Softball Wins Buzz Classic With 6-3 Win Over North Carolina – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 2002
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After trailing most of the game, the No. 4 seed Ohio State softball team plated a run in the top of the seventh and broke loose for five runs in the top of the eighth to defeat No. 2 seed North Carolina, 6-3, and win the 2002 Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic title game at the Al Bishop Softball Complex in Marietta, Ga., Sunday. Kristine Himes (Jr., Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) hit a grand slam in the top of the eighth to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game and help the team to its 14th win in a row. OSU improved to 27-5 on the year while the Tar Heels fell to 19-15.
OSU’s typically potent offense went dormant for the first six innings as the Buckeyes had only six base runners in that span. OSU struck out just once and could not find a hole in the UNC infield to put the ball through. The Tar Heels took advantage and opened the scoring with a run in the third. Dionne Streete reached on an error to start things off and advanced to second on a bunt single by Tiffany Tolleson.
Rosie Gustavson grounded out but help the UNC cause by advancing both base runners. Streete came in to score when Quinn Porter lifted a DeVries offering to right field. Rogeanna Hottinger (Jr., Newark, Ohio/Newark) made the catch and Street came in on the sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. That lead would stand up until the top of the seventh when the Buckeyes were down to their final three outs.
Himes opened the stanza by reaching on an error. Meghan Rowlands (Fr., Hilliard, Ohio/Bishop Ready) came in to pinch run and moved to second on a DeVries sacrifice bunt. Elizabeth Kacsanek (Jr., Uniontown, Ohio/Green) pinch hit for JJ Johnson (Fr., LaMirada, Calif./LaMirada) and also reached on an error to put runners on the corners with one out. Jennifer Link (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif./Sonora) put the Buckeyes on the board the same way UNC had done earlier by hitting a sacrifice fly to left field and bring in Rowlands to knot the game at one. UNC could not answer in the bottom of the inning so the game went to extra innings, the second for OSU in as many days.
In the top of the eighth, Link was placed on second per international tiebreaker rules. Smith’s sacrifice bunt attempt was popped up and caught to put one away. Link did not advance during the next at bat when Wendy Allen (So., Moreno Valley, Calif./Moreno Valley) grounded out. Stacy Roth (Sr., Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) was given an intentional walk and Chrissy Fowler (Sr., Utica, Ohio/Wright State) walked to load the bases. Himes then came to the plate and put the Buckeyes ahead, 6-1, with a grand slam. The Tar Heel eighth saw Tolleson take second and Gustavson homer to close the gap to 6-3. The Buckeyes closed out the game with two fly outs and a ground out to claim their second tournament title in as many weeks. OSU won the Buckeye Invitational last week in Columbus with a 5-0 record.
The Buckeyes return to action Monday at 6 p.m. with a game at Tennessee-Chattanooga. OSU opens its Big Ten Conference schedule Friday through Sunday with single games at Michigan State Friday and Saturday before heading to Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday for a doubleheader with the Wolverines.
