No. 1 Arizona Tops Ohio State, 5-1, Behind Hollowell’s 18 Strikeouts – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 25, 2006
Box Score
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – No. 1 Arizona pulled away with three runs in its final two at bats and Wildcat pitcher Alicia Hollowell held the Ohio State softball team to two hits as the Buckeyes dropped a 5-1 decision Saturday night at the Palm Springs Classic at Big League Dreams Park. Ohio State got a solo home run by freshman Courtney Pruner but sees its record slip to 6-7, while defending Pac-10 champion and College World Series participant Arizona improves to 15-0.
Pruner (Akron, Ohio/Ellet) launched her solo home run in the fourth inning, marking the first run Hollowell has allowed this season in 51 innings of work. The homer tied the game at 1-1 and was Pruner’s fourth long ball of the season, which already ties her for second on the Ohio State freshman home runs list.
Hollowell, on the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, struck out 18 Buckeyes and walked two. She struck out 10 of the last 11 batters she faced.
OSU freshman pitcher Kim Reeder (Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame H.S.) worked into the fifth inning, striking out three and allowing just one earned run. It was the second Top 5 opponent Reeder has faced in as many days after tossing 4.1 innings of no-hit relief against No.3 UCLA Friday. Pruner pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Buckeyes, striking out three.
Junior Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) led off the game with a single up the middle for the Buckeyes, which would be Ohio State’s only other hit besides Pruner’s homer.
Arizona scored unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning and again in the fifth. In the second inning, Laine Roth walked, advanced to second when Adrienne Acton singled through the left side, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an OSU error on a grounder hit by Wildcat leadoff hitter Caitlin Lowe. In the fifth, Jenae Leles led off with a double and later scored on another OSU error.
Following Pruner’s homer, Arizona’s Sam Banister led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run to put the Wildcats back up 2-1 and Arizona would go on to load the bases that inning, but defensive plays by Reeder in the circle and Juarez at third on sharp grounders kept Ohio State deficit at just one run. The Wildcats scored their final two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a bases loaded two-RBI single by Banister.
Ohio State takes on UNLV at 9 a.m. Sunday in its final game at the Palm Springs Classic.
### GO BUCKS! ###
