Ohio State Softball Hangs On To Top Minnesota, 9-6 – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2004
Box Score| Notes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team jumped out to a 9-0 lead and withstood a late Minnesota rally as the Buckeyes claimed a 9-6 victory over the Golden Gophers Saturday afternoon at Buckeye Field. Junior Karisa Evans smacked a solo homerun in the second inning and freshman Megan Schwab blasted a three-run homer in the third inning, while freshman pitcher Jamee Juarez took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Minnesota was able get on the scoreboard.
Ohio State improves to 18-11 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota falls to 20-11 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers claimed game-one of the two-game series Friday night, 1-0, in 10 innings.
“It was very important to come out and set the tone early and often today because last night we beat ourselves,” Evans (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) said. “It was a team effort today. Everybody contributed, which was important in the end.”
Ohio State scored four runs in the first inning off three hits and three walks. A walk by freshman Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) began a streak of six consecutive base runners for the Buckeyes that included singles by Evans and Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson), RBI walks by juniors Ashley Cutcliff (Zionsville, Ind./University of Florida) and Meghan Rowlands (Hilliard, Ohio/Bishop Ready) and a two-run double by senior Breana Pozzi (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande).
Evans then drilled a two-out solo homerun, her second of the season, in the second inning to put Ohio State up, 5-0, and Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) followed that up with a two-out three-run homer in the third inning, which scored Rowlands, who was hit by a pitch, and senior Beth McAbier (Carrollton, Ohio/Carrollton), who had singled.
While the Buckeyes were busy scoring runs, Juarez retired 13 of the first 14 batters she faced and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning.
Ohio State added one more run in the fourth inning as Juarez walked, moved to second on a sacrifice by freshman Christina Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson) and scored on a Pozzi two-out double, her second of the day, off the top of the wall in centerfield.
Trailing 9-0, Minnesota rallied with three runs in the fifth inning, one in the sixth and two more in the seventh. All of the Gophers’ runs in the fifth and seventh innings came with two outs.
“Sometimes in the Big Ten it’s about survival, and today we survived one,” Linda Kalafatis, Ohio State head coach, said. “It was a good thing we won the first four innings because Minnesota won the last three innings.”
In six innings, Juarez (9-4) struck out four batters and did not allow a walk, while scattering five hits. Sophomore Chelsea Baker (Gahanna, Ohio/DeSales) worked the seventh inning for the Buckeyes with one strikeout and one walk.
Evans, Juarez and Pozzi all finished the day with two hits for Ohio State. Pozzi and Schwab drove in three runs in the game, tying their career high.
Ohio State will return to action at noon Sunday, April 4 as the Buckeyes host Wisconsin in a Big Ten double-header.
“It feels great to get our first Big Ten win under our belt,” Evans said. “A good thing to take from today’s game is how important it can be to jump out early, which is what we’ll try to do against Wisconsin tomorrow.”
“They are all big games in the Big Ten,” Kalafatis said. “Today we came out ready to play and we need to do the same tomorrow.”
### Go Bucks! ###
