Springer, Bayne Lift Buckeyes Past Louisville, 4-3

Sunday, February 19

Chapel Hill, N.C.

Ohio State

5-3

Louisville

7-2

Ohio State

Louisville

Springer, Bayne Lift Buckeyes Past Louisville, 4-3

2/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 19, 2017

Final Stats

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior Lena Springer pitched a complete game that included retiring 16 straight batters and Alex Bayne hit two home runs as Ohio State concluded play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 4-3 victory over Louisville on Sunday at Anderson Stadium on the campus of North Carolina.

THE SHORT STORY
Springer was in command the entire game, giving up just four hits over seven innings while striking out seven. Bayne, meanwhile, hit a first-inning home run and then followed with a two-run shot in the top of the seventh inning to provide enough offense to make Springer’s gem hold up. Senior Anna Kirk also hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to tie the contest at 2-2.

HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
Bayne staked the Buckeyes to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when she hit a solo home run to straightaway center field, her fifth round-tripper of the year. That lead, however, would be short-lived, as Louisville put together a two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning and pushed across two runs on Lillie Goetz’s double off the center field wall.

The next run of the game wouldn’t cross the plate until the top of the sixth as Kirk hit her second home run of the season, tying the game at 2-2.

Bri Betschel started a Buckeye rally in the seventh inning when he legged out an infield single and then took second on a stolen base. She advanced to third on a Bailee Sturgeon ground out, setting the stage for Bayne’s second home run of the game, a two-run bomb to center field.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
With a two-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh, Ohio State watched as Louisville hit a single and double, respectively to begin the final half inning. With nobody out and the lead cut to one (4-3), Springer went to work and got back to back strikeouts and then a fly out to center field that ended the game.

In the middle of the game, Springer was unhittable as she retired 16 straight batters between the bottom of the first and top of the seventh. During that time, the Cardinals only hit one ball out of the infield.

WEEKEND WARRIORS
Four players hit .400 or better this weekend, including Emily Clark (.462, one home run, five RBI), Becca Gavin (.455, one home run) and Bayne (.429, four home runs, five RBI). Bayne had a pair of multi-home run games, as she also hit two out on Friday night against North Carolina.

The Buckeyes’ pitching staff averaged nearly a strikeout per inning (22 Ks, 24.1 IP) as both Shelby Hursh and Springer earned wins. Over the final two games of the weekend, the duo of Hursh and Springer combined to give up just eight hits and five runs over 13 innings.

WHAT’S NEXT
Ohio State heads to Palm Springs, Calif. next weekend for four games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Buckeyes take on Washington on Friday, St. John’s and LIU-Brooklyn on Saturday and California on Sunday.