Buckeyes Sweep Minnesota with 8-4 Win Saturday – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 31, 2007
Box Score | Notes
Box Score .PDF
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Friday, the Buckeyes waited until their final at bat to score their winning runs in a 4-2 come-from-behind victory. Saturday, however, the Ohio State softball team jumped on Minnesota early with four runs in the top of the first inning, then sat through a 2 hour and 21 minute rain delay on its way to an 8-4 win at Buckeye Field. The 4 hour and 51 minute game Saturday is the longest recorded game in program history.
Senior Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) won her fifth-consecutive game and freshman Sam Marder (Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas) drove in four runs as Ohio State (19-13, 2-0 Big Ten) won its seventh-consecutive game over Minnesota (13-14, 0-2 Big Ten). In the two-game series, the Buckeyes committed just one error and collected 20 hits in their third-consecutive sweep of the Gophers.
“Every game in the Big Ten is a battle and I’m glad we came out with the right intensity today,” Linda Kalafatis, Ohio State head coach, said. “And in the last inning we were able to get our freshman Megan Miller an inning to get her feet wet. With the delays, our kids were here about seven hours today for one game, but they came ready to play.”
Rain in pregame warm-ups caused a 9 minute delay of the first pitch, but Ohio State quickly took control with four runs in the first inning. Juarez, who is now 5-0 in her career against Minnesota, allowed a lead-off triple to All-Big Ten Megan Higginbotham, but then retired the next six-consecutive Gophers before the skies opened again.
“When you’re from the Midwest and play ball in the spring, you become accustomed to playing in this kind of weather,” Kalafatis said. “We have to do a good job in any kind of weather and we told the kids yesterday there might be some less than desirable conditions today, so you have to be good at coming back and flipping the switch back on. Once they get warmed back up they’re ready to play and both teams have to play in it, so you gotta do it.”
In Ohio State’s four-run first inning, Marder delivered an RBI double off the wall in right-center, senior Christina Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson) hit a two-RBI single to right-center and Juarez knocked an RBI double to right. In the inning, senior Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) and sophomore Courtney Pruner (Akron, Ohio/Ellet) both walked and stole second on their way to scoring runs.
Marder then put the game out of reach in the sixth inning with a bases clearing, three-run double to left-center.
The top of Ohio State’s line-up, including Koyano, junior Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) and Marder went a combined 6-for-10 in the game.
Big Ten play continues Sunday when Ohio State hosts Wisconsin for a doubleheader beginning at noon.
### Go Bucks! ###
