Buckeye Bats Erupt to Earn Doubleheader Split vs. Maryland

Saturday, March 27

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

7-7, 0

Maryland

7-7, 0

Maryland

Ohio State

Buckeye Bats Erupt to Earn Doubleheader Split vs. Maryland

3/27/2021 8:25:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Final Stats: Game One // Final Stats: Game Two

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State bats erupted for a season-high in hits (17) and runs (13) as the Buckeyes split a Saturday doubleheader with Maryland at Buckeye Field. Ohio State's 13-3 five-inning win in game two came after the Terrapins took game one, 8-2. The Buckeyes are 8-7 on the season while Maryland is 7-8. The two teams finish their four-game series tomorrow with a single game beginning at 1 p.m.

The Short Story
After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning of the second game, the rest of the contest was all Buckeyes, all the time. Ohio State scored three in the bottom of the first, five in the second, three in third and two in the fourth to bust the game wide open.

Six different players had two or more hits in the 17-hit onslaught, led by Meggie Otte, who was 3-for-3 with a triple, two doubles and three RBI. Ashley Prange hit a two-run home run while Tegan Cortelletti was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

The first game of the day saw the Buckeyes take a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning before Maryland plated six runs in the top of the sixth and pulled away for an 8-2 victory. Kaitlyn Coffman hit a solo home run in the second inning for the Scarlet and Gray while Sam Hackenbracht went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles.

Game One: Maryland 8, Ohio State 2
It was a pitchers duel between Ohio State's Payton Buresch and Maryland's Courtney Wyche for five innings, as the Buckeyes went ahead 2-0 on a Coffman home run and Otte RBI double that scored Cortelletti, who just avoided a tag at home plate by Maryland catcher Katie Dustin.

Maryland clawed back with a run in the top of the fourth and then scored six times in the top of the fifth, keyed by a three-run home run from Michaela Jones and gave the Terps a 6-2 edge.

Buresch finished with six hits allowed over five innings and gave up just one earned run. Wyche, the winning pitcher, struck out five over seven innings.

Game Two: Ohio State 13, Maryland 3 (5)
After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the fifth on the strength of a Haley Ellefson home run, Ohio State responded in a big way – to the tune of 13 unanswered runs.

The barrage started with three in the bottom of the first to tie the score at 3-all. The biggest blow was a RBI triple off the bat of Otte, which scored Cortelleti. The other two runs came around to score via Maryland errors.

The Buckeyes essentially put the game out of reach in the bottom of the second inning with five runs on six hits. Otte scored two with a double left center and Prange belted her first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left center to make the score 8-3 for Ohio State.

In the third inning, three more runs came in to score via a sacrifice fly from Cortelletti, an RBI double by Carver and a triple by Mariah Rodriguez.

All told, Ohio State had eight extra base hits in the game – six doubles and two triples. In the bottom of the fourth, pinch hitters Destinee Noury and McKenzie Bump both doubled in their first career at-bats at Buckeye Field.

After giving up three runs and three hits in the first inning, starter pitcher Allison Smith settled in and allowed just one hit over the next four innings. She struck out seven to earn her team-leading sixth win of the year.

On the day, Meggie Otte hit .667 with four extra base hits in six at-bats: three doubles and a triple. She also drove in four runs. Mariah Rodriguez was 3-for-4 on the day with a double, triple and two runs scored. A total of 11 players registered at least one hit and as a team, the Buckeyes produced 13 extra base hits – nine doubles, three triples and two home runs.