Buckeyes Split Season-Opening Doubleheader with Iowa

Friday, February 26

Leesburg, Fla.

Ohio State

1-0, 0

Iowa

0-1, 0

Iowa

Ohio State

Buckeyes Split Season-Opening Doubleheader with Iowa

2/26/2021 10:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Box Score: Game One // Box Score: Game Two

LEESBURG, Fla. – Fans who had been waiting 354 days for Ohio State softball to return were treated to a pair on one-run games on Friday. The Buckeyes won the first, edging Iowa 3-2, but weren't quite as fortunate in the second, dropping a 4-3 decision to finish with a split on opening day.

An excellent pitching debut in the first game, coupled with a timely three-run home run by Niki Carver, provided the highlights to open the day. In the second game, Ohio State from the start before Iowa finished off a seventh-inning comeback.

Buckeye pitchers struck out 15 batters in 13.1 innings on Friday. Offensively, four players – Ashley Prange, Tegan Cortelletti, Niki Carver and Meggie Otte – finished with multiple hits. Behind the plate, catcher Sam Hackenbracht threw out two Iowa base runners.

The Buckeyes continue their opening weekend trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against No. 22 Minnesota beginning at 4:15 p.m. Both games will be streamed on BTN Plus.

Game One: Ohio State 3, Iowa 2
Freshman Allison Smith got the ball in her collegiate debut and the 2019 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year didn't disappoint. She ended up tossing a complete game, punctuated by getting the final batter of the game to strike out looking to stand the tying run in scoring position. She finished with nine strikeouts while scattering just five hits.

On offense, the Buckeyes did much of their damage in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ashley Prange led off the frame with a double to right center, Ohio State's first hit of the game. Four batters later, after Taylor Pack has been hit by a pitch, Niki Carver launched a home run to right field. The blast – the 13th of her career – gave Ohio State all of the offense it would need with Smith in the circle.

In the top of the fifth, Smith allowed a lead-off walk but struck out the next two. Sam Hackenbracht ended the frame by throwing out Iowa's Riley Sheehy attempting to steal second.

In the sixth, Iowa opened up with a leadoff triple to right field by Nia Carter, but one batter later Grace Banes flew out to left and Carter was called for leaving early, leading to a double play. That play would prove critical, as the Hawkeyes later cut the Ohio State lead to 3-2 on a two-out double by Denali Loecker. Smith ended the threat like most of the others on opening day: with a strikeout.

In the seventh, Iowa got a one-out single to put the tying run on base on, but Smith and the Buckeye defense snuffed out the threat.

Game Two: Iowa 4, Ohio State 3
Iowa scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn a 4-3 walk-off win to salvage a split of Friday's doubleheader. Two Hawkeyes got on base via walks to start the bottom of the seventh and a high chopper that ended up in shallow center field scored the winning runs.

The Buckeyes were quick out of the gate following their game one win, scoring a run in the top of the first thanks to Meggie Otte, who singled to lead off the game and was driven home by Taylor Pack's high chopper to first base.

Ohio State tacked on two more runs in the top of the third courtesy of an Ashley Prange RBI single that scored Tegan Cortelletti and a sacrifice bunt off the bat over Avery Clark.

Iowa scratched out two runs in the bottom of the fourth and appeared to be in prime position to tie the game or take the lead in the fifth inning. With a runner at third base and two outs, Payton Buresch got Kalena Burns to ground out to second base to end the threat.

Buresch finished the game with six strikeouts in six innings while allowing six hits and just two walks. Meggie Otte, Tegan Cortelletti and Ashley Prange each registered multi-hit games, going a combined six-for-10 at the plate with three runs scored.