Softball Uses Longball To Win Season Opener, 4-2, Over Northridge – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 8, 2002
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio- The Ohio State softball team opened its 2002 schedule in exciting fashion Friday in a come-from-behind win over Cal State Northridge at the Tournament of Champions in Northridge, Calif. The Buckeyes, trailing 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, took the victory when Stacy Roth (Sr., Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) knocked an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall at Matador Diamond for a three-run walk-off home run. OSU’s (1-0) pitching staff kept it in the game by striking out 13 CSUN (4-3) batters on the day.
The Buckeyes headed into the final inning needing one run to stay alive. Anna Smith (Sr., Walnut Hill, Calif./Diamond Bar) led off with a bunt single and was followed by Wendy Allen’s (So., Moreno Valley, Calif./Moreno Valley) single through the left side of the infield off starting pitcher Kia Ferrel. The Matadors looked to quiet the OSU rally by sending in relief pitcher Tanya Ledesma but with an 0-1 count, Ledesma gave Roth the pitch she would deposit over the fence for the Buckeye win.
OSU opened the game with a quick 1-2-3 inning as starter Katie Chain (Jr., North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) coaxed CSUN’s No. 1 and 2 hitters into ground outs to Jennifer Link (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif./Sonora) at second base. Chain closed down the inning with one of her seven strikeouts in the game. Offensively, Link led off with a single and was ushered around to third when Smith reached on an error and Roth lacing a single to center. The Buckeyes could not capitalize with Kristine Himes (Jr., Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) striking out to end the inning. Both teams could not get anything going in the second and entered the third tied at zero. After a strike out and a put out, Matador leadoff hitter Joey Metz struck out for the third out of the inning, but reached first on an error by Buckeye catcher Roth to keep the inning alive. A steal of second by Metz and a walk to Lindsay Sheehan put two on for designated player Christen Bedwell. Bedwell hit a single to right to score Metz and give CSUN the 1-0 lead. OSU tried to answer by putting three runners on but could not capatilize again as the Matadors dug in and recorded three outs in a row to end the threat.
The fourth saw both teams go three and out in the inning before CSUN put another runner across in the fifth. With two out, Metz struck again is a single and scored when Bedwell hit an RBI single to right off reliever Allen. OSU again could not respond in the fifth only to make a statement in its final two innings. Allen opened the sixth facing three Matadors and striking all three out. Himes lead off the bottom of the sixth with a home run to right field to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
CSUN pressed on in the seventh but stranded three runners in the inning as Allen got two batters looking and the final out coming on a pop-up to Himes at third base to set the offensive stage for the Buckeyes in the bottom of the seventh.
OSU returns to action at 11:30 a.m. EST when it battles No. 18 Oregon State in the opening game of the second day of competition.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Northridge 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 6 2 Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 10 1
WP- Wendy Allen (1-0) LP- Kia Fennel (2-1)
