Ohio State
15-6
Columbia
4-9
Seven-Run First Inning Leads to 9-0 Win over Columbia
3/15/2024 7:57:00 PM | Softball
Kirsten Eppele’s grand slam highlights the Buckeyes’ offensive efforts
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Ohio State softball team ran its winning streak to five consecutive games as they used a seven-run first inning to defeat Columbia on Friday, 9-0, in the third game of the Josh Cropp Classic on the campus of the University of Kentucky.
The biggest hit of the day came off the bat of senior Kirsten Eppele, who launched a grand slam during the seven-run first inning. That would be all the run support that pitcher Julia Miller would need, as she went five innings and picked up her second win of the season.
Overall, the Buckeyes have won eight of their last 10 games and improved to 15-6 on the season. Columbia falls to 4-9.
How The Runs Were Scored
- The Buckeyes manufactured seven runs in the home half of the first inning while getting just one hit. That one hit, however, was a big one: a grand slam by Kirsten Eppele.
- The inning featured four walks, two hit batters and one wild pitch. The first six batters of the inning reached base without recording a hit.
- The score would remain 7-0 until the fourth inning, as Kaitlyn Farley emphatically put the game into run-rule territory by hitting a solo home run to left field. The Buckeyes then added an insurance run on Hannah Church's RBI single that scored Tegan Cortelletti.
This and That
- The first pitch of the game was delayed for nearly an hour and a half as a light mist and drizzle fell in Lexington.
- Ohio State is 12-2 this season when it scores first and cumulatively has outscored its opponents 37-12 in the first two innings of games.
- Tegan Cortelletti ran her reached base streak to 20 consecutive games, which is the longest on the team this season. She also extended her hitting streak to 13 consecutive games.
- Eppele's first-inning grand slam was the first of her career. The senior from Strongsville now has four homers on the year and 14 RBI.
- Pitcher Julia Miller improved to 2-0 on the season as she allowed just one hit and struck out four in five innings.
- On Ohio State's spring break trip, which now includes nine games, Miller has pitched 13.1 innings and is averaging better than a strikeout per inning (14 Ks). She has a 2.10 ERA over that span.
What's Next
The John Cropp Classic continues tomorrow as the Buckeyes are slated to play twice. They'll begin the day with a 12:30 p.m. game against South Dakota State followed at 5:30 p.m. against the host Kentucky Wildcats. The game against UK will be broadcast live on SECN+ and through the Watch ESPN app.
Live stats for both games can be found on the softball schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com and in-game updates will appear on Twitter at @OhioStateSB. For the most up to date information on the Buckeyes, follow Ohio State on social media: @OhioStateSB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook by searching Ohio State softball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Miller, Julia (2-0)
L: Lily McCord (1-2)
Batting:
SH: Savanna Messner 1
Batting:
HR: Eppele, Kirsten 1 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1
RBI: Noury, Destinee 1 ; Church, Hannah 1 ; Bump, McKenzie 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 4 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cortelletti, Tegan 2 ; Heckman, Taylor 1 ; Burns, Jasmyn 1 ; Noury, Destinee 1 ; Kortokrax, Kami 1 ; Bump, McKenzie 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 1 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1
SB: Cortelletti, Tegan 1
CS: Ruffer, Cadyn 1
HBP: Cortelletti, Tegan 1 ; Bump, McKenzie 1
