Buckeyes Split Friday Doubleheader at Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 29, 2016
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ohio State rebounded from a 5-4 extra innings loss in game one to register a hard-fought 5-3 victory in game two and salvage a split of Friday’s doubleheader against Indiana at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. The Buckeyes are 30-13-1 overall, 12-6-1 in the Big Ten while IU is 25-23, 7-12.
STARS OF THE DAY
Maddy McIntyre: 2-3, two doubles, four walks
Alex Bayne/Cammi Prantl: 8-15, three RBI
GAME ONE: Indiana 5, Ohio State 4 (8 inn.)
The Hoosiers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh and then the winning run in the eighth to claim a 5-4 triumph in the day’s opening game.
HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
Neither teams could get on the scoreboard in the first four innings as pitchers Shelby Hursh and Tara Trainer were in command. Finally in the bottom of the fourth, the Hoosiers’ Shannon Cawley connected on a 3-1 offering from Hursh and homered to left center, giving Indiana a 1-0 lead.
Ohio State was able to answer immediately, however, in the top the sixth. Alex Bayne started the rally with a single and center and Cammi Prantl followed with a fielder’s choice. With two away, McIntyre delivered a double to right field that just scooted by a diving Cawley. The next batter, Ashley Goodwin, belted a two-run home run that tucked just inside the left field foul pole to give Ohio State a 3-1 lead.
Prantl tacked on what appeared to be a key insurance run in the top of the seventh when he tallied her 13th double of the season, this one scoring Taylor White, who walked in her at-bat. Two force plays at home, however, prevented any further damage.
Hursh easily retired the first batter in the bottom of the seventh, but Cawley was issued a four-pitch walk and Taylor Uden followed with a single up the middle. CaraMia Tsirigos then tied the game with one swing of the bat, sending a 2-2 pitch from Hursh over the left centerfield fence. Two fly outs ended the half inning and sent the game into extra innings.
A two-out error in the top of the eighth gave Ohio State a baserunner, but that Buckeyes weren’t able to advance her. In the bottom of the eighth, back-to-back one-out singles were followed by a pop up for the second out, but Cawley’s double off the center field wall scored the winning run for Indiana.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
While their offense came to life in the sixth inning, Ohio State has scoring chances earlier in the contest. The lead-off batter reached base in both the first and second innings, only to be stranded on the base paths. On defense, Ohio State was able to get out of jams in the first and second innings with key groundouts to third. In the fourth, Blitz lined out sharply to Kirk at third with the bases loaded.
MIDDLE OF THE ORDER
The two-three-four-five hitters had six of Ohio State’s seven hits, including two each from Bayne (2-3, one RBI, one run), Prantl (2-4, double, RBI) and McIntyre (2-3, one RBI, one run).
GAME TWO: Ohio State 5, Indiana 3
Two runs in the top of the fourth — one coming via a Bayne double and another on a Prantl single — proved to be the winning runs at Ohio State held on to secure a 5-3 victory and doubleheader split.
HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
The Buckeyes brought their bats out early, plating three runs in the top of the first. It started with back to back singles from White and Bayne and following a fielder’s choice, Emily Clark drove home two runs with her single through the right side. The third run was a two-out single up the middle off the bat of Kirk.
Indiana got a run back in the bottom of the first when Cawley singled to right center, scoring Rebecca Blitz, who led off the half inning with a walk. The Hoosiers then tied the game in the bottom of the third when two more runs came across the plate via a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. A fly out to center field with two runners on, however, prevented any further damage.
The tie was short lived, as Bayne and Prantl’s hits put the Buckeyes ahead for good in the top of the fourth. Reliever Lena Springer had a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth and allowed one baserunner in the fifth before an IU threat was snuffed out in the sixth.
Back to back Hoosier singles put runners on first and second for Hursh, who was the third pitcher used in the game. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third and a walk loaded the bases. Pinch hitter Aimilla McDonough struck out swinging and a fielder’s choice ended IU’s last serious threat, however.
In the seventh, the Hoosiers got a one-out walk but catcher Kelsey Dotson lined out to second and Taylor Uden popped up to second for the final out.
IN THE CIRCLE
It was a team effort in the circle for Ohio State, as Springer ended up picking up the win, her fourth of the year. Hursh came on for a six-out save, giving her four on the year as well.
DID YOU KNOW
Head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly has now won 30 or more games in a season for eight consecutive years (2009-2012 at Miami, 2013-2016 at Ohio State).
NEXT UP
Ohio State and Indiana are scheduled to play the third and final game of their series tomorrow at 1 p.m., weather permitting. If it is played, the contest can be seen live on BTN Plus.
