Buckeyes Post 5-0 Shutout at California-Riverside – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 26, 2005
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State sophomore Jamee Juarez pitched a two-hit shutout, the eighth shutout of her career, and the Buckeyes backed her up with four runs in the third inning on their way to a 5-0 win at California-Riverside Saturday. The win concludes Ohio State’s four-game spring break tour in Southern California with a 2-2 record and ups the Buckeyes’ overall record to 16-8 on the season. California-Riverside, which swept Santa Clara Thursday, falls to 10-24.
Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) struck out nine batters, walked only one, and allowed just two singles to improve her record to 12-6 in the circle this season. She has had the decision in Ohio State’s last seven consecutive games and in 10 of the last 11. She is 8-2 in those 10 games and has won 10 of her last 12 games overall.
OSU sophomore Megan Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) doubled in each of her first two at bats, the second of which came with two runners on second and third base in the third inning to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead. One batter later, sophomore Christina Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson) blasted her third home run of the season to give Ohio State a four-run lead.
Schwab’s two-double performance at the plate marked a new career-high for doubles in a game. Her second double scored pinch runner Chelsea Baker (jr., Gahanna, Ohio/DeSales), who replaced junior Stacy Hibma (Buena Park, Calif./Valley Christian) after a single, and sophomore Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut), who also singled. The RBI were Schwab’s team-leading 27th and 28th of the season as she improved on her team-best .567 batting average with runners in scoring position. Senior Ashley Cutcliff (Zionsville, Ind./U. of Florida) added an RBI single in the sixth inning to score Juarez, who had doubled.
Koyano, Schwab and Hibma all had two hits each to lead the Buckeyes’ nine-hit attack. Hibma’s two hits ties her career-high. Defensively, Ohio State did not commit an error to improve its record to 8-1 when not having a miscue.
A partisan Buckeye crowd helped welcome back its eight California and Arizona natives on the Ohio State roster, including freshman Liz Caputo (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly), who played in her hometown.
Freshman Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) stole her ninth base of the season, which moves her into a five-way tie for fifth on the OSU freshman stolen bases list. Two of those five are Schwab in 2004 and senior Meghan Rowlands (Hilliard, Ohio/Bishop Ready) in 2002.
Ohio State wraps up its March schedule with an 11-3 record. OSU is 72-25 (.742) in March during the last five seasons.
The Buckeyes return to Columbus Sunday and begin preparations to the 2005 Big Ten season. Ohio State’s next 10 games will all be inside the conference, with six of those coming on the road beginning with a trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota next weekend.
### GO BUCKS! ###
