Softball Plays Host to Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 6, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio-Winners of five straight and 19 of its last 22 games, the Ohio State softball team (28-11 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) plays host to Illinois (32-14 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) in a doubleheader at Buckeye Field. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m.%^$
%^$FIRST MEETING VS. THE ILLINI
%^$Today marks the first meeting between OSU and Illinois on the softball field. Illinois is fielding its first varsity team this season after playing a 30-game independent schedule last season without scholarship players.%^$
%^$KALAFATIS HITS 400 MARK
%^$The victory over Miami (Ohio) Tuesday marked the 400th career win for OSU head coach Linda Kalafatis She has a career record of 402-238-2. Since taking over the helm of OSU softball, Kalafatis has a record of 131-123.%^$
%^$MATCHING WIN MARK EARLY
%^$With a 28-11 record entering the doubleheader with Illinois, OSU has matched it win total from last season, when the Buckeyes finished 28-26 a year ago. With a 12-game win streak this season and wins in 19 of their last 22 games OSU, has an opportunity to break the program-record of 40 wins, set in 1990 when the Buckeyes captured the Big Ten Championship.%^$
%^$CHAIN PERFECT VS. MIAMI
%^$In five innings of work, sophomore pitcher Katie Chain allowed no hits and no walks, striking out nine of the 15 batters she faced in an 8-0 win over Miami. 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 last time an OSU pitcher threw a no-hitter was Feb. 12, 2000 when Kristi Martin struck out seven in a 6-0 win over Nicholls State in the second game of the season.%^$
%^$DeVRIES TOSSES NO-HITTER
%^$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 batter she faced, allowing just one ball to reach the outfield. The only base runners for Eastern Michigan reached when by being hit by a pitch and a base on balls.%^$
%^$DeVRIES SETS K RECORD
%^$After opening the game by hitting the leadoff batter with her first pitch of the afternoon, DeVries struck out the next seven batters she faced. Her sixth strikeout was the 126th this season, setting an OSU freshman record for most strikeouts in a season. With her 11 strikouts in her no-hit effort, DeVries now has struck out 131 of the 354 batters she has faced this season.%^$
%^$BIG TEN SWEEP
%^$By taking both ends of a two-day series with Northwestern, OSU pulled off its first series sweep of a conference opponent since winning both games of a doubleheader against Penn State at Buckeye Field April 9, 1998.%^$
%^$SMITH ADDS TO RECORD
%^$Junior Anna Smith, OSU’s all-time leader in stolen bases, swiped one base in the first game against Eastern Michigan and two in the second game to give her 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts for the season. Smith has 63 steals for her career, seven more than previous record holder Cheryl Poleran.%^$
%^$WEST PLAYER OF WEEK
%^$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-for11), 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 four home runs on the season. She is batting .281 with four doubles and 10 RBI.%^$
%^$HIMES HITS THE HARDEST
%^$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 and pass Renae Wiegel (1997-2000), who was the previous record holder with 13. Himes is tied for the team lead with four home runs on the season.%^$
%^$WINNERS IN 19 0F 22
%^$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, which earned them a No. 1 seed at the tournament. 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 the 8-0 win over Miami (Ohio) Tuesday, the doubleheader sweep of Eastern Michigan Wednesday.%^$
%^$LONG GONE
%^$After Stacy Roth hit her second home run in three games and third of the season in the fourth inning of game two against Eastern Michigan, OSU now has 16 home runs this season and is on pace to break the program record of 28, set last season. Sarah West leads the Buckeyes with five dingers for the season. Kristine Himes has four home runs.%^$
%^$STRIKE FORCE
%^$With nearly half the season remaining, Kristi DeVries and Katie Chain both are climbing up the OSU single-season record for strikeouts in a season. Chain, who set a freshman record with 125 last season and ranks third among all pitchers in a single season, has 112, already good for fifth. DeVries currently has 131, ranking her third. DeVries is 24 away from the record of 154, set by Genice Turley in 1994.%^$
%^$LINK MISSES FIRST START
%^$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 for the first time in her career, 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. She is still recovering from a severely sprained right ankle and knee.%^$
%^$ELLIS GETS THE NOD
%^$Amy Ellis, a sophomore transfer from Ball State, filled in for an injured Jenn Link and made her first start at second as a Buckeye against Miami (Ohio). She went 2-for-3 with two singles and three runs batted in. Ellis also collected a hit in game one of the Eastern Michigan doubleheader.%^$
%^$SCOUTING ILLINOIS
%^$Fielding a team comprised of 17 freshmen in its first season with full-scholarship players , Illinois comes to Columbus with a record of 32-14 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Coached by Terri Sullivan, the Illini swept Michigan State in a doubleheader and dropped both games of a two-game series with Michigan. The Illini have seven players in double figures in runs batted in. Catcher/utility infielder Janna Sartini has a team-high 26 runs batted in. She is batting .311 (41-for-132) with three home runs and 10 doubles. Infielder/outfielder Katie O’Connel has 22 RBI with two home runs and six doubles. She is batting .246. Infielder Lindsey Hamma leads the Illini with a .319 batting average (43-for-135). In the pitching circle for the Illini, Amanda Fortune has a record of 14-7 with a 1.08 earned run average. Kathryn Nevard is 15-7 with a 1.36 ERA.%^$
%^$ONE AND DONE
%^$Katie Chain’s one-hit performance in the 10-0 shutout of Toledo in game two of the doubleheader marked the fifth time this season an OSU pitcher has tossed a one-hitter. All of the single-hit efforts have come in the last 15 games. 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.%^$
%^$EIGHT IS ENOUGH
%^$The 8-0 win over Eastern Michigan 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.%^$
%^$HAVE MERCY
%^$OSU’s 8-0 over Eastern Michigan marked the eighth time 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.%^$
%^$OSU VS. THE BUCKEYE STATE
%^$OSU’s game at Miami (Ohio)marked the third of 12 games the Buckeyes will play against opponents who also hail from the Buckeye State. OSU is now 3-0 after sweeping a doubleheader with Toledo March 28 and the win over Miami. OSU travels to Dayton April 10 to face the Dayton Flyers in a doubleheader. OSU will play host to Bowling Green (April 25) and travel to Wright State (May 1) for doubleheaders. The Buckeyes’ final matchup with an in-state opponent is at Akron at 7 p.m. May 2.%^$
%^$YSU RESCHEDULED
%^$The doubleheader between OSU and Youngstown State that was to be the home opener March 6 and was canceled because of weather , has been rescheduled for April 24 at 3 p.m.%^$
%^$DeVRIES ALL-INVITE AGAIN
%^$Freshman pitcher Kristi DeVries earned all-invitational honors for the third time this season when she was named Most Valuable Player of the Buckeye Invitational. In the opening game of the invitational, DeVries tossed a one-hitter against Buffalo, striking out an eye-opening 18 batters in the process, including 12 in a row at one point, a streak that saw her strike out the side in the second, third and fourth innings. At the plate, DeVries batted .357 (5-for-14) with a single and two RBI. At the Golden Panther Invitational in Miami, Fla., DeVries hit .313 (5-for-16) with two runs batted in for the five-game invitational. In the pitching circle, DeVries posted an earned run average of 0.95, allowing just two earned runs and six hits in 14.2 innings of work, while striking out 19. DeVries also was named to the all-invitational team at the Jameson Inn-Tiger Invitational, held Feb. 9-11 in Auburn, Ala.%^$
%^$DeVRIES ALMOST PERFECT
%^$Pitcher Kristi DeVries was nearly perfect in game one of the doubleheader with Robert Morris. DeVries, who struck out 18 batters and allowed just one hit in her last outing last Friday, 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 22 batters she faced and did not give up a walk.%^$
%^$ENGLISH STILL RECOVERING
%^$Outfielder Holly English, the lone senior on the OSU roster, who has been out the past two weeks, is expected to miss the next two weeks while she recovers from abdominal surgery.%^$
%^$ON DECK
%^$OSU faces its third in-state opponent of the season when it travels to Dayton, Ohio, to face the Dayton Flyers in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 3 p.m.
