Buckeyes Earn Doubleheader Sweep over Penn State

Tuesday, April 11

State College, Pa.

Ohio State

24-13, 5-5

Penn State

20-12, 2-8

Ohio State

Penn State

Buckeyes Earn Doubleheader Sweep over Penn State

4/11/2023 9:25:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Ohio State softball team took the momentum from last weekend's series victory over Rutgers and extended its winning streak to four games with a doubleheader sweep of Penn State on Tuesday.

The Buckeyes won the first game, 9-5, and then turned around the completed the 2-0 day with a 4-1 victory in the nightcap. Ohio State hit four home runs on the day – one each from Melina Wilkison, Kami Kortokrax, Hannah Church and Sam Hackenbracht.

In the circle, Emily Ruck was the winning pitcher in game one while Allison Smith allowed just a single sixth-inning run to pick up her 12th win of the year.

Ohio State is now 25-13 on the season and 6-5 in the Big Ten. Penn State falls to 20-13, 2-9.

Game One: Ohio State 9, Penn State 5 – Game Notes

Penn State was able to string together back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the second to plate the first run. Ruck, however, limited the damage with an inning-ending strikeout, her first of the game.
Back to back Ohio State home runs in the top of the third put the scarlet and gray up 2-1. Those shots came from Wilkison, her eighth of the season, and Kortokrax, who homered for the fifth time in 2023.
A bases-loaded double off the bat of Otte gave the Buckeyes a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning. It was the fifth-year senior's fourth double of the season and RBI Nos. 21, 22 and 23.
Penn State cut Ohio State's lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth, but Ohio State quickly responded with a Hannah Church two-run home run and Kaitlyn Farley RBI single to go ahead 8-3.
After the Lions put two on the board via an error and RBI single, Ohio State scored the final run of the game in the top of the seventh when Jaycee Ruberti's sac fly scored Otte, who led off the inning with her third double of the game.
Ruck went 5.2 innings and picked up her third consecutive win to improve to 8-5 on the season. Allison Smith pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed one hit while striking out one.
In addition to Otte's 3-for-4 performance with three RBI, Korokrax went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Six different players drove in runs: Otte (three), Church (two), Farley (one), Wilkison (one), Kortokrax (one) and Ruberti (one).

Game Two: Ohio State 4, Penn State 1 – Game Notes

The Ohio State bats picked up where they left off in the first game, as Hackenbracht's two-RBI double off the left field wall gave the Buckeyes an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Hackenbracht drove in her third run of the game in the top of the fourth with a solo home run, her fourth round-tripper of the season.
Penn State got on the scoreboard for the first time in the game in the home half of the sixth, but the Nittany Lions stranded two on a pair of infield pop ups to limited the damage for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes manufactured a run in the top of the seventh as Wilkison's sacrifice fly scored Mariah Rodriguez from third. She started the inning with a double, moved to second on a walk and third via a wild pitch.
Smith picked up her 12th win of the season and also pitched her 11th complete game.

Buckeye This and That

Ohio State improved to 17-5 vs. Penn State since 2014.
Tuesday was the Buckeyes' first midweek doubleheader sweep of Penn State since the two teams annually played a doubleheader beginning nine seasons ago.
Ten of Ohio State's 12 hits on Tuesday went for extra bases. The Buckeyes finished with six doubles and four home runs.
Four players now have four or more home runs this season: Wilkison (eight), Kortokrax (five), Hackenbracht (four) and Otte (four).

What's Next
Ohio State stays on the road this weekend and heads to Champaign, Ill. for a three-game set against the Illini beginning on Friday. All three games will be carried on BTN+.