Smith’s 10-Strikeout Gem Lifts Ohio State Past UMass, 1-0

Sunday, February 12

Orlando, Fla.

Ohio State

2-2

UMass

0-4

UMass

Ohio State

Smith’s 10-Strikeout Gem Lifts Ohio State Past UMass, 1-0

2/12/2023 2:02:47 PM | Softball

Box Score

Final Stats // 2023 Roster // 2023 Schedule // Follow on Twitter // Follow on Facebook

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Less than 18 hours after dropping a 1-0 decision to No. 18 UCF, the Ohio State softball team found itself on the winning end of a 1-0 decision Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes topped UMass in the final game of the Black & Gold Classic on the campus of UCF and improved to 2-2 on the young season.

The Short Story
Junior pitcher Allison Smith, who picked up her first win of the season on Saturday in a 8-2 triumph over Boise State, pitched a 10-strikeout complete game shutout. She scattered just four hits and ended the game by striking out Grace Cadden with the go-ahead run at the plate.

The only run of the game was scored in the second inning when Meggie Otte scored from third base on a wild pitch. She reached in the inning on a one-out single and eventually ended up on third base after back to back singles from Destinee Noury and Taylor Pack. Ohio State had the bases loaded with one out in the inning, but the one run they scratched across proved to be enough for Smith.

Buckeye This and That

Ohio State finished the game with six hits and left six runners on base. On Saturday night vs. UCF, it left 10 stranded.
Tegan Cortelletti went 2-for-3 with two singles and a stolen base.
The six through nine hitters in Ohio State’s lineup – Otte, Destinee Noury, Taylor Pack and Kaitlyn Farley – each had a hit.
Smith’s 10 strikeouts was just one off from her career high of 11, which was set last season vs. Butler. It’s the second double-digit strikeout game of her career.
Smith did not allow an extra base hit and only twice – in the first and fourth innings – did UMass get a runner into scoring position.

The Weekend That Was

Kami Kortokrax hit safely in six of her 12 at-bats and had three doubles.
Melina Wilkson led the team with five RBI, including four in a 8-2 win over Boise State.
In the final three games of the weekend – vs. Boise State, No. 18 UCF and UMass – Ohio State pitchers Allison Smith and Emily Ruck combined to allow just three runs over 20 innings with 24 strikeouts.
Smith finished the weekend with a 2-1 record and 18 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.
Junior Destinee Noury earned the first two starts of her career. She collected her first RBI as a Buckeye on Saturday vs. Boise State.
Sam Hackenbracht collected five hits on the weekend, including the 100th of her career. The senior from Massillon, Ohio has played in 108 games as a Buckeye.

What’s Next
Ohio State will be back on the road next weekend as it heads to Clemson, S.C. for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Buckeyes are slated to play Notre Dame and No. 10 Clemson twice, beginning with a single game versus the Irish on Friday at noon. Saturday’s schedule includes another game vs. Notre Dame (12:30 p.m.) and one vs. Clemson (5:30 p.m.) before finishing the weekend with a finale against the Tigers Sunday at 12:30 p.m.