Buckeyes Earn 10-2 Five-Inning Win Over Youngstown State

Tuesday, April 18

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

28-14

Youngstown State

20-20

Youngstown State

Ohio State

Buckeyes Earn 10-2 Five-Inning Win Over Youngstown State

4/18/2023 9:01:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State finished its midweek non-conference schedule on a high note Tuesday evening, earning a 10-2 five-inning win over Youngstown State at Buckeye Field. The win, which was Ohio State's seventh in the last eight games, improves the Buckeyes' overall record to 28-14. Youngstown State falls to 20-20.

The Short Story
It was a team effort on Tuesday, as eight different players recorded a hit. The offense was powered by the top of the lineup, as 1-2 hitters Mariah Rodriguez and Melina Wilkison combined to go 5-for-6 with two home runs and six RBI.

After building up a 5-0 lead after two innings, the Buckeyes ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a five-run outburst that was highlighted by Wilkison's 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave Ohio State the eight-run margin needed for the run-rule win.

Rodriguez went 3-for-3 on the night with a first-inning home run and two-run single in the fifth inning. Destinee Noury had two doubles and Kami Kortokrax drove in two runs.

In the circle, Allison Smith struck out five over five innings and gave up four hits to register her 15th win of the season.

How The Runs Were Scored

After Youngstown State was sat down 1-2-3 by Smith in the top of the first, Rodriguez opened the bottom half of the inning with a home run to center field that hit the scoreboard for an early 1-0 Ohio State lead.
The blast was Rodriguez's third home run of the season and second in the last two games.
Four runs came across for Ohio State in the bottom of the second, highlighted by a two-run RBI single off the bat of Kortokrax, a bases loaded walk to Wilkison and a run-scoring single from Sam Hackenbracht.
Youngstown State would respond with two runs in the top of the third to cut the Ohio State lead to 5-2.
The Ohio State half of the fifth started with a double from Meggie Otte and two batters later, Noury drove her home with a double to make the score 6-2.
After McKenzie Bump laid down a perfect bunt that turned into an infield single, Rodriguez brought pinch runner Kirsten Eppele and Bump home with her third hit of the game, a two-run single.
Wilkison then ended the game with a no-doubter home run to left field that was her fourth homer in the last three games.

Buckeye This and That

Wilkison has reached base in 34 consecutive games and registered her team-leading 16th multi-hit game of the season.
Rodriguez extended her hitting streak to five consecutive games.
With five extra base hits, Ohio State upped its slugging percentage on the season to .510. It entered the day ranked 27th nationally in that category.
The win was Ohio State's seventh in the last 10 games. During that stretch, the Buckeyes are averaging 6.4 runs per game.
Smith increased her season strikeout total to 160, which ranks second among all Big Ten pitchers.
Ohio State is now 6-3 at home on the season and has six games remaining at Buckeye Field for the regular season.

What's Next
Tuesday was the start of a seven-game homestand, and that run continues this weekend when Big Ten foe Purdue comes to Buckeye Field. The first game of the series is set for 6 p.m. on Friday.

Beginning this weekend, a claim system will be in place for fans to reserve a free ticket and thus guarantee their spot at Buckeye Field for whichever game (or games) they plan to attend. For more information, visit: go.osu.edu/sbinfo2023

To claim a ticket to any of the upcoming games, fans should visit: https://fevo.me/osusoftball

For up to date information on Ohio State softball, including schedule updates, in-game score updates and recaps, visit @OhioStateSB on Twitter.