Ohio State
Longwood
Buckeyes Claim 1000th Win In Program History – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 2, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. – It was a memorable day for the Ohio State softball program as the Buckeyes (11-5, 0-0 Big Ten) posted two victories Friday at the 2012 Citrus Classic to claim the 1,000-win milestone in program history. Ohio State shut out Georgetown, 5-0, in game one and closed out the historic afternoon with a 12-3 victory in five innings vs. Longwood at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla.
“Our current group of student athletes is honored to represent all of the former softball players who wore the Scarlet and Gray and contributed to these 1,000 wins,” head coach Linda Kalafatis said. “Ohio State tradition is like no other and it is fun to be a part of something so monumental. As excited as our kids are, they are still focused on each game this season and playing the best softball we can.”
Game One: Ohio State 5, Georgetown 0
The Buckeyes notched two runs in the bottom of the first and added three runs in the bottom of the fifth en route to their third shutout of 2012.
Offensively, Ohio State was led by senior tri-captain Alicia Herron, who went 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI and a home run. The long ball by Herron was her fifth of the season and 40th of her career.
Sophomore tri-captain Melanie Nichols guided the Buckeye defense, throwing a complete-game shutout – both firsts in 2012 – vs. the Hoyas. The native of San Jacinto, Calif., Nichols improves to 4-2 overall, allowing five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
In the bottom of the first, Herron launched a two-run home run with senior right fielder Katie Simonton on first base to make it 2-0. Senior left fielder Vanessa Spears then connected on a first pitch for a double to right center to increase her stretch of reaching base safely to 15-consecutive games in 2012.
The Scarlet and Gray then added two runs in the fifth inning after Herron singled to center field, to plate sophomore catcher Melissa Rennie with one out, while junior Danielle LeBeau notched a two-run single to score Simonton and junior pinch runner Alyson Mott to make it 5-0.
After the win vs. the Hoyas, LeBeau now has nine RBI this season for second-most on the squad behind Herron, who leads the team with 19 RBI.
Nichols claimed the shutout for the Scarlet and Gray when she stranded two Hoyas in the top of the seventh on following a strikeout and groundout to third.
Game Two: Ohio State 12, Longwood 3 (5 Innings)
The Buckeyes claimed the historic 1,000-win mark after posting 12 runs on 11 hits against the Lancers in a five-inning, run-rule victory in game two of the tournament.
Offensively, Ohio State was led by Herron, who went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI, while sophomore second baseman Melaina Saalfeld was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Sophomore first baseman Evelyn Carrillo also posted two hits with two RBI. In all, eight different Buckeyes notched hits, while eight different members plated runs against Longwood.
Senior pitcher Mikayla Endicott improved to 7-3 overall, throwing four innings, allowing one hit with seven strikeouts. In her last six appearances, Endicott is 5-0 with a 0.51 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs, while striking out 29 batters.
The Buckeyes began the game with a four-run first inning vs. Longwood. LeBeau connected on a 1-1 pitch with the bases loaded for an RBI single, scoring Watkins. Spears then made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left field, while Carrillo extended the lead to 4-0 after sending a one-out, two-run single to right center, scoring LeBeau and Herron.
Ohio State extended its lead to 6-0 in the bottom half of the second following Herron’s second home run of the afternoon, scoring Simonton. Herron is now tied for second on the OSU all-time career home runs list with former Buckeye Kristine Himes (2000-03) with 41 home runs.
The Scarlet and Gray then opened up the game to 10-0 with their second four-run inning in the bottom of the third. Freshman catcher Shelby Pickett blasted a double to left center to score pinch runner Brittany Mills to make it 7-0. The big hit of the inning came from Saalfeld, who launched a three-run home run on a 2-2 pitch for her first long ball of 2012. The four-RBI performance for Saalfeld was the first of her career.
The OSU offense plated two additional runs in the bottom of the fourth after Saalfeld single up the middle to score junior tri-captain Megan Coletta, while junior pinch hitter Alyson Mott collected her first hit and RBI of the season on a RBI single up the middle to plate Pickett for the 11th and 12th runs, respectively.
Freshman pitcher Alex DiDomenico made her first collegiate appearance in the top of the fifth against the Lancers, allowing three runs on hit and with one strikeout.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes continue play at the Citrus Classic with two games at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Notre Dame and Hofstra, respectively, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
