Ruck’s Perfect Game Highlights Friday Games at Coastal Carolina

Friday, March 10

Conway, S.C.

Ohio State

6-7

Coastal Carolina

20-3

Ohio State

Coastal Carolina

Ruck’s Perfect Game Highlights Friday Games at Coastal Carolina

3/10/2023 10:25:16 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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CONWAY, S.C. – Emily Ruck’s five-inning perfect game – the first by an Ohio State pitcher in 16 years – highlighted the Buckeyes’ efforts on the first day of the Beach Chicken Brawl on the campus of Coastal Carolina.

The Buckeyes suffered a 6-4 setback against the host Chanticleers in the first game, but came right back to register an 8-0 run-rule win over Canisius to close out the day. In that win, Ruck established a new career high with 12 strikeouts and an 11-hit offensive attack featured the first career home run from Kami Kortokrax.

The last Ohio State pitcher to throw a perfect game was Jamee Juarez against IUPUI in 2007. That game, lick Ruck’s outing, was a five-inning run rule win. Ruck has now tossed two no-hitters in her career, with the other coming on March 13, 2022 vs. UMass.

Ohio State is now 7-7 on the season and continues play tomorrow with a pair of early games. It gets started vs. Houston Christian at 10 p.m. and continues with a rematch against Canisius at 12:30 p.m. Links to live stats for both games are available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Game One: Coastal Carolina 6, Ohio State 4 – Game Notes

After falling behind 2-0 in the fourth inning, the Buckeyes battled back to score three times in the fifth and once in the sixth to grab a 4-2 lead.
Coastal, however, delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game and then hit a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to win the game, 6-4.
Starting pitcher Allison Smith struck out six in four innings of work. She now has 47 Ks on the season and is averaging better than one strikeout per inning pitched.
In addition to Smith, freshman Lexi Paulsen also threw 1.1 innings in relief, as did Emily Ruck.
Ohio State finished the game with seven hits. One of the biggest was a two-RBI triple down the right field line by Mariah Rodriguez that tied the game at 2-all in the fifth inning.
Kaitlyn Farley added an RBI single and Meggie Otte drove in a run with a single deep to center field in the sixth inning.
Rodriguez extended her hitting streak to a season-high five games.

Game Two: Ohio State 8, Canisius 0 (5 inn.) – Game Notes

Rodriguez continued to swing a hot bat, as her second triple of the day gave Ohio State a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The hit scored Melina Wilkison, who opened the home half of the first with a single.
Tegan Cortelletti (single) and Wilkison (double) came through with run-scoring hits in the second inning to increase the Buckeyes’ advantage to 3-0.
Freshman Hannah Church drove in pinch runner Skylar Limon with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, making the score 4-0. It was Church’s third double of the season.
To start off a four-run fifth inning, Kortokrax hit her first career home run and Kaitlyn Farley and Cortelletti added run-scoring hits.
Four players – Wilkison, Cortelletti, Church and Rodriguez – finished with two hits against the Golden Griffins while six different players drove in runs.
Twelve of the 15 defensive outs were recorded came via strikeout. It was one more than Ruck’s previous high of 11, which came in her no-hitter last season vs. UMass.

This and That

Farley and Rodriguez each ended the day with three RBI in the two games.
Rodriguez was 3-for-6 at the plate with a pair of triples.
As a team, Ohio State had 18 total hits and five of them were for extra bases – two triples, two doubles and one home run.
Buckeye pitchers combined to strike out 19 batters in 11.2 innings.