Buckeyes Fall in Game One at Wisconsin – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MADISON, Wis. – The Ohio State softball team fell, 11-3, in six innings at Wisconsin Friday night in Madison. The Buckeyes (14-36, 3-16 Big Ten) and Badgers (29-23, 8-11 Big Ten) will wrap up the 2011 campaign at 1 p.m. ET Saturday at Goodman Diamond.
Great defense was seen early as both teams were making fantastic plays in the field. The Buckeyes trailed, 2-1, headed into the bottom of the fourth when the Badgers posted a six-run fourth inning to open the game, 8-1. Ohio State tallied two runs in the sixth, but the Wisconsin momentum continued in the bottom half as the squad completed the run-rule victory with a three-run inning. The big storyline of the game was two-out RBI for the Badgers as the team posted eight runs with two outs in the game.
Offensively, Ohio State was led by junior co-captain Alicia Herron who went 1-for-2 at the plate with a home run and a walk. Freshman Melaina Saalfeld also had a productive performance in the batter’s box, reaching base safely three times with a single and two walks and a run scored. Senior Brittany Goodchild was 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored, while sophomore Cara Longworth was 1-for-3 with an RBI single vs. the Badgers.
Senior pitcher Karisa Medrano received the loss, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing nine earned runs, seven walks, while striking out five batters. UW starting pitcher Cassandra Darrah received the win in five innings of work, allowing one earned run, four hits and two walks.
In the bottom of the first, with runners on first and second, Medrano got out of the early jam when Herron made the nice double play with a groundball up the middle to retire the side. Sophomore Megan Coletta opened the inning with a great line-drive snag at third base on her knees for the first out.
Saalfeld claimed the Buckeyes’ first hit of the evening with a single up the middle to lead off the top of the second. However, Darrah sent the next three OSU batters down to end the Buckeye at-bat.
After Medrano retired the first two Badgers in the bottom of the third, Wisconsin capitalized on two OSU defensive errors to take the 1-0 advantage. Following a walk to Jennifer Krueger, the Badgers made it 2-0 when Mary Massei scored from third base after a throw down to second by Longworth. Both runs in the inning were unearned.
In the top of the fourth, Herron got the Buckeyes on the board, 2-1, when she powered a lead-off home run that wrapped around the right field foul pole – her team-high ninth long ball of the season. The Buckeyes then loaded the bases with one out following a walk to Saalfeld and back-to-back singles by Coletta and Goodchild. However Darrah claimed back-to-back outs to end the OSU rally.
Wisconsin then posted a six-run fourth inning – scoring all six runs with two outs. Stephanie Peace knocked a double off the left field wall followed by a bunt single by Michelle Mueller to start the rally. With runners on second and third, Maggie Strange was called for the second out on a runner’s interference play as she collided with first baseman Evelyn Carrillo down the first base line.
With two outs and the bases loaded, the Badgers went ahead, 3-1, after Massei worked a 3-2 count against Medrano and drew the RBI walk. The Badgers’ fourth run came when Jennifer Krueger hit an infield single just out of the circle as she beat out a throw by Medrano at first base. Karla Powell then sent a 1-1 pitch to center field to claim a two-run single to make it, 6-1.
Peace then came to plate for the second time of the inning. She collected a two-run single when she pulled a hard ground ball pass Coletta at third to give her team an 8-1 advantage. Medrano ended the big inning for Wisconsin with a strikeout.
The fourth inning lasted 38 minutes as both teams combined for 17 batters, nine hits and 12 base runners.
The Badgers were 90 feet away from the victory in the bottom of the fifth with two outs and a runner on third base. However, Longworth showed off her arm as she fired the ball down to Coletta, who put down a solid tag to pickoff Mueller to conclude the inning.
In the top of the sixth, the Badgers made a pitching change as Meghan McIntosh relieved Darrah in the circle. Control became an issue for the UW pitcher as Saalfeld and Goodchild both walked. Longworth then posted a one-out RBI single up the middle to give the Buckeyes their second run of the game, 8-2.
Goodchild then showed off her speed at third base when she scored on a pass ball by McIntosh. The Buckeye senior slid just under the tag by Whitney Massey to make it, 8-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Badgers added three runs to claim the run-rule victory.
Ohio State left seven runners on base, while Wisconsin stranded four runners.
