Softball Cages Cougars, 5-0, to Share Houston Invite Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 17, 2002
Box Score
HOUSTON, Texas- The Ohio State softball team scored five times on seven hits and posted its fourth shutout of the weekend with a 5-0 defeat of the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the Houston Invitational Sunday. The Buckeyes ran their winning streak to seven games while handing UH its second loss in three games after opening the year 11-0. OSU’s 9-1 start in 2002 is the best for the program since a 6-4 mark by the 2001 squad.
OSU was to face Baylor in the championship game later in the day but was unable to because of prior travel arrangements for the Buckeyes. As a result, OSU and BU were declared co-champions in the event held at the Houston Softball Complex.
The Buckeyes started their scoring in the second inning with a leadoff single by Stacy Roth (Sr., Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon). OSU’s next two batters, Chrissy Fowler (Sr., Utica, Ohio/Wright State) and Sarah West (Sr., Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), flew out before Breana Pozzi (So., Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande) lined her team-best fourth double of the year off the left center field fence to bring Roth around to score. The Cougars (12-2) could not respond as they sent four batters to the plate with a single down the left field line by Candis Turnbo the only hit UH would muster until the sixth inning.
After a 1-2-3 inning for OSU in the third, its bats awoke and with speed and unforced errors by the hosts, the Buckeyes plated two more runs. Wendy Allen (So., Moreno Valley, Calif./Moreno Valley) led off the stanza with a single up the middle. Meghan Rowlands (Fr., Hilliard, Ohio/Bishop Ready), pinch running for Allen, stole second and moved to third when Fowler reached on an infield single to the shortstop. West took first on a throwing error by the shortstop and after stealing second, Fowler followed Rowlands across home plate to give OSU the 3-0 lead.
The Buckeyes, after a UH went down in order, added two more runs in the fifth. Annie Dedic (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif./Fullerton JC) opened the inning with a single to second and was followed by a Jennifer Link (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif./Sonora) infield single to third. Anna Smith (Sr., Walnut, Cailf./Diamond Bar) followed by reaching on a throwing error by pitcher Jenny Johnson scoring Dedic and moving Link and Smith to third and second, respectively. Two batters later, Roth reached on an error by the second baseman, Leslie Seay, and Link came in to score with Smith holding at third.
The final two and one half innings saw 18 batters (11 for UH and seven for OSU) step to the plate withe Buckeyes collecting one hit and the Cougars adding a single and a double. Allen picked up her third win of the year and Katie Chain (Jr., North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) retired closed the game for the Buckeyes in the circle for her first save in 2002.
The Buckeyes return to action March 1-3 at the Fullerton-Worth Invitational at Fullerton, Calif. OSU will face Portland, No. 10 Cal State Fullerton, San Jose State, No. 5 California, No. 23 San Diego State and No. 19 Pacific during its West Coast trip.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Buckeyes 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 5 7 0 Cougars 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
WP: Wendy Allen (3-1) LP: Jenny Johnson (3-2) SV: Katie Chain (1)
