Daykin Delivers in Eighth Inning as Ohio State Tops Kent State, 2-1 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 17, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior Lauren Daykin’s bases-loaded double in the bottom of the eighth inning sent the tying and winning runs across the plate to give the Ohio State softball team a 2-1 victory over Kent State Friday as the Buckeye Invitational got underway with a revised schedule because of weather conditions. Ohio State improves to 10-10 and wins its home opener for the fourth-consecutive season, while Kent State falls to 7-8.
After neither team was able to score in regulation, Kent State scored once in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead before the game-winning double over the right fielder’s head by Daykin (Melbourne, Australia/Manatee C.C., Fla.), who provided the clutch hit in the first game of her career at Buckeye Field.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 20-0 in the sixth year of the Buckeye Invitational, which was originally scheduled to include 13 games this weekend but which will now play host to nine. Four games will be played Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. both days and involving Robert Morris, Central Michigan, Pittsburgh and Youngstown State in addition to OSU and Kent State.
The Buckeyes will take on Central Michigan at 1 p.m. Saturday and Robert Morris at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Against the Golden Flashes Friday, Ohio State junior pitcher Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) tied her season-high with 12 strikeouts and allowed just three hits. Juarez, who improves to 6-5 in the circle this season, allowed only an unearned run in the eighth inning under international tie-breaker rules with a KSU base runner placed at second base to begin the inning.
Trailing by a run entering the bottom of the eighth and with OSU senior Chelsea Baker (Gahanna, Ohio/DeSales) placed at second base, sophomore Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) reached base on a fielding error by the KSU third baseman. The two moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Juarez and were joined on the base paths by junior Christina Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson), who walked. Daykin, who had singled earlier in the game, sent an offering from KSU pitcher Brittney Robinson to the wall in right field, allowing Baker and Vanderink to score and end the game.
The Buckeyes improve to 3-3 in extra-innings this season after playing just one extra-inning game all of last season.
With eight innings pitched, Juarez increases her career total to 438.1 and moves to seventh place on the Ohio State career innings pitched list ahead of Meaghan Robinson (1996-99). Her 44 wins and 382 strikeouts are already third.
OSU junior Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) walked to lead off the game and stole second base, giving her 65 career walks, which is tied for sixth all-time at Ohio State, and 42 stolen bases, which is tied for fifth.
### GO BUCKS! ###
