Softball: No. 12 Stanford Stays Unbeaten with 3-1 Win Over No. 18 Ohio State – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. 12th-ranked Stanford extended its school-record best season start to 15-0 with a 3-1 win over the No. 18 Ohio State softball team Saturday in the Palm Springs Classic at Big League Dreams Sports Complex. After two shutout wins yesterday, the Buckeyes fall to 10-3.
Stanford senior pitcher Missy Penna, who is on the USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List, struck out eight Buckeyes to improve to 11-0 this season and benefited from 12 hits by the Cardinal offense, the most against Ohio State this season.
Ohio State junior Kim Reeder went four affective innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out four but sees her record move to 4-2. Sophomore Megan Miller worked the final two innings in the circle for Ohio State, allowing one run but firing a perfect seventh inning.
Penna took a no-hitter into the fifth inning but the Buckeyes loaded the bases with no outs on three bunt singles by freshman Dee Dee Hillman, senior Brittany Vanderink and freshman Brittany Goodchild. Hillman scored on a groundout by sophomore Sam Marder, but it was the first of three-consecutive groundouts to end the inning with no further runs.
The Cardinal jumped on top with a run in the first inning off three singles and a walk. Alissa Haber, who joins Penna on the national watch list, singled to the shortstop and went to third on a walk and a single to left-centerfield to load the bases with one out. A single to right field brought Stanford’s first of the game across the plate, but grounders to OSU third baseman Rachael Shepherd and shortstop Whitney Cooper halted a potential big inning.
Stanford connected for two more singles in the second innings but Reeder induced three-consecutive outs, including her first strikeout of the game.
The Cardinal went up 2-0 in the third inning when Michelle Smith led off with a bloop double down the leftfield line. She went to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly. Stanford upped its lead to 3-0 in the sixth on three-consecutive hits off Miller despite Cooper throwing out a runner at the plate on a first-and-third double steal attempt.
The Buckeyes will take on tournament host Oregon State at 4 p.m. PT Saturday.
Postgame Notes No. 18 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Stanford … Feb. 23, 2008
– Not in the Box Score: Stanford’s Missy Penna is the first pitcher Ohio State has faced this season that is on the national player of the year watch list.
– Ohio State’s run in the sixth inning extended its school-record stretch of consecutive games without being shut out to 49.
– Buckeyes at the plate: Freshman Nic Perales collected a pinch-hit single in the seventh inning for her second-consecutive hit as a pinch-hitter.
– Ohio State is now 56-29 all-time when ranked.
– Weather: Sunny and 67 degrees at first pitch. Little wind.
– Ohio State and Stanford met for the first time in softball Saturday.
– Stanford has seven starters and 11 letterwinners back from its 2007 team that went 35-21-1 and made a NCAA regional final appearance.
### OhioStateBuckeyes.com ###
Contact: Tim Stried, stried.3@osu.edu
