Buckeyes Set up Big Ten Title Push with 9-0 Win over Indiana in Game Two – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 29, 2007
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten title will be decided at Buckeye Field next weekend after the Ohio State softball team pulled off a doubleheader sweep of Indiana in Columbus Sunday to remain atop the conference standings at 12-2. The Buckeyes (31-15 overall) won game two, 9-0, in five innings Sunday as senior Jamee Juarez (La Puente, Calif./Wilson) tossed a one-hitter and notched her 26th career shutout, which ties the Ohio State all-time shutouts record.
Ohio State, which is 12-0 at home this season, and Penn State will meet at 1 p.m. next Saturday and Sunday at Buckeye Field, where the Buckeyes could win their second Big Ten championship and first since 1990. Ohio State will need to win both games against the Nittany Lions for the title and the right to host the Big Ten tournament May 10-12. Otherwise, 10th-ranked Northwestern (41-10, 15-3), which has no league games remaining, will win its second-consecutive Big Ten championship and host the tournament.
Prior to hosting Penn State next weekend, Ohio State hosts Wright State at 3 p.m. Tuesday and travels to Akron at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“We’ll use the games and practices this week to prepare for next weekend,” Linda Kalafatis, Ohio State head coach, said. “Penn State will be a challenge. Our games with them are always tight. We just need to stay confident and continue to execute. The Big Ten season is a marathon and the finish line is now in front of us. We need to continue to work hard, get better and take advantage of this opportunity in front of us.”
After winning game one, 5-2, Sunday, Ohio State left little doubt that Indiana (21-32, 1-17 Big Ten) would get swept this day by the Buckeyes for the third-consecutive time in Columbus. Ohio State scored two runs in the first inning, one in the second, two in the fourth and four in the top of the fifth. Juarez retired the final 10 Hoosiers of the game to improve to 16-8 on the season and 8-1 in the Big Ten. Juarez allowed a lead-off single up the middle, but that would be it in the hit department for Indiana as she tossed her sixth career one-hitter and won her seventh-consecutive decision. Juarez walked one and struck out five to bring her career strikeout total to 688, which is four away from the Ohio State all-time strikeout record of 692 held by Katie Chain (2000-03). Juarez already owns the career records for wins (71) and innings pitched record (707.0) and is tied with Chain for shutouts record.
Ohio State cranked out 13 hits in the game, which included two each from the Buckeyes’ first four batters in the lineup. As a team, Ohio State batted .469 (23-for-49) in the two games Sunday against Indiana.
Seniors Nycole Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut) and Megan Schwab (Glendale, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) both had two hits and two RBI for Ohio State, while senior Christina Douglas (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson) hit a solo home run, her second of the season. Junior Brittany Vanderink (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) and freshman Sam Marder (Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas) both had two hits, as did senior Lauren Daykin (Melbourne, Australia/Manatee C.C., Fla.), who had a 5-for-5 day at the plate combined in the two games against Indiana Sunday.
### Go Bucks! ###
