Ohio State
22-17, 0
Penn State
30-10, 0
Walk-Off Win Highlights Doubleheader Sweep of Penn State
4/16/2024 10:06:00 PM | Softball
Buckeyes take game one, 16-8, and game two, 2-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio – If fans at Buckeye Field wanted drama on Tuesday, they certainly got it – a double order of it, specifically. And, they also got to a pair of wins by Ohio State, as the Buckeyes defeated Penn State in both games of a conference doubleheader. They took the first game in six innings, 16-8, and then hit a walk-off double in the second game to complete a 2-1 comeback win.
Ohio State improved to 23-17 on the season and 5-9 in conference play while Penn State, who was in sole possession of second in the league standings at the beginning of the day, falls to 30-11 overall and 9-5 in the Big Ten.
The Short Story – Ohio State 16, Penn State 8 (6 inn.)
Ohio State's offense hit two three-run home runs in the top of the first inning of the first game of the day to jump out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back, walking off with a 16-8 win in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Tegan Cortelletti single.
The Buckeyes chased Penn State ace Bridget Nemeth early in the game, as the freshman pitched just 0.1 innings and allowed five runs before being replaced by Mady Vope. That was the result of an Ohio State offense that finished the game with eight extra base hits (three doubles, two triples and three home runs).
McKenzie Bump went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI, while Sam Hackenbracht hit her 46th career home runs and drove in three runs. Senior Kirsten Eppele, however, did the most damage at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBI and three runs scored. Eppele homered in the first inning, tripled in the fourth inning and doubled in the sixth inning.
Trailing 12-1, Penn State scored six times in the top of the fifth inning to cut the Ohio State lead to 12-7. The biggest blow was a two-out grand slam, but the Buckeyes quickly struck back with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a Kortokrax double.
Ohio State ended the game in the sixth inning with three runs, keyed by a Eppele double, a two-run triple by Kaitlyn Farley and Cortelletti's walk-off single.
Allison Smith was the winning pitcher, going six innings and striking out eight to earn her 14th win of the season. The loss for Nemeth was just her second of the season.
The Short Story – Ohio State 2, Penn State 1
Trailing 1-0 for five innings, Ohio State scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning via an Eppele single and then earned the walk-off win thanks to a Kortokrax double that scored Taylor Heckman, who had reached on batter earlier on a single.
Nemeth and Ohio State's Emily Ruck dueled in the circle, as Penn State struck first with an run-scoring single in the top of the first inning. That's all the Nittany Lions would manage, however, as Ruck settled in from there and got help from her defense late in the game.
Ohio State pushed across the equalizer in the bottom of the sixth when Eppele singled up the middle with two outs and scored pinch runner Skylar Limon. In the field, Eppele would make a diving catch in shallow center field for the third and final out in the top of the seventh, setting up the walk-off drama shortly later.
In the bottom of the seventh, Farley led off with a single and was sacrificed over to second by Cortelletti. Heckman then doubled down the left field line, but Farley was thrown out at the plate as the potential game-winning run. Kortokrax, however, was the next batter and took the first pitch of her at-bat against Nemeth and drove in over the center fielder's head to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Ruck's line on the night included her third complete game victory of the season as she struck out five and walked just two. Nemeth, who entered the game with a 1.46 ERA, gave up 13 hits and seven earned runs over seven innings on Tuesday.
Kortokrax's walk-off hit was the exclamation point on a 3-for-4 day that included two doubles, which gives her a team-best nine on the season.
What's Next
Ohio State will be right back at Buckeye Field again tomorrow for a 6 p.m. game against Pittsburgh. The contest will be streamed live on BTN+ and live stats will be available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
Tomorrow will also serve as the first-ever Bark at the Park at Buckeye Field. Guests will have to purchase a ticket both for themselves and their dog. Tickets can be purchased at go.osu.edu/Tickets41724
Single game tickets are available with prices ranging from $4-$8 before fees. Seating at Buckeye Field is general admission. A limited number of student tickets will be available for free at each game with a BuckID on a first come, first served basis. Children under two years old and younger will be admitted free but must sit on an adult's lap.
Tickets can be purchased HERE and the full schedule is available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. One ticket is good for entry to both games on Tuesday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Smith, Allison (14-9)
L: Bridget Nemeth (18-2)
Batting:
HR: Maddie Gordon 1 ; Gaby Garcia 1
RBI: Maddie Gordon 4 ; Gaby Garcia 1 ; Audree Mendoza 1 ; Michela Barbanente 1
SH: Liana Jones 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maddie Gordon 2 ; Gaby Garcia 2 ; Haylie Brunson 1 ; Audree Mendoza 1 ; Brooke Klosowicz 1 ; Michela Barbanente 1
Batting:
2B: Kortokrax, Kami 1 ; Bump, McKenzie 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 1
3B: Eppele, Kirsten 1 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1
HR: Hackenbracht, Sam 1 ; Bump, McKenzie 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 1
RBI: Cortelletti, Tegan 1 ; Kortokrax, Kami 1 ; Hackenbracht, Sam 3 ; Bump, McKenzie 2 ; Eppele, Kirsten 5 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Heckman, Taylor 2 ; Kortokrax, Kami 2 ; Hackenbracht, Sam 2 ; Bump, McKenzie 3 ; Burns, Jasmyn 2 ; Bryan, Hannah 1 ; Eppele, Kirsten 3 ; Farley, Kaitlyn 1
