Ohio State Leaves Birmingham with 3-1 Loss to UAB – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 4, 2007
Box Score | Notes
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Host Alabama-Birmingham rebounded from being no-hit by Ohio State Saturday night with a 3-1 win over the OSU softball team Sunday in the Magic City Classic at UAB’s George Ward Park. The Buckeyes leave Birmingham with a 2-2 record during the weekend are now 7-7 overall, while UAB improves to 3-2 this weekend in its annual tournament and 13-9 overall.
Ohio State senior lead-off hitter Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) hit a two-out, solo home run in the seventh inning and went 3-for-3 in the game, but they were three of only five hits allowed by UAB pitcher Kayla Harris (3-3).
“I told the team I thought we were prepared, but we certainly didn’t play to our ability this weekend,” Linda Kalafatis, Ohio State head coach, said. “The team is disappointed it didn’t execute better. We’re looking forward to turning it around next weekend.”
OSU starter Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) pitched well enough to win, going into the sixth inning with eight strikeouts, one walk and five hits allowed. Three Buckeye errors led to one of her three runs being unearned as she sees her record slip to 1-5.
The game was scoreless through four and a half innings. Juarez struck out three in a row twice – in the first and third innings – and at one point retired 10 of 11 batters.
With one out in the fifth, OSU junior Liz Caputo (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) and Koyano hit back-to-back singles and both got into scoring position when junior Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) slapped a sacrifice bunt, but the two were stranded.
Koyano led off the game with a single to left field and got to third thanks to a Vanderink bunt and a groundout by freshman Sam Marder (Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas), but was left at third.
An all-tournament team for the Magic City Classic will be released Sunday night.
Next up, Ohio State travels to Clearwater, Fla., for the South Florida adidas Invitational March 8-11. The Buckeyes will play twice Thursday and Friday and once Saturday morning before entering bracket play.
### Go Bucks! ###
