Buckeyes Pick Up Two Wins To Open the Tennessee Invitational

Friday, March 8

Knoxville, Tenn.

10:00 AM

Ohio State

9-4

Missouri State

3-10

Missouri State

Ohio State

Photo by: © Eric Espada/Ohio State Athlet

Buckeyes Pick Up Two Wins To Open the Tennessee Invitational

3/8/2024 4:30:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Ohio State knocks off Missouri State, 6-2, and South Dakota, 6-3

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Ohio State picked up a pair of wins on the opening day of the Tennessee Invitational on Friday, and used the home run ball to do it. The Buckeyes defeated Missouri State, 6-2, and South Dakota, 6-3, to improve to 10-4 on the season.

Junior shortstop Kami Kortokrax went 4-for-6 on the day with three home runs and six RBI. She hit two out of the park in the win over Missouri State and added a late homer against South Dakota. Tegan Cortelletti went 4-for-4 in the second game while Jasmyn Burns had a key RBI double in the come-from-behind win.

Game One: Ohio State 6, Missouri State 2
Kami Kortokrax provided the power with home runs in the second and fifth innings and the pitching combination of starter Julie Miller and relivers Emily Ruck and Allison Smith kept Missouri State at bay in a 6-2 victory to open play on Friday.

Holding a 3-2 lead in the late innings, Ohio State scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning – highlighted by a RBI triple from Kirsten Eppele and RBI double off the bat of Hannah Church – to break the game open.

Kortokrax hit a two-run home run in the second inning and then gave Ohio State the lead for good with a solo shot in the fifth inning. That blast made the score 3-2 in favor of the Buckeyes, and when Missouri State loaded the bases in the bottom half of that inning, Allison Smith came on to record the final out. She then worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

Emily Ruck was the winning pitcher. She went 1.2 innings in relief of Miller and did not allow an earned run. The save for Smith was her first of the season.

Kortokrax had a 2-for-2 day and her four RBI were a career high. Five of Ohio State's seven hits went for extra bases (two home runs, two doubles, one triple).

Game Two: Ohio State 6, South Dakota 3
The Buckeyes would rally for their second win of the day, and just like in the first contest the catalyst was the home run ball.

In a 3-3 game in the sixth inning, McKenzie Bump's solo home run gave Ohio State the lead for good and Kortokrax's two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth provided the Buckeyes with the breathing room it would need. All told, Ohio State scored five times in the final three innings to erase a 3-1 deficit.

The comeback started with an RBI double off the bat of Jasmyn Burns in the fifth and continued with a RBI single from Sam Hackenbracht. That set the stage in the next inning for Bump's home run, followed by Kortokrax in the seventh.

Burns not only provided a big hit on the afternoon, but she also was strong defensively behind the plate. She threw out two runners attempting to steal second, one of which ended the fourth inning.

In the circle, Lexi Paulsen got the start and went four innings before Allison Smith came on in relief for the second time on the afternoon. Smith picked up the win, her fifth of the season, and struck out four in three innings.

What's Next
Action at the Tennessee Invitational continues tomorrow as Ohio State takes on the host Lady Vols at 12:30 p.m. The game can be seen live on ESPN+. Following the contest against Tennessee, the Buckeyes will play another game against either South Dakota, Missouri State or Tennessee based on the results of pool play.