Buckeyes Split Louisville Slugger Invite Games on Friday – Ohio State Buckeyes

Friday, March 11

Tempe, Ariz.

Ohio State

10-5

Georgetown

5-12

Ohio State

Georgetown

Buckeyes Split Louisville Slugger Invite Games on Friday – Ohio State Buckeyes

3/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 11, 2016

Final Stats

TEMPE, Ariz. — Ohio State (10-5) rebounded from a hard-fought 7-4 loss to No. 8 James Madison by defeating Georgetown on the opening day of the Louisville Slugger Invitational at Farrington Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University.

STARS OF THE DAY
Alex Bayne: 4-8, one RBI, .556 on-base percentage
Erika Leonard: 4-8, four RBI, .875 slugging percentage
Lena Springer: 2.2 IP, 0 hits allowed, 0 runs allowed

Game One: No. 8 James Madison 7, Ohio State 4
The Buckeyes battled eighth-ranked James Madison run for run early in the contest, taking a 3-2 lead in the third inning via a Erika Leonard home run, but Taylor Newton’s three-run homer in the in the fifth proved to the different in JMU’s 7-4 triumph.

At the plate, Ohio State was led by Leonard, who was one of six different players to record a hit. Maddy McIntyre also drove in a run, as did Anna Kirk, who singled to left field, scoring Taylor White in the second inning.

Ohio State chased James Madison’s Megan Good in the third inning, keyed by Leonard two-run home run. Good came into the game with a 11-1 record and sub 1.50 ERA. The Dukes struck first in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two-out, two-run home run by Jailyn Ford. The Buckeyes got a run back in the bottom of the second thanks to Kirk’s RBI and then went ahead in the third on Leonard’s home run, her second of the year, to left center.

Two JMU runs in the top of the fourth on a RBI groundout and sacrifice fly, although the Buckeyes continued to chip away and made the score 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth on a McIntyre double to center. That set the stage for Newton’s home run, which went to left center.

Three Buckeye pitchers teamed up in the circle, as Hursh got the start and went three innings, giving up just one hit and two earned runs while striking out five. Shelby McCombs relieved her for 1.1 innings while Lena Springer finished the game out with 2.2 innings without allowing a run and scattering just two hits.

Game Two: Ohio State 8, Georgetown 4
The middle of Ohio State’s order — Alex Bayne, Cammi Prantl and Leonard — combined to go eight-for-12 with three RBI and four runs scored as the Buckeyes broke open a close game with five runs over the final three innings to earn a 8-4 victory in their second game on Friday.

Leonard, White and Emily Clark each drove in two runs while the combination of Morgan Ray and Hursh struck out eight Hoyas over seven innings. A three-run sixth inning was keyed by White’s two-run double to straightaway center and a RBI single from Leonard. That made the score 7-3 and Ohio State never looked back from there.

Two Ohio State runs were pushed across in the top of the second thanks to a two-run single by Clark. In the third, Leonard’s fielder’s choice scored Bayne to make the score 3-1, but Georgetown fought back to score two in the fourth and pull within one, 4-3.

In the fifth, another fielder’s choice that resulted in a run made the score 5-3 before the big three-run sixth that gave Ohio State all the breathing room it would need.

In the circle, Ray and Hursh combined to strike out eight Hoyas with Hursh picking up her team-leading fifth win of the year.

Ohio State is back in action tomorrow when it takes on Nebraska 2:30 p.m. ET.