McIntyre Delivers Walk-Off Single for 5-4 Win over Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes

Sunday, April 24

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

29-12-1, 0

Purdue

26-22, 0

Purdue

Ohio State

McIntyre Delivers Walk-Off Single for 5-4 Win over Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes

4/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

April 24, 2016

Final Stats

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A four-run seventh inning, highlighted by Maddy McIntyre’s walk-off single, lifted the Ohio State softball team (29-12-1, 11-5-1) to a dramatic 5-4 comeback victory over Purdue (26-22, 7-10) on Sunday before a standing room only crowd at Buckeye Field.

THE SHORT STORY
Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, Ohio State pushed four runs across, with the final two coming off the bat of McIntyre, who singled to right field and scored Alex Bayne and Taylor White. The inning started with back to back Boilermaker errors and was extended by hits from White and Bayne. All four runs came off Purdue ace Lilly Fecho, who entered the game with the second-best ERA in the Big Ten.

HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
Before the offensive fireworks started in the seventh, Ohio State and Purdue tangled in a pitchers dual for the first three innings. Starter Shelby Hursh matched Fecho pitch for pitch, striking out four over three innings.

In the fourth, the Boilermakers two put run on the board via a two-out double by Lauren Stewart. Catcher Becca Gavin made sure Purdue didn’t push anything else across, however, and she threw out her second runner of the game attempting to steal for the third and final out.

Gavin then made an impact at the plate, leading off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left center. She eventually scored on a single through the right side by Taylor White, one of four hits on the afternoon for White.

Purdue tacked on what appeared to be two important insurance runs in the top of the sixth when Emily Kenny hit a solo home run to left center and Stewart tripled to center field, scoring Katie Johnson.

COMEBACK KIDS
The seventh-inning rally started with back to back Purdue errors, putting Gavin and Bri Betschel on base. The next batter, White, delivered a single up the middle that scored pinch runner Bailee Sturgeon. Alex Bayne then took the first pitch of her at-bat and laced a double down the left field line, scoring Betschel to make the score 4-3 and sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy. Purdue then chose to intentionally walk Emily Clark, loading the bases for Cammi Prantl. Prantl struck out looking, but the next batter, McIntyre, delivered the biggest hit of her season with the walk off single to right field that brought home White and Bayne.

HOME ATTENDENCE RECORD
The 1,627 fans that filled up Buckeye Field set a single-game attendance record. It was the fifth crowd of 1,000 or more in the last five years and tops the previous high of 1,623 vs. Northwestern in 2010.

IN THE CIRCLE
Morgan Ray picked up her second win of the year, pitching 1.1 innings of scoreless relief that included a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. Hursh started and went 5.2 innings, striking out six while scattering five hits.

DID YOU KNOW
The four-run seventh inning marked the 17th time this year in conference play at Ohio State has scored three or more runs in an inning. It was also their second second-inning comeback of the year, with the first occurring in a 10-8 win over Wisconsin on April 3.

McIntyre has two walk-off hits this year – a two-run home run vs. Maryland on March 26 and today’s two-run single.

White’s four-hit effort on Sunday helped her finish with a .500 average this weekend. She collected hits in five of 10 at-bats with three stolen bases, two RBI and two runs scored.

STARS OF THE AFTERNOON
Taylor White: 4-4, two RBI, stolen base
Maddy McIntyre: 2-4, two RBI, walk-off single

SERIES WINS
Sunday’s come-from-behind victory gave Ohio State the series win over Purdue. The Buckeyes have won four of six series this year with three sweeps.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Thank you to the #BestFansInTheLand for helping us set a single game attendance record today. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/LvnG1mk0ke

— Ohio State Softball (@OhioState_SB) April 24, 2016

UP NEXT
Ohio State heads to Bloomington, Ind. to tangle with Indiana (24-22, 6-11) for its final road conference series of the regular season next Friday-Sunday.