Buckeye Invitational Goes to Ohio State After 11-2 Win Over Robert Morris – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 19, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team won the Buckeye Invitational Sunday for the sixth-consecutive year and improved to 22-0 all-time in the event with an 11-2 win over Robert Morris at Buckeye Field. Ohio State (12-10) finished the tournament with a +15 run differential over its three opponents to win the title from Pittsburgh, which also went 3-0 in the tournament but had a +13 run differential.
Because of weather conditions, the tournament was shortened before it started from 13 games to nine, thus eliminating one game for each team and along with it the originally scheduled Ohio State-Pittsburgh contest. The Buckeyes and Panthers were both 3-0 in the tournament, while Central Michigan, Kent State and Youngstown State were all 1-2 and Robert Morris was 0-3.
Ten players were named to the Buckeye Invitational all-tournament team, including three each from Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Ohio State juniors Christina Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson), Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) and Megan Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) won honors, while Pittsburgh’s Jess Dignon, Christa Hunter and Megan Bostick were honored. Central Michigan’s Suzie Giroux, Kent State’s Corey Houk, Youngstown State’s Tiffany Patteson and Krystal Herman of Robert Morris were also named to the all-tournament team.
Douglas and Schwab both went 6-for-9 (.667) during the Invitational and combined for five RBI, while Juarez, who earns a spot on the all-tournament team for the third-consecutive year, went 3-for-9 (.333) with two doubles and four RBI and collected two wins in the circle with a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings with 15 strikeouts.
In other games Sunday, Pittsburgh topped Central Michigan 5-3 and Kent State 4-1, while Youngstown State beat Robert Morris 11-1.
The Buckeyes scored eight runs in the sixth inning to blow past Robert Morris (5-8) in the Invitational’s final game Sunday. OSU freshman pitcher Kim Reeder (Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame H.S.) struck out a career-high nine RMU batters and scattered five hits to improve to 5-5 this season.
A solo home run in the third inning by Douglas, her second of the year, and RBI singles by junior Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) and Schwab in the fourth inning gave the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead before Robert Morris answered with two runs in the fifth. In the sixth inning, however, Ohio State sent 11 batters to the plate, with Juarez leading off with a double and later capping the scoring with a two-run homer, her fourth of the season.
In between Juarez’s hits, Douglas and freshman Courtney Pruner (Akron, Ohio/Ellet) hit RBI doubles and senior Billie Carder (Celina, Ohio/Celina) hit a bases-loaded double to score three runs. It marked the first time since March 24 of last season in an 11-10 loss at Loyola Marymount that OSU had scored eight runs in an inning and it was the first time the Buckeyes had hit three doubles in one inning since March 20 of last season in a 14-7 win over Marshall in the final game of the Buckeye Invitational.
Douglas finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Juarez was 3-for-3 with two RBI. Schwab was 2-for-2 and Pruner was 2-for-4. The hits for Schwab extend her current streak to seven games, best on the team this season.
Now on spring break, Ohio State departs Tuesday for a five-day, six-game trip to California for games at Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.
### GO BUCKS! ###
