Softball Heads to Wisconsin, Minnesota – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 26, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (39-14 overall, 10-4 in the Big Ten) heads into the weekend in third place in the Big Ten, three games behind Michigan and one behind Iowa. The Buckeyes will attempt to gain ground for the conference lead and break the school record for wins in a season (40) when they travel to Madison, Wis., for a doubleheader Friday and then to Minneapolis, Minn. for a two-game set with Minnesota.
ONE TO GO
The Buckeyes have the opportunity to tie the all-time school record of 40 wins this weekend. OSU enters the doubleheader with Wisconsin with 39 wins, second most in school history. The 1994 team went 40-20.
BIG TEN BROOMS
With sweeps of both Indiana and Purdue April 15-17, and Michigan State last Friday, the Buckeyes set a school-record with four conference sweeps in a season. The Buckeye also swept Northwestern. In 1994, OSU took four games from both Michigan State and Minnesota.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin heads into this weekend with a record of 26-20 overall and in sixth place in the Big Ten with a conference record of 6-8. The Badgers are batting .247 as a team and have a team-earned run average of 1.58. Meghann Raiss is batting .309 (34-for-110) with 20 runs batted in, six doubles and three home runs. In the pitching circle for the Badgers, Andrea Kirchberg is 16-10 record with a 1.29 ERA. Jennifer Cummings is 10-10 with a 2.11 ERA.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH WISCONSIN
The Buckeyes lead the all-time series with Wisconsin, 8-5.
LAST TIME WITH WISCONSIN
OSU split a two-game series with the Badegers last April 22-23 at Buckeye Field, winning 5-3 Saturday and falling 4-0 Sunday.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota heads into ths weekend with a record of 31-19-1and in a tie for ninth place in the Big Ten with a 4-10 conference record.The Golden Gophers have a team batting average of .248 and a collective earned run average of 0.89. Tammi Hays carries a .333 batting average( 48-for-144). Angel Braden has a team-high six home runs and 33 runs batted in. In the pitching circe for the Gophers, Piper Marten is 20-10 with a 0.89 ERA. Angie Recknor is 9-8 with a 0.94 ERA.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH MINN.
The Golden Gophers hold a 51-19 advantage in the all-time series.
LAST SEASON VS. MINN.
The Buckeyes split a doubleheader with Minnesota last April 21 at Buckeye Field, losing game one, 8-1, before rebounding for a 9-1 in game two.
CHAIN SECOND IN WINS
With a win over Youngstown State, Katie Chain improved her record to 18-5 on the season, moving her to second place for most wins in a season by an OSU hurler. Turley holds the record for most wins in a season with 24 in 1994.
DeVRIES TIES RECORDS
Allowing five hits and and striking out seven in a 5-2 win over Bolwing Green, Kristi DeVries improved her record to 14-5 and tied Jodi Dolan for the OSU record for wins in a season by a freshman. Jodi Dolan also won 14 games in 1995. The seven strikeouts give DeVries 154 for the season, tying her with Genice Turley (1994).
KALAFATIS HITS 400 MARK
The victory over Miami (Ohio) April 3 marked the 400th career win for OSU head coach Linda Kalafatis. She has a career record of 413-241-2.
DOUBLE FIGURES
Following last weekend, six Buckeyes are in double figures in hits in Big Ten play. Kristi DeVries, Anna Smith and Stacy Roth each have 12 hits in conference play. Chrissy Fowler, Kristine Himes and Wendy Allen have all tallied 10 hits. DeVries is 12-for-37 (.324), Smith is 12-for-38 (.316) and Roth is 12-for-41 (.286). Fowler is 10-for-35 (.286), Himes is 10-for-39 (.256) and Allen is 10-for-41 (.244).
SHUT DOWN
With Katie Chain’s shutout against Yougstown State, the Buckeyes have held the opponent scoreless 19 times this season, setting an OSU record for shutouts in a season..Kristi DeVries and Chain has each tallied eight scoreless performances and Allen has three. The previous record was 17, held by the 1990 Big Ten Champion edition of the Buckeyes.
STRIKE FORCE
OSU pitchers have tallied 379 strikouts this season, 112 more than the previous school record. Kristi DeVries has 154 in 129.1 innings, Katie Chain has 148 in 150.1 innings, Wendy Allen has 75 68.1 innings and Jenn Elwell has two in 10.2 innings.
SMITH OUT
Anna Smith suffered a broken left hand when she slid in to first base on a single to shallow left field to score Jenn Elwell to give OSU a 2-1 lead over Michigan in game two with Michigan. She had a cast put on Tuesday and is expected to have it removed in three weeks. She will be used as pinch runner in the meantime.
ELWELL PICKS UP WIN
Jenn Elwell picked up her first win of the season in game two against Youngstown State to improve her career record to 6-2. In six innings, she allowed seven hits, one run and struck out two.
HARD TO HIT, SCORE
After a stellar performance in the pitching circle by Katie Chain, Kristi DeVries and Wendy Allen at Indiana and Purdue, all three had strong performances in Big Ten series at home against Michigan State and Michigan. Collectively, the trio held the opposition to a .179 batting average, allowing 21 hits and giving up four earned runs. DeVries had a 0.00 earned run average, giving up four hits and striking out five in 7.1 innings of work. Allen checked in with a 0.60 ERA, giving up eight hits and striking out 12 in 11.2 innings. Chain had a 1.63 ERA, allowing nine hits and striking out eight in 13 innings.
HOOSIER STATE SHUTOUT
With three 2-0 wins and a 2-1 win, OSU was nothing short of dominating during four games in the Hoosier State April 23-25. Collectively, pitchers Kristi DeVries, Katie Chain and Wendy Allen allowed just 13 hits, one earned run, three walks and 24 strikeouts. The opposition batted just .133 and the trio had an earned run average of 0.25. Chain picked up two wins over the weekend, giving up nine hits and striking out seven in 13.2 innings of work. She gave up the lone run of the weekend. Kristi DeVries pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Wendy Allen pitched 8.2 inning and picked up two saves to go along with a complete-game win over Indiana, in which she struck out 11 and gave up two hits. Allen and DeVries each posted a 0.00 ERA. Chain checked in with a 0.54 ERA.
WINNERS IN 33 0F 39
After dropping game one of a home-opening doubleheader against Oakland March 8, OSU’s record dropped to 9-8. OSU took game two of the doubleheader to start a 12-game win streak that saw the Buckeyes go 5-0 at the Buckeye Invitational, sweep a doubleheader with Robert Morris and go 4-0 at the Buzz Classic. The streak was snapped with a 3-1 extra-inning loss at the hands of North Carolina. OSU rebounded with a doubleheader sweep over Toledo. After dropping both games of a doubleheader with Iowa to open the Big Ten season, OSU bounced back with two wins over Northwestern and an 8-0 win over Miami (Ohio) April 3 and a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Michigan April 4. After dropping Illinois, 5-0, in game one of a doubleheader April 6, OSU fell to the Illini, 4-3, in game two before sweeping both Indiana and Purdue last weekend. OSU then swept Michigan State before dropping game one to Michigan and coming back with a win over the Wolverines last Sunday and a sweep of Youngstown State Tuesday (4/24) and split with Bowling Green Wednesday (4/25) . ROTH ROCKS `EM
Stacy Roth came up big last weekend against Michigan State and Michigan. She had a team-high .429 batting average (6-for-14), two home runs and five runs batted in. she totaled 12 bases and scored three times. Roth is batting .321 with five home run for the season.
ROTH ROLLS UP RBIs
With five runs batted in last weekend adn four in the doublheader with Youngstown State, Stacy Roth now has 28 runs batted in for the season which brings her career total to 95, putting her one behind the record of 96 RBI, set by Nicole Paloney (94-97).
TATER TRIO
With two home runs last weekend, Stacy Roth tied Kristine Himes and Sarah West with a team-high five home runs this season. Himes is the OSU all-time career leader with 15 home runs. After her heroics against Michigan, Roth is now second with 14 long balls. West is tied with Jodi Dolan (95-98) with 12 homers.
MISSING LINK RETURNS
After colliding with outfielder Chrissy Fowler in shallow right field in the third inning against Northwestern (Game 2), second baseman Jenn Link was not penciled in the starting lineup the following five games. The 8-0 win over Miami (Ohio) April 3 marked the first time in her career she did not start, snapping a streak of 90 consecutive games. Link stepped in at second base in the first game of her freshman year, starting all 54 games last season. She started the first 36 games this season. Link returned to the starting lineup April 13 at Indiana, making her presence felt immediately. She went .462 (6-for-13) with a double and a run batted in in a four game stretch at Indiana and Purdue.
CHAIN HONORED BY BIG TEN
Katie Chain nearly was unhittable for the week ending April 9 and was recognized as co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. In two starts and one appearance in relief totaling 14.2 innings of work, Chain allowed three hits, walked none and did not gave up any runs. April 3, Chain tossed a perfect game at Miami (Ohio). In five innings of work, the sophomore pitcher allowed no hits and no walks, striking out nine of the 15 batters she faced. The RedHawks could not manage to put a single ball in play in the outfield. The game was called because of the eight-run mercy rule. Chain showed no signs of letting up if the game would have gone the full seven innings, striking out the side to end the game in the bottom of the fifth. The following day, in an 8-0 win over Eastern Michigan, Chain came in to relieve Wendy Allen and allowed one hit and struck out two in 2.2 innings of work. In a 5-0 win over Illinois, Chain allowed two hits while striking out five.
DeVRIES TOSSES NO-HITTER
One day after her teammate, Katie Chain, tossed a perfect game in Oxford, Ohio, freshman Kristi DeVries tossed a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Eastern Michigan. DeVries struck out eleven of the 20 batters she faced, allowing just one ball to reach the outfield. The only base runners for Eastern Michigan reached by being hit by a pitch and a base on balls.
DeVRIES SETS K RECORD
After opening the Eastern Michigan game by hitting the leadoff batter with her first pitch of the afternoon, DeVries struck out the next seven batters she faced. DeVries’ sixth strikeout was her 126th this season, setting an OSU freshman record for most strikeouts in a season. DeVries has struck out 147 of the 426 batters she has faced this season, ranking her fifth in the Big Ten.
SMITH ADDS TO RECORD
Junior Anna Smith, OSU’s all-time leader in stolen bases, swiped two bases last weekend to give her 21 stolen bases in 24 attempts for the season, ranking her third in the Big Ten. Smith has 67 steals for her career, nine more than previous record holder Cheryl Poleran.
SMITH’S STREAK STALLED
Junior Anna Smith enters last weekend hitting safely in the eight games. She tallied a hit in both wins over Michigan State to extend her streak to double figures before failing to tally a hit in the 2-1 loss to Michigan Saturday. Smith had collected a hit in every game dating back to game one of a doubleheader with Eastern Michigan (4/4). Smith batted .393 during the streak (11-for-28) with a double. She translated her hitting into runs, scoring nine times during the streak.
WEST PLAYER OF WEEK
The Big Ten Conference announced Ohio State first baseman Sarah West as the softball player of the week for the week ending March 26. After missing six games because of strained ligaments in her left shoulder as a result of a home plate collision in a win over Cleveland State (3/16), West made her presence in the lineup felt upon her return. She hit three home runs in five games at the Buzz Classic in Atlanta. In her first game back, a 2-0 win over Campbell, West provided half the OSU offense when she broke a scoreless tie with her fifth-inning shot. West also cleared the fence in an 8-0 win over Charleston Southern and again the next day when she tied the score at one in the third inning of an eventual 2-1 OSU win over North Carolina. Batting .545 (6-for-11), West tallied four runs batted in and helped OSU to a 4-1 record and a No. 1 seed as the 25-team field was narrowed to 12. For her efforts in Atlanta, West was an all-invitational selection. West is tied with third baseman Kristine Himes with a team-high five home runs on the season.
HOMERIN’ HIMES
Sophomore third baseman Kristine Himes became the most prolific home run hitter in OSU history against Southern Charleston, smacking an offering from Buccaneer pitcher Erin Lambert over the wall in the third inning to give her 14 for her career to pass Renae Wiegel (1997-2000), who was the previous record holder with 13. Himes is tied for the team lead with five home runs on the season.
HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
OSU entered this week second in the conference in batting average (.296), runs scored (199), hits (365), doubles (57), total bases (495).
NO RUNS FOR YOU
OSU leads the Big Ten with a 0.72 earned run average, more than two-tenths of a point ahead of Iowa (0.98). Opposing offenses are hitting just, .160 against the Buckeyes, also lowest in the conference. OSU led the conference with 350 strikeouts heading into this week.
TOP TEN TRIO IN THE CIRCLE
Three OSU pitchers cracked the Top-10 in the conference in earned run average. Wendy Allen is first in the conference with a 0.63 ERA. Katie Chain is third in the Big Ten with a 0.75 ERA and Kristi DeVries is seventh with a 1.03 ERA.
K IS FOR KRISTI
Kristi DeVries entered this week with 147 strikeouts. She has had a solid rookie campaign at the collegiate level and was particularly dominating during OSU’s 12-game win streak and in a no-hit effort against Eastern Michigan. DeVries was nearly unhittable during OSU’s 12-game win streak. While amassing five wins and tossing four shutouts, DeVries pitched three one-hitters and struck out an alarming 61 batters, more than half of the 114 she faced. Against Buffalo (March 16), she gave up just one hit and struck out 18, including 12 in a row at one point. Against Robert Morris March 20, she nearly threw a perfect game, giving up her only hit of the afternoon with one out in the seventh inning. She registered 13 strikeouts in the effort. In OSU’s first game at the Buzz Classic, she struck out 15 against Campbell while giving up one hit. She struck out five and allowed five hits in the win over North Carolina. DeVries tossed her first-career no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Eastern Michigan and a two-hitter against Purdue. She gave up just four hits in a 6-1 win over Michigan State.
ONE AND DONE
Katie Chain’s one-hit performance in the 10-0 shutout of Toledo (3/28)in game two of the doubleheader marked the fifth time this season an OSU pitcher has tossed a one-hitter. Kristi DeVries has tossed three one-hitters and Chain has thrown two. DeVries one-hit Buffalo in a 6-0 win, Robert Morris in game-one of a doubleheader and in OSU’s first game at the Buzz Classic, a 2-0 win over Campbell.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
With a wins over Youngstown State marked the 11th time OSU has tallied eight or more runs this season. The Buckeyes have won every contest in which they hit the eight-run barrier. The Buckeyes scored eight or more runs three times at the Buckeye Invitational, defeating Cleveland State, 12-1, IUPUI, 8-1, and Buffalo, 10-1.The Buckeyes opened the season with an 8-1 win over Northern Illinois at the Jameson Inn – Tiger Invitational. OSU reached the eight-run mark twice at the Campbell Cartier Classic in San Diego, defeating Utah State, 8-0, and Sacramento State, 8-4.
HAVE MERCY
Wins of 11-0 and 9-1 over Youngstown State marked the ninth and tenth times the Buckeyes have earned a win in less than seven innings because of the eight-run mercy rule. Four of those mercy rulings came during the Buckeyes’ 12-game win streak. OSU blanked Utah State, 8-0, at the Campbell-Cartier Classic in San Diego. OSU defeated Cleveland State, 12-1, and Buffalo, 10-1 at the Buckeye Invitational. OSU defeated Southern Charleston, 8-0, Toledo, 10-0, and Miami (Ohio) 8-0. OSU also run ruled Eastern Michigan.
DeVRIES ALMOST PERFECT
Pitcher Kristi DeVries was nearly perfect in game one of the doubleheader with Robert Morris. DeVries carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. With one out in the inning, Robert Morris rightfielder Natalie Aloi became the first Colonial to reach base, hitting a single to left field. DeVries then retired the final two batters on a foul out and strikeout, respectively. DeVries struck out 13 of the 22 batters she faced and did not give up a walk.
ON DECK
OSU host in-state opponent Wright Stat in a doubleheader at Buckeye Field Tuesday, May 1. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
