowing six hits and striking out four in five innings of work before Katie Chain (So., North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) relieved her with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning. Chain allowed two hits and struck out one in three innings of work. Brie Brown took the loss for the Wildcats. She allowed six hits and struck out two in six innings of work.
Wendy Allen (Fr., Moreno Valley, Calif./Moreno Valley) went 2-for-2 at the plate. Kristine Himes (So., Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) was 2-for-4 with a run batted in while teammate Stacy Roth (Jr., Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) hit her second home run of the season.
OSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Anna Smith (Jr., Walnut, Calif./Diamond Bar) reached second after laying down a bunt. An overthrow by Wildcat third baseman Gretchen Barnes on the play put Smith in scoring position. Roth walked and Smith advanced to third on a wild pitch to put runners on the corners with no outs. The Buckeyes took a 1-0 lead when Smith and Roth pulled off a double steal. Stacy Roth put OSU up 2-0 when she led off the sixth inning with a solo home run blast off the scoreboard behind the fence in right center.
“That was a perfect way to get out of my slump,” Roth said. “I knew when I connected it was out.”
Northwestern responded with two runs in the sixth to knot the score and send the game into extra innings. After a single, an error and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, Chain replaced DeVries in the circle.
Chain walked the first batter she faced to score rightfielder Brett Nakabayashi from third. A sacrifice fly to right field by designated player Andria Caruthers brought home centerfielder Erin Jancic to tie the score.
DeVries drew a walk to open the eighth inning and reached second on a passed ball. Two batters later, Himes singled to right center with a ground ball that just got by second baseman Carie Leto and allowed DeVries to score from second.
After Jancic doubled to open the bottom of the eighth, Chain retired the next three batters she faced to secure the win.
OSU travels to Oxford, Ohio, to face the Redhawks of Miami (Ohio) at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
