No. 18 Softball Crushes Morehead State, 14-0 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 16, 2003
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio- The No. 18 Ohio State softball team (13-6) jumped on Morehead State (3-12-1) early and often as the Buckeyes routed the Eagles, 14-0, Sunday in their third game of the Buckeye Invitational at Buckeye Field. Ohio State tallied 19 hits, three of which were home runs, and used a nine-run third inning to solidify the win in the shortened five-inning game. Ashley Cutcliff (So., Zionsville, Ind.) hit two home runs and Kristine Himes (Sr., Bolivar, Ohio) hit another, a three-run shot in the first, en route to the victory. Freshman Andrea Tribuzi (Fr., Plano, Texas) pitched all five innings to earn her first victory of the season.
“It was good to see Tribuzi throw a shutout in her first start,” Linda Kalafatis, OSU head coach, said. “Our bats were unbeliveable. We’re still working to get better. We’re still not there yet, but I think we’re improving everyday. We were able to play a lot of people which is what you want heading into conference play.”
Cutcliff went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI’s and two runs scored. Himes, Annie Dedic (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.), Breana Pozzi (Sr., Petaluma, Calif.), Billie Jo Carder (Fr., Celina, Ohio), Kristi DeVries (Jr., Corona, Calif.) and Rogeanna Hottinger (Sr., Newark, Ohio) all had two hits apiece for the Buckeyes. In all, 11 Buckeyes recorded at least one hit.
Ohio State fired out of the gates in the top of the first as Himes blasted her seventh home run of the season, knocking in Karisa Evans (So., Franklin, Ohio) and Dedic who opened the game with back-to-back singles. Cutcliff then followed with a line drive home run over the center field wall to give OSU a 4-0 lead after one.
The Buckeyes used the third to put the game away as they opened with four-consecutive singles. Himes began with a double off the center field wall and advanced to third on a Cutcliff single. DeVries then singled to center to score Himes and advance pinch runner Jennifer Link (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) to second. It was then Pozzi’s turn as she singled to score Link from second. Two batters later, Hottinger drove a single through the middle, scoring DeVries and advancing Pozzi to third. Evans then reached on a sacrifice bunt to score Pozzi. Dedic kept things rolling the very next at bat, delivering a two RBI double to score Hottinger and Evans. Pinch hitter Carder then singled to right field to score Dedic and give OSU an 11-0 lead.
The damage continued even after the Eagles replaced starter Molly Cope with Jacque Jackson with two outs as Cutcliff immediately smacked a two-run shot with Carder on base, giving OSU a 13-0 lead after three. Dedic finished the scoring in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to score Stacy Hibma (Fr., Buena Park, Calif.) who had pinch ran for Hottinger earlier in the inning.
Tribuzi went all five innings, scattering four hits and recording six strikeouts in the win. Molly Cope picked up the loss to fall to 1-4.
