No. 21 California Slips Past Ohio State, 5-4

Sunday, February 26

Palm Springs, Calif.

Ohio State

7-5

California

12-1

Ohio State

California

No. 21 California Slips Past Ohio State, 5-4

2/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 26, 2017

Final Stats

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – For the second time in three days, Ohio State battled a top 25 team pitch for pitch. On Sunday, California’s Khala Taylor hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Golden Bears a 5-4 win over the Buckeyes in a back-and-forth contest at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Ohio State split its four games over the weekend and stand at 7-5 on the season.

THE SHORT STORY
In a game that saw several lead changes, Ohio State went ahead 4-2 in the fifth inning thanks to a two-run home run by Lilli Piper and a Ashley Goodwin double, only to see Cal (12-1) tie the score in the bottom half of the inning thanks to three singles and a bases loaded walk. In the top of the seventh, the Golden Bears got a lead off double and then scored the winning run via a single to right field.

Piper, a sophomore from Norton, Ohio, was the biggest star at the plate for either team on the afternoon, going 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. For the weekend, Piper was 8-for-14 with a double, two home runs and six RBI (four coming with two outs).

HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
After a quiet for two innings, the Buckeyes were first on the scoreboard thanks to Piper’s run-scoring single, which plated Bailee Sturgeon from second (she led off the inning with a walk).

California got two runs back in the bottom of the third on two hits and aided by a pair of Ohio State errors. That advantage, however, would only last until the top of the fifth. With one swing of the bat, Piper put Ohio State ahead 3-2 with a towering two-run home run to left center field that also scored Alex Bayne, who had reached on a lead off error at shortstop. Ashley Goodwin pushed the lead to 4-2 on a double that plated Taylor White, who moved into scoring position on a stolen base after working a one-out walk.

The Golden Bears tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a RBI single and bases loaded walk. Ohio State had a chance to then pull ahead in the top of the sixth, loading the bases after Piper was intentionally walked with one out. A sharply hit line drive that was snared by the pitcher and pop out to shortstop ended the threat.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kobe Pettis led off with a double and then came around to score when Taylor’s hit deflected off the glove of Lena Springer and ended up in the right field.

AT THE PLATE
Piper was backed up offensively on Sunday by Anna Kirk, White, Goodwin, Becca Gavin and Sturgeon, who all recorded hits. Sturgeon also walked twice and scored a run.

WEEKEND NUMBERS
Despite falling on Sunday, Lena Springer had two quality starts and allowed just seven hits over 13.0 innings with 12 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA. Additionally, opponents hit just .156 against her. Her teammate in the circle, Shelby Hursh, pitched 12.1 innings with 14 strikeouts and a 1.14 ERA.

Four players who had a least 10 at-bats hit over .300 on the weekend, including two California products – Goodwin (.333, two doubles) and White (.308, two home runs, .769 slugging percentage).

Kirk, making her first appearance this season in the lead off spot, responded by hitting .462 with a .533 on-base percentage and four runs scored.

WHAT’S NEXT
Ohio State will have next weekend (March 3-5) off before beginning its Spring Break trip on March 10 when it faces No. 12 Georgia and UCF in Orlando, Fla. as part of the UCF Spring Fling.