Ohio State Drops Series Finale at Indiana

Sunday, April 18

Bloomington, Ind.

Ohio State

14-13, 0

Indiana

14-14, 0

Ohio State

Indiana

Ohio State Drops Series Finale at Indiana

4/18/2021 5:05:18 PM | Softball

Box Score

Final Stats: Indiana 3, Ohio State 0

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State dropped the series finale to Indiana on Sunday in Bloomington by a score of 3-0. The Buckeyes are now 14-13 on the year while Indiana is 14-14.

The Buckeyes got a two-hit performance from Mariah Rodriguez and seven combined strikeouts from starting pitcher Allison Smith and senior Payton Buresch, but couldn’t break through against IU’s Emily Goodin, who struck out six and walked just one over seven innings.

Moments That Mattered

Smith gave up a lead-off double in the bottom of the first but quickly recovered to strike out the next two batters and then induced an inning-ending fly ball. She also got out of trouble in the second inning with two on and one out as the Buckeyes turned their 14th double play of the year on a line out to second base.
Ohio State’s first hit of the game came in the third inning when Mariah Rodriguez singled to third base. Two pitches later, she stole second and then advanced to third on an error but was stranded there on an inning-ending ground out.
Indiana scored twice in the bottom of the third inning via a sacrifice fly off the bat of Grayson Radcliffe and an RBI single from Bella Norton. With just one down, Smith limited the damage thanks to a pop-out to shortstop and an inning-ending strikeout.
In the top of the fourth, Ohio State string together back-to-back hits for the first time on the day when Ashley Prange doubled to right center field and Tegan Cortelleti followed with a single through the left side. With one down, however, the final two outs were recorded via a fielder’s choice and strikeout.
Starting pitcher Allison Smith went 3.1 innings and eventually gave way to Payton Buresch with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Buresch quickly retired the next two batters with a runner on second.
Buresch again worked out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth. Indiana loaded the bases with two outs, but Buresch struck out Desiree Dufek on a 2-2 pitch to strand the three runners.
Indiana tacked on a run in the bottom of the third as Taylor Lambert came in to score from third on an infield error.
The tying run came to the plate for Ohio State in the seventh inning as Carley Gaskill and Meggie Otte hit singles, but Emily Goodin recorded the final two outs to finish off the game.

What’s Next
Ohio State is back home at Buckeye Field this weekend as it hosts Rutgers for a four-game set beginning on Friday evening at 6 p.m. Saturday will feature a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. with the series finale set for Sunday at noon.