Two-Out Hitting Keys 8-0 Five-Inning Win over Belmont

Tuesday, March 12

Nashville, Tenn.

4:00 PM

Ohio State

12-6

Belmont

14-7

Ohio State

Belmont

Two-Out Hitting Keys 8-0 Five-Inning Win over Belmont

3/12/2024 7:18:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Tegan Cortelletti goes 4-for-4 with a triples and three stolen bases

NASHVILLE – A six-run third inning from Ohio State lifted the Buckeyes to a 8-0 victory over Belmont on Tuesday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville. Ohio State improved to 12-6 on the season and 4-2 on its spring break trip while Belmont had a four-game winning streak snapped and is now 14-7 this season.

One of the offensive catalysts for Ohio State on Tuesday was senior Tegan Cortelletti, who went 4-for-4 with an RBI and also stole three bases. She got things started in a big way, taking the first pitch of the game and hitting a triple to left centerfield. She'd score on a Belmont error during Taylor Heckmen's at-bat as the Buckeyes grabbed an early 1-0 lead.

Belmont would threaten in the bottom of the first and second innings, but strikeouts from Allison Smith kept the Bruins off the scoreboard. In the top of the third inning, Ohio State scored six runs – all with two outs – and was keyed by RBI from Hannah Church, Kaitlyn Farley, Cortelletti, and Heckman. One only of the six hits was for extra bases – a Church double – as Ohio State moved runners in via singles, stolen bases and walks.

The Buckeyes scored the eighth run of the game on a Belmont error in the top of the fifth innings. Lexi Paulsen, who relieved Smith in the fourth inning, gave way to Kennedy Kay, who retired the Bruins in the bottom of the fifth. All told, the three Buckeye pitchers allowed just five hits over five innings, walked two and struck out eight.

While Cortelletti's 4-for-4 day keyed the offense, six other players recorded at least one hit. Farley had three RBI, as did Heckman.

That and That

Tuesday's game marked just the second-ever meeting between Ohio State and Belmont. The Buckeyes won that game, a 15-3 decision in 2012 as part of the Tennessee State Invitational.
Over the six games on Ohio State's spring break trip, Cortelletti is batting .632 and has 12 hits in 19 at-bats. She's also a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts.
Cortelletti also currently has a 10-game hitting streak, which is tied with Jasmyn Burns for the longest on the team this season.
Left-handed hitters collected seven hits against the Bruins on Tuesday: Cortelletti (4-for-4), Farley (2-for-2 with a walk) and McKenzie Bump (1-for-3) and Heckman (1-for-4).
As a team, Ohio State is hitting .335 this season with two outs and have 53 RBI in those situations, which is an average of nearly three per game.

What's Next
Ohio State will stay in the Nashville area and take on Austin Peay tomorrow at 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET) in the final midweek contest of the spring break trip. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

For in-game updates, follow Ohio State softball on Twitter at @OhioStateSB. A link to live stats can also be found on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.