Buckeyes Post 5-4 Win over San Diego State – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 2007
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FULLERTON, Calif. – A four-run third inning propelled the Ohio State softball team to a 5-4 win over San Diego State Saturday at Cal State Fullerton’s Anderson Field. The Buckeyes (17-12) got 5.2 innings and another win from senior Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson), while sophomore Kim Reeder (Salinas, Calif./Notre Dame H.S.) came on in relief for her first save of the season.
Coming off a sweep of No. 20 Georgia Tech Wednesday, San Diego State (21-12) sees its eight-game winning streak come to an end. The Aztecs were picked first in the Mountain West Conference preseason coaches poll.
Juarez, who improves to 6-7 with her third-consecutive win, struck out five and walked none in her 5.2 innings of work. Only two of the four runs she allowed were earned. Reeder needed only one pitch to get the final out of the sixth inning, then held the Aztecs scoreless in the seventh thanks in part to OSU catcher Lauren Daykin (sr., Melbourne, Australia/Manatee C.C., Fla.), who threw out SDSU’s Monica Alnes attempting to steal second.
San Diego State starter Christina Ross, the 2006 Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, lasted three innings and sees her record slip to 13-6. She entered the game with a 1.39 earned run average on the season but gave up five earned runs to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State got on the board in the top of the first inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases. Senior Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) was the first to do so and eventually scored on sacrifice fly to left by sophomore Courtney Pruner (Akron, Ohio/Ellet). Junior Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) and freshman Sam Marder (Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas) also singled in the inning.
San Diego State also loaded the bases in its half of the first, but Juarez, who had three of her five strikeouts in the opening frame, was able to keep the Aztecs from scoring. In a wild bottom of the second, however, SDSU scored twice to take a 2-1 lead on two singles, three OSU errors and two sacrifice bunts, one of which was a suicide squeeze.
The Buckeyes regained the lead with a four-run third inning. Again, Ohio State got its first three runners on base to begin the inning, then got an RBI groundout by Juarez, a two-RBI double to left by senior Megan Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) and an RBI single to center by Daykin. Koyano against singled to lead off the inning, Vanderink reached on a fielder’s choice and Marder singled to right centerfield.
The Aztecs scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to close the gap to one run. SDSU’s run off Juarez in the fifth inning was unearned.
Ohio States remains at Anderson Field Saturday for a 12:45 p.m. (PT) game against host Cal State Fullerton.
### Go Bucks! ###
