Ohio State Starts The Weekend Off With a 6-2 Win at No. 23 Michigan

Friday, April 22

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ohio State

28-10, 8-5

Michigan

27-14, 7-7

Ohio State

Michigan

Ohio State Starts The Weekend Off With a 6-2 Win at No. 23 Michigan

4/22/2022 5:37:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A freshman and a graduate student introduced themselves to the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry on Friday afternoon and in the process helped the Buckeyes start the weekend on a winning note. Ohio State topped the 23-ranked Wolverines 6-2 at the Wilpon Complex and improved to 28-10 overall on the season (8-5 Big Ten). Michigan is 27-14, 7-7.

The Short Story
Melina Wilkson, a freshman from Greenburg, Ind., led off the game with a home run and scored three runs as part of a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Lexie Handley, meanwhile, matched her career-high with 13 strikeouts and allowed just one earned run in a complete game victory.

After falling behind 2-1 after four innings, the Buckeyes struck for four runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to pull away. Ohio State's six RBI came from six different players: Wilkison, Tegan Cortelletti, Niki Carver, McKenzie Bump, Kami Kortokrax and Kaitlyn Coffman.

How The Runs Were Scored

Freshman Melina Wilkison wasted no time introducing herself to the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry. She took the fourth pitch that she saw from Alex Storako and deposited it into the left field seats.
Wilkison's home run was her third of the season and also gave her 10 RBI on the year.
The score remained 1-0 in favor of Ohio State until the bottom of the fourth inning when Michigan plated two runs. The first came on a solo home run by Taylor Bump and the second was on a when Aundry LeClair scored on a muffed infield throw.
The Wolverines lead – their only of the day – was shot-lived. Because in the top of the fifth, Ohio State struck for four runs on three hits to take the lead for good.
It started with the first two batters of the inning – Kaitlyn Farley and Wilkson – reaching on an infield error and single.
After an out and intentional walk to Sam Hackenbracht that loaded the bases, Niki Carver was hit by a pitch for the 14th time this season. This time, it tied the score at 2-all.
McKenzie Bump then came up in a big spot and singled just over the second baseman and into left field, scoring Wilkison to give Ohio State a 3-2 lead.
Kami Korkorax followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-2 and pinch hitter Kaitlyn Coffman then delivered an infield single to score Carver.
The Buckeyes tacked on another run in the sixth inning via a Tegan Cortelletti single that plated Wilkison, who had hit a one-out double.

Buckeye This and That

Handley's 13-strikeout performance matches her season-high set previously in wins over South Alabama and South Florida.
Ohio State now has four wins over ranked opponents on its resume this season: vs. No. 22 South Florida (twice), No. 8 Kentucky and No. 23 Michigan.
Wilkson's three-hit day improved her average in 13 Big Ten games to .341.
Ohio State is 6-1 in road conference games and won the opening game of a weekend series away from home for the third straight series.
Sam Hackenbracht had a first-inning double and has hit safely in five straight games. Earlier this season, she had a 13-game hitting streak.
Michigan's best threat in the late innings came in the sixth when the Wolverines had runners at second and third with just one out.
Handley, however, struck out the next two batters on just seven pitches to keep UM off the scoreboard.

What's Next
Ohio State and Michigan continue their weekend series with a 2 p.m. game tomorrow in Ann Arbor. Live stats will be available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com and the game will also be streamed live on B1G+.

Follow Ohio State softball on Twitter at @OhioStateSB for the latest news on the Buckeyes, including schedule adjustments.