Ohio State
7-3
New Mexico State
8-5
Ohio State Splits on Day Two in Arizona
2/25/2024 12:06:00 AM | Softball
Buckeyes top New Mexico State 10-0 in five innings
PHOENIX – Ohio State's second day in Arizona this weekend shifted sites to Grand Canyon and resulted in a split of games against New Mexico State and Grand Canyon. The Buckeyes (7-4) defeated New Mexico State, 10-0, in five innings before dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker to Grand Canyon in eight innings.
Game One: Ohio State 10, New Mexico State 0 (5 inn.)
The first big inning of the day for the Buckeyes on Saturday came in the second against New Mexico State, as Ohio State scored six times on six hits. It started when Kaitlyn Farley singled home Sam Hackenbracht and continued with the next batter, as Kami Kortokrax tripled to left field and brought two runs home to make the score 3-0.
Other run-scoring hits came off the bat of McKenzie Bump (an RBI single) and Taylor Heckman, who gave Ohio State a 6-0 lead with a double down the right field line.
The Buckeyes busted the game open in the top of the fourth inning with four more runs to take a 10-0 lead. Burns had an RBI single up the middle and then Kirsten Eppele launched a three-run home run, her third of the season.
In the circle, sophomore Julia Miller picked up her second career victory by going five innings and allowing just two hits and walking just one with four strikeouts. The defense in back of her was on point as well, getting two double plays – including a game-ending 5-6-3 putout.
Cortelletti and Heckman – hitting first and second in the lineup, respectively – went a combined 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Nine different players had a hit in an offensive attack that produced 11 total hits, including four for extra bases.
Game Two: Grand Canyon 2, Ohio State 1 (8 inn.)
Like they did earlier in the day, the Buckeye offense was first on the scoreboard. Sam Hackenbracht gave Ohio State a 1-0 lead when her two-out single through the left side scored Taylor Heckman, who had doubled earlier in the inning.
That lead would hold for the next two innings, as starting pitcher Emily Ruck settled in and limited Grand Canyon to three hits over that frame. In the bottom of the fourth, a bloop base hit with two outs scored a runner from second as GCU tied the game at 1-1.
The Buckeyes and Antelopes remained tied at 1-all deep into the late innings. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Cortelletti's catch at the wall forced extra innings. In the visitors half of the eighth, the Buckeyes weren't able to push across a run and Grand Canyon then cashed in on their opportunity with the international tiebreaker with a one-out infield single.
What's Next
Ohio State closes out play in Arizona tomorrow with a 11 a.m. ET game at Grand Canyon against Idaho State. Live stats will be available on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com and in-game updates on Twitter at @OhioStateSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Miller, Julia (1-0)
L: PATANE (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Cortelletti, Tegan 1 ; Heckman, Taylor 1
3B: Kortokrax, Kami 1
HR: Eppele, Kirsten 1
RBI: Heckman, Taylor 2 ; Burns, Jasmyn 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 3 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1 ; Kortokrax, Kami 2 ; Bump, McKenzie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cortelletti, Tegan 2 ; Heckman, Taylor 1 ; Burns, Jasmyn 1 ; Hackenbracht, Sam 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 2 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1 ; Kortokrax, Kami 1 ; Bump, McKenzie 1
CS: Cortelletti, Tegan 1
Batting:
SH: CARREON 1
