Ohio State Wins Its Sixth Consecutive Game, Edges Charleston 5-4

Wednesday, March 15

Charleston, S.C.

Ohio State

12-7

College of Charleston

7-16

Ohio State

Charleston

Ohio State Wins Its Sixth Consecutive Game, Edges Charleston 5-4

3/15/2023 5:35:47 PM | Softball

Box Score

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Less than 24 hours after taking both games of a doubleheader against Charleston Southern, the Ohio State softball team ran its winning streak to six games with a 5-4 victory over the College of Charleston. The Buckeyes are 12-7 on the season and have been winners in nine of their last 11 contests.

The Short Story
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two innings, but after Charleston scored three times in the second inning to grab a 3-2 lead, the Buckeyes responded with three runs in the top of the fourth and would never relinquish the lead.

The biggest hits in the fourth inning each came with two outs: a two-run double off the bat of Mariah Rodriguez and an infield single by Melina Wilkison, which scored what proved to be the game-winning run.

Redshirt freshman Kennedy Kay started the game and went 4.0 innings with four strikeouts while surrendering just four hits. Junior Allison Smith pitched the final three innings and picked up her first save of the season.

How the Runs Were Scored

Melina Wilkison drove in the first of her two runs on the afternoon in the top of the first, as her single to center field scored Tegan Cortelletti, who started off the game with an infield single.
In the second inning, the Buckeyes grabbed a 2-0 lead on Mariah Rodriguez’s two-out infield single.
Charleston scored three times in the bottom of the second on three hits, the biggest of which was a bases loaded double that scored three runs.
In the fourth inning, Hannah Church started a one-out rally with a single up the middle, followed by a Farley infield single and Rodriguez double that made the score 4-3 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Wilkison added what became an important insurance run one batter later with a single that scored Rodriguez.

Buckeye This and That

After going 5-for-5 in the second game of last night’s doubleheader, Melina Wilkson added two hits this afternoon and is 8-for-13 over the last three games.
Over the last 10 games, Wilkison is batting .472 with nine RBI and eight runs scored.
Kay improved to 2-0 on the season. Her other win was on Feb. 18 vs. Notre Dame.
Farley, Wilkison and Mariah Rodriguez each had multiple hits.
Ohio State improved to 8-3 all-time against Charleston. Today was the first time the two teams have met in 39 years, since 1984.

What’s Next
The backend of Ohio State’s spring break trip begins on Friday as the Buckeyes head to Greenville, N.C. and the Jolly Roger Invite. Ohio State is slated to play twice that day, beginning with a contest Cleveland State and continuing vs. host East Carolina later in the afternoon.

Links to live stats for all five games Ohio State is scheduled to play this weekend will be available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.