Nebraska Slips Past Ohio State, 5-4 – Ohio State Buckeyes

Saturday, March 12

Tempe, Ariz.

Ohio State

10-6

Nebraska

14-6

Nebraska

Ohio State

Nebraska Slips Past Ohio State, 5-4 – Ohio State Buckeyes

3/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 12, 2016

Final Stats

TEMPE, Ariz. — Ohio State held a two-run lead against No. 23 Nebraska for much of the game but gave up three late runs in the sixth inning in a 5-4 loss to the Huskers on Saturday at Farrington Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University.

HOW THE BUCKEYE RUNS WERE SCORED
The Buckeyes (10-6) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning via back-to-back solo home runs. The shots came off the bats of seniors Cammi Prantl and Erika Leonard and landed in almost the exact same spots — straightaway center field.

Prantl’s blast came on a 0-1 pitch and was her three of the year. The RBI was her team-leading 12th of the season. Leonard took the very next pitch — the first of her at-bat — over the centerfield fence and was her second round-tripper in as many days.

Nebraska pushed across two runs in the top of the second on a two-run single by Alicia Armstrong, but Ohio State re-took the lead in the bottom of the inning via a perfectly executed suicide squeeze by sophomore Becca Gavin that scored Anna Kirk from third. The next batter, Maddy McIntyre, doubled to right field to score Ashley Goodwin, who had reached on a walk.

SPRINGER IN THE CIRCLE
Lena Springer got the start at pitcher and held a strong Nebraska offense in check, going 5.2 innings while allowing just four hits and striking out three. In 23.2 innings this year, Springer has a 1.48 ERA.

STAT LINES
• Prantl and Leonard extended their season-high hitting streaks to eight consecutive games. Bayne has also hit safely in three straight contests.

• Three players are hitting over .400 this weekend – Leonard (.455, two home runs, five RBI, 1.000 slugging percentage), Bayne (.455, two runs scored) and White (.444, three doubles, two RBI, two runs scored). As a team, the Buckeyes are batting .300 or better for the second straight weekend.

• In the circle, Buckeye pitchers have struck out 17 over 21 innings while giving up 10 earned runs. Hursh, Morgan Ray and Springer all have ERAs under 3.0.

• Eight of Ohio State’s 26 hits this weekend have gone for extra bases (five doubles, three home runs) while Buckeye pitchers have limited the opposition to just four extra base hits.

CAREER MILESTONES
• Prantl is just four hits shy of 200 in her career. When she reaches the milestone, she will be the 13th player in program history to do so.

• Leonard is just one hit shy of 100 in her three-year Buckeye career and McIntyre needs three more RBI to reach the century mark.

• Hursh passed Alex DiDomenico into 11th place on the career strikeouts list with 234. She is averaging better than one strikeout per inning in her career (221.0 innings pitched, 234 Ks).

WEB GEM
Nebraska threatened to put runs on the board in the top of the first when it had runners at second and third with two outs. Mattie Fowler sent a well-hit ball deep into the hole between first and second base, but Anna Kirk made a diving stop and flip to Leonard at first base that saved two runs from scoring and ended the inning.

SEVEN PLAYERS RECORD HITS
In a well-balanced day from the plate, seven different players recorded hits, led by McIntyre’s two-for-four day with one RBI. In addition to Prantl and Leonard’s home runs, Taylor White, Kirk, Jess Machovina and Alex Bayne all recorded hits.

HOW NEBRASKA SCORED
The Huskers’ three runs in the sixth came on three hits and was aided by one error. A Armstrong single and Buckeye error plated one run to make it 4-3 and then a bloop double to shallow center field scored two to make the score 5-4. All of those runs came with two outs.

Ohio State had baserunners in both the sixth and seventh innings, including a lead-off single by McIntyre to start the seventh. A double player, however, ended the final Ohio State threat.

UP NEXT
Ohio State closes out action at the Louisville Slugger Invitational tomorrow with a 1:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. EST) contest against No. 18 Arizona State.