Buckeyes Conclude Sweep of Butler With 8-0 Victory in Finale – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 6, 2004
Box Score| Notes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team wrapped up a double-header sweep of a visiting Butler squad in five innings Tuesday evening with an 8-0 victory in game two at Buckeye Field. Freshman Jamee Juarez went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBI, while sophomore Chelsea Baker struck out seven hitters and allowed just two hits in picking up her second shutout of the season.
Ohio State (21-12, 2-2 Big Ten) has won four of its last five games and took both games from Butler Tuesday in mercy-rule fashion.
“We played pretty close to perfect today,” Linda Kalafatis, Ohio State head coach, said. “We scored a lot of runs, not only on big hits, but by doing the little things, too. I challenged our team before the game, because a lot of our defeats lately have been by our own doing. We stepped it up tonight, but it is going to be an on-going task.”
“We came out and wanted to build confidence,” Breana Pozzi (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande) said. “We’re not taking these four non-conference games lightly (including Wednesday vs. Dayton). We’re not worrying about who we play. We just want to go out and play well.”
Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) added to her team-leading RBI total, which now stands at 26 and is closing in on the Ohio State record for RBI by a freshman. The record is currently held by Kristin Himes with 35 in 2000.
Baker (Gahanna, Ohio/DeSales) allowed just four base runners the entire game to improve to 4-1 on the season with a 0.93 ERA.
Sophomore Stacy Hibma (Buena Park, Calif./Valley Christian) led off the fourth inning with a solo homerun, her first of the season, to give the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead.
Juarez’s first double of the day scored freshman Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) in the first inning as Ohio State took a 1-0 lead after one frame following a 10-0 victory in game one of the double-header. In the second inning, junior Meghan Rowlands (Hilliard, Ohio/Bishop Ready) smacked an RBI single and then scored on an RBI double by freshman Megan Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain).
Ohio State then added three runs in the third inning as junior Karisa Evans (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) tripled and then scored on Juarez’s second double of the day. Juarez scored on an RBI squeeze bunt by senior Beth McAbier (Carrollton, Ohio/Carrollton) to put the Buckeyes up 5-0, and one batter later sophomore Billie Jo Carder (Celina, Ohio/Celina) connected on a sacrifice fly that scored Baker, who had walked.
Ohio State will return to action Wednesday with its second non-conference double-header in as many days as the Buckeyes host Dayton in a twin bill at Buckeye Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
### Go Bucks! ###
