Buckeyes Drop Two at ACC/B1G Challenge

Friday, February 17

Chapel Hill, N.C.

Ohio State

3-3

North Carolina

4-3

Ohio State

North Carolina

Buckeyes Drop Two at ACC/B1G Challenge

2/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 17, 2017

Final Stats

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Ohio State (3-3) opened play in the 2017 ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a pair of losses on Friday, falling 9-0 in five innings to Louisville (6-1) and then dropping a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest to North Carolina, 8-7, at Anderson Field. The Buckeyes are now 3-3 on the year and will have a chance to get back on the winning track tomorrow when they face the Tar Heels (4-3) again at 1:30 p.m.

THE SHORT STORY
Ohio State’s day began by allowing seven fourth-inning runs to Louisville in a 9-0 setback. Later in the afternoon, the Buckeyes twice came back from multi run deficits to eventually fell to host North Carolina on a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning.

STARS OF THE DAY
Junior Becca Gavin enjoyed a career performance at the plate against UNC, going four-for-four with a home run and three RBI in the loss. The Buckeyes also got two home runs from senior Alex Bayne, who was two-for-four and now has four homers on the year. Emily Clark also connected on her first long ball of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning that staked the Buckeyes to an early 2-0 lead. In all, five players had multiple hits against the Tar Heels as part of a 15-hit attack.

GAME ONE: Louisville 9, Ohio State 0 (5 inn.)
Louisville broke open a scoreless game in the top of the fourth with seven runs on four hits, the biggest of which was a grand slam off the bat of Megan Hensley. Six of the seven runs were scored with two outs and were also aided by a two-out Buckeye error.

The Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth as a RBI ground out with the bases loaded made the score 8-0 and an infield single plated the ninth run.

Ohio State was limited to two hits by senior pitcher Maryssa Becker, who gave up a single to Bri Betschel and a double off the bat of Clark. For the Buckeyes, Shelby Hursh started the game and allowed just one hit over the first three innings with four strikeouts.

GAME TWO: North Carolina 8, Ohio State 7
For the third time this season, Ohio State was first on the scoreboard. Against the Tar Heels, it was courtesy of a two-run home run by Clark, who came up after Lilli Piper kept the top of the first inning alive with a two-out single. On the game, Piper was three-for-four with two singles and a double while Clark went two-for-four with a home run and double.

The Tar Heels would respond with five runs on three hits in the bottom of the third. The inning was aided by one Ohio State error, but the Tar Heels momentum was short lived.

In the top of the second, the Buckeyes countered with three runs to tie the score at 5-5. It started with an Ashley Goodwin double, one of two extra base hits of the evening for the junior from Riverside, Calif. The next batter, Gavin, connected on a home run to left field, making the score 5-4. Bayne then knotted it up at 5-5 with the first of her two round-trippers on the evening, a solo shot to right center. Also collecting hits in the big inning were Piper and Clark.

The score would remain tied at 5-5 until the bottom of the fourth. UNC collected two runs in that half innings, aided by two Ohio State errors, to go ahead 7-5. In the two innings prior, relief pitcher Lena Springer recorded strikeouts to end Tar Heel threats with runners in scoring position.

In the sixth, Bayne cut the North Carolina lead to one, 7-6, on her second home run of the game. Gavin then tied it at 7-7 on a one-out single to right field that scored Bailee Sturgeon, who led off the inning with a bunt single between the catcher and pitcher.

UNC got a leadoff double to start the bottom of the seventh, prompting an Ohio State pitching change to Hursh. The next batter sacrificed the runner to third and Katie Baliff ended the game with a walk-off double that hit off the right field wall.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
With the bases loaded and just one out in the fifth inning, North Carolina threatened to build on a 7-5 lead. Pitcher Kat Duvall, making her first appearance of the season, came on and promptly struck out Katelyn Shifflet and then got Destiney DeBerry to weakly ground out to the pitcher.

ON THE DAY
• Gavin reached base safely in four of her six plate appearances while also driving in a team-high three runs
• Three players with at least six at-bats – Gavin, Clark, Piper – hit .500 or better today.
• Buckeye pitchers averaged nearly a strikeout per inning (11.1 innings pitched, 11 strikeouts). Hursh and Springer led the way with four Ks each.
• As a team, Ohio State hit .347 with four home runs (all vs. UNC) and seven extra base hits.

WHAT’S NEXT
The Buckeyes continue play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge tomorrow when they have a re-match against North Carolina beginning at 1:30 p.m.