Ohio State
22-19, 0
Michigan State
14-24, 0
Eppele’s Walk-Off Lifts Buckeyes to Doubleheader Split
5/15/2021 8:57:00 PM | Softball
FINAL STATS: Michigan State 5, Ohio State 2 / FINAL STATS: Ohio State 1, Michigan 0 (10 inn.)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Freshman Kirsten Eppele has made coming up clutch a habit this weekend.
Twenty-four hours after delivering a key two-run pinch hit on Friday, she put an exclamation point on the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with a walk-off pinch hit double to secure a 1-0 win in 10 innings for the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes dropped the first game of Saturday's twin bill 5-2 and are 23-19 on the season. They play their regular season and series finale tomorrow at noon against the Spartans in a contest that will be televised live on BTN. After the game, they will honor six seniors: Payton Buresch, Niki Carver, Carley Gaskill, Megan McMenemy, Spencer Sansom and Skylar Hayward.
Buresch Tosses 10 Scoreless
Payton Buresch followed up her first start of the week – a six-inning three-hitter on Friday – with 10 scoreless innings on Saturday evening to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard. She was helped by her defense, which turned three double plays thanks in large part to the play of Gaskill, who had seven defensive assists and one putout.
Buresch allowed seven hits and walked three but consistently got out of trouble with the help the defense behind her. No better was that evidenced than in the top of the 10th inning when MSU had runners at first and third base with nobody out. Buresch got the next batter to ground out to short stop, the next to fly out to left field and the final one to ground out to shortstop thanks to a nifty play by Gaskill.
This weekend, Buresch has a 0.86 earned run average in 16.1 innings with nine strikeouts.
How the Winning Run Was Scored
Per international tiebreaker rules, Ohio State started the bottom of the 10th with a runner at second base (Tegan Cortelletti). She was sacrificed over by the first batter of the inning, Mariah Rodriguez, setting the stage for Eppele, who drove a 3-2 pitch over a drawn-in infield to plate the only run of the game.
Another Extra Inning Win
The extra-inning win for Ohio State was their fourth this season in five games. The Buckeyes are also 11-6 in one or two-run games and 8-5 in games decided by one run.
Spartans Take Game One
Ohio State dropped a 5-2 decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader after Michigan State scored four times – all with two outs – to erase a 2-1 seventh-inning deficit.
Freshman Allison Smith had the Spartans down to their final strike before pinch hitter Shae Schreckengost with an RBI single to plate the tying run. Jenae Walsh then tripled and Mackenzie Meech hit an RBI single for a 4-2 Spartan lead. Kennedy Wylie added the final RBI of the inning.
At the plate, the Buckeyes were held to four hits by Ashley Miller. Ohio State's only extra base hit came from Carley Gaskill, who hit an RBI double in the second inning. Megan McMenemy also drove in a run with a second-inning single.
Allison Smith pitched 6.2 innings and registered eight strikeouts while walking just two and allowing six hits.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Miller, Ashley (8-8)
L: Smith, Allison (11-12)
Batting:
2B: Kates, Kendall 1
3B: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Ladd, Caitie 1
RBI: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Wyllie, Kennedy 1 ; Kates, Kendall 1 ; Schreckengost, Shae 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Meech, Mackenzie 1 ; Ladd, Caitie 1 ; Joseph, Abby 1 ; Trivelpiece, Marissa 1
HBP: Wash, Jenae 1 ; Barroso, Alexis 1
Batting:
2B: Gaskill, Carley 1
RBI: Gaskill, Carley 1 ; McMenemy, Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pack, Taylor 1 ; Gaskill, Carley 1
CS: Carver, Niki 1
