Ohio State
Wright State
No. 25 Ohio State Rolls Past Wright State in Home Opener
3/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 29, 2017
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 25 Ohio State opened up the home portion of its schedule and treated Buckeyes fans to an offensive barrage, scoring nine runs in the first inning and five more in the third en route to a 14-1 five-inning victory over Wright State at Buckeye Field. With the win – the Buckeyes’ 12th in the last 13 games – Ohio State is now 19-7 on the season.
THE SHORT STORY
After falling behind 1-0 after the top of the first, Ohio State struck for nine runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning, including a grand slam off the bat of senior Alex Bayne. In the third inning, five runs crossed the plate as Emily Clark launched a three-run home run to left field and Lilli Piper drove in two runs with a single. All told, the Buckeyes produced 10 hits off two different Wright State pitchers and Clark drove in a career-high five runs.
HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
Wright State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after taking advantage of a double down the left field line from Honnah Susor that put runners at first and second with just one out. A wild pitch brought in Macey Gunther from third, but starting pitcher Morgan Ray worked out of the jam by getting a strikeout and then Susor was picked off at third base during Macy Cook’s at bat.
Ohio State’s nine-run bottom of the first was highlighted by Bayne’s two-out grand slam but started when Anna Kirk and Bayne both reached after getting hit by pitches. Piper followed with a RBI single to center field – her sixth hit in six at bats dating back to last Saturday – and then Clark drilled a double to right field, scoring Piper and Bayne. Ashley Goodwin delivered a run-scoring single that made the score 4-1 and two batters later, a critical error at first base kept the inning alive for the Scarlet and Gray. With the bases loaded, Wright State pitcher Ashley Sharp walked in a run to make the score 5-1 and then Bayne hit her 10th home run – and second grand slam – of the season to left center, giving Ohio State an eight-run cushion at 9-1.
The catalyst for a five-run inning in the bottom of the third was Maddie Marotti’s lead-off single, the first of two hits on the day for the junior from Dublin, Ohio. Marotti has five hits over the last two games after going 3-for-3 in the finale on Sunday at Maryland. The next two batters walked, and Piper drove home two more runs with a single to center, giving her three RBI on the afternoon. Clark then followed with a home run to left center that made the score 14-1.
IN THE CIRCLE
Ray scattered just three hits over three innings with two strikeouts before giving way to sophomore Katya Duvall, who struck out four in just two innings. Wright State didn’t have a base runner after a pair of walks with two outs in the top of the third.
STARS OF THE GAME
Bayne: 1-2, HR, 4 RBI
Clark: 2-3, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored
Piper: 2-3, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored
Marotti: 2-3, 2 singles, 1 run scored
Duvall/Ray: 5.0 IP, 3 hits allowed, 6 Ks
NEWS AND NOTES
? Over the last three games, Ohio State’s offense has produced 46 runs and 40 hits. In that span, Piper is hitting .800 (8-for-10) with two home runs, a double and 10 RBI. Five different players have at least five RBI.
? After reaching base successfully in all three of her plate appearances, Kirk now has a team-best .548 on-base percentage.
? Each one of the Buckeyes’ five pitchers now has an ERA of 2.69 or better.
? Clark’s five RBI give her 27 on the season, second most of the team behind only Piper (33).
? Ohio State is 21-2-1 in games in which Bayne hits a home run over the last two seasons.
? The Buckeyes are 4-1 in home openers under head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly and 46-21 over the last five seasons.
WHAT’S NEXT
Ohio State continues its seven-game homestand when it opens a weekend series against Rutgers on Friday at 5 p.m. The game can be seen live on BTN with a link to live stats on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
