Ohio State
2-1
Southeast Missouri State
2-1
Ruck’s No-Hitter Highlights Two-Win Day for Ohio State
2/10/2024 8:52:00 PM | Softball
Buckeyes defeat S.E. Missouri State and Stony Brook in Maimi
MIAMI – The Ohio State softball team ran its early-season winning streak to three game on Saturday with two wins on the second day of the Felsberg Invitational on the campus of Florida International. Early in the day, Ohio State (3-1) downed Southeast Missouri State, 13-0, and then came back with a 9-0 six-inning win over Stony Brook in the nightcap.
The first game was highlighted by a grand slam from freshman Jasmyn Burns and in the second contest of the day, senior Emily Ruck tossed her third career no-hitter. She also threw no-no's against UMass in 2022 (her third career start), a perfect game last year against Canisius and tonight vs. Stony Brook.
Buckeye pitchers had plenty of help at the plate today, too. In the two wins, sophomore Hannah Church hit .714 with five hits, a home run and four RBI. The trio of Sam Hackenbracht, Jasmyn Burns and Kirsten Eppele all had three hits as well.
For the weekend, Ohio State has a .400 team batting average and has scored 33 runs in four games. Church leads the way at a .727 clip and has driven in seven runs.
Game One: Ohio State 13, Southeast Missouri State 0 (5 inn.)
A 15-hit Ohio State attack was highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of freshman Jasmyn Burns, who finished the game 2-for-3 with five RBI. The Buckeyes erupted for six runs in the bottom of the second inning – four of them coming on Burns' grand slam – and scored seven more times in the third inning to break the game open.
Eleven different players had a hit in the game. Hannah Church, coming off a 3-for-4 performance on Friday night, stayed hot and went 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Melina Wilkison and Tegan Cortelletti each drove in two runs.
The Buckeyes also found success in situational hitting. Pinch hitters were 3-for-4 in the game, including the first career hits off the bats of freshmen Taylor Cruse and Lottie Landmesser. Ohio State was 8-for-12 at the plate with two outs and 8-for-15 with runners on base.
All of that offense was plenty support for starting pitcher Allison Smith, who went four innings and allowed just two hits with six strikeouts. Kennedy Kay came in and recorded the final three outs in the top of the fifth inning, one of which was on a strikeout.
Game Two: Ohio State 9, Stony Brook 0 (6 inn.)
Ruck's no-hitter was backed up by an offensive performance that broke out in the late innings.
With a slim 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Buckeyes got the biggest – and farthest – hit of the game when Hannah Church launched a three-run home run to straightaway centerfield that gave Ohio State a 4-0 edge. The Buckeyes would tack on another run via a bases loaded walk.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ohio State ended the game early thanks to a Stony Brook fielding error that allowed a run to come in and a game-ending double by Sam Hackenbracht. It was her third hit of the night, as she went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI.
The Buckeyes' 12-hit attack included eight different players. Ruck's line, meanwhile, was 6.0 innings with just three walks and six strikeouts.
Junior Kami Kortokrax, from Westerville, recorded her 100th career hit with a single in the bottom of the fourth inning.
What's Next
Ohio State finishes play at the Felsberg Invitational tomorrow when it faces host FIU (2-2) at 11:30 a.m. A link to live stats will be available on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. In game updates will also be available on X at @OhioStateSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Smith, Allison (2-0)
L: VAN HAREN, Willow (1-1)
Batting:
2B: SHORE, Aubrie 1
Batting:
2B: Heckman, Taylor 1
HR: Burns, Jasmyn 1
RBI: Farley, Kaitlyn 2 ; Wilkison, Melina 2 ; Burns, Jasmyn 5 ; Heckman, Taylor 1 ; Church, Hannah 1 ; Cortelletti, Tegan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Farley, Kaitlyn 2 ; Wilkison, Melina 1 ; Burns, Jasmyn 1 ; Ruffer, Cadyn 1 ; Landmesser, Lottie 1 ; Church, Hannah 1 ; Limon, Skylar 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 2 ; Bump, McKenzie 2 ; Cortelletti, Tegan 1
SB: Farley, Kaitlyn 1 ; Wilkison, Melina 1
