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North Florida
Buckeyes Drop Two At NTC – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 11, 2012
Clermont, Florida – The Ohio State softball team dropped two games Saturday at the 2012 Dot Richardson Tournament in Clermont, Fla. The Buckeyes (1-3, 0-0) lost, 3-1, in six innings against North Carolina and game one before falling, 10-5, against UNF in game two at the stadium site at the NTC Complex.
Game One: UNC 3, Ohio State 1 (Six Innings) Freshman catcher Shelby Pickett got the Buckeyes only run when she blasted an opposite field solo shot over the right field wall in the top of the second off UNC starting pitcher Sara Buchholz. The long ball was the first home run of Pickett’s young career.
However, the Tar Heels answered with four-consecutive two-out singles against OSU starting pitcher Melanie Nichols in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead.
UNC switch pitchers to begin the third as sophomore Lori Spingola came into the circle for the Carolina Blue and White. The Buckeyes had the bases loaded during the inning, but could not find any luck off the bat with two line outs, including one that ended in a double play at third base.
The Scarlet and Gray also switch pitchers in the third as senior Mikayla Endicott relieved Nichols with a runner on first. Endicott got off to a solid start, claiming a double play and a strikeout to retire the side. Nichols (1-1) finished the game throwing two innings, allowing six hits with one strikeout and received the loss in her second appearance in 2012.
After a scoreless fourth, the Buckeyes needed offensive production in the top of the fifth due to time constraints with travel plans by North Carolina and the hour delay on the tournament schedule. However, Spingola retired the OSU side in order on three groundouts.
In four innings, Endicott struck out six, while allowing no runs on two hits vs. the Tar Heels.
*Game Note – The game was called at 4:00 p.m. after the conclusion of the sixth inning due to UNC travel plans.
Game Two: UNF 10, OSU 5 After taking a 5-2 lead in the fifth inning, the Ospreys rebounded with an eight-run, five hit inning to claim a 10-5 victory against the Scarlet and Gray.
Offensively, Ohio State was led by senior tri-captain Alicia Herron, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and RBI and a run score. Senior Vanessa Spears was 1-for-3 with three runs and sophomore Leesa Gresham was 2-for-2 with a double and a RBI.
Endicott (0-2) received the loss in 5.2 innings of work, striking out a season-high eight batters.
Herron knocked in the Buckeyes’ first run of the evening on a one-out triple down the left field line, scoring classmate Spears from first base.
UNF answered quickly in the bottom of inning to tie the game, 1-1, on an RBI double by Mariah Reynolds. The Ospreys then took a 2-1 advantage in the following frame following a Buckeye throwing error with one out.
The Buckeyes rebounded to take a 5-2 lead after scoring three runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth, respectively. In the fourth inning, the Buckeyes collected four hits with RBI singles by freshman Shelby Pickett, freshman Maddy McIntyre and junior Megan Coletta.
Ohio State claimed its fifth run when Gresham knocked a 1-2 pitch over the right fielder’s head for a triple, scoring Spears from first base.
UP NEXT The Buckeyes close out the 2012 Dot Richardson NTC Tournament with a 10 a.m. matchup vs. Florida A&M at the stadium site at the NTC Complex.
