Ohio State Edges Pitt on Wednesday Night, 3-2

Wednesday, April 17

Columbus, Ohio

6:00 PM

Ohio State

24-17

Pittsburgh

13-28

Pittsburgh

Ohio State

Ohio State Edges Pitt on Wednesday Night, 3-2

4/17/2024 10:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Buckeyes score three times in the second inning, improve to 24-17 on the season

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team outlasted both the rain and the Pitt Panthers on Wednesday evening, earning a 3-2 victory at Buckeye Field in a game that was delayed nearly 90 minutes due to a line of thunderstorms that passed through central Ohio in the late afternoon.

The win improved Ohio State's overall record to 24-17. Pitt, meanwhile, falls to 13-28.

The Short Story
Ohio State scored three runs in the bottom of the second and it turned out that would be enough offense to carry the night, as the trio of Emily Ruck, Lexi Paulsen and Allison Smith kept Pitt off the scoreboard in six of the game's seven innings. Ruck went 4.1 innings and allowed four hits with two strikeouts while Paulsen came in during the middle innings and had 1.2 innings of work. Allison Smith retired the final three batters of the night to pick up her second save of the season.

How The Runs Were Scored

The Buckeyes were able to manufacture their three runs in the home half of the second inning while getting just one hit.
Ohio State was aided by four walks, two of which occurred with the bases loaded and allowed runs to score. The third run came in via a fielder's choice.
McKenzie Bump started out the inning with an infield single. The next three batters walked, including Hannah Church, who as a result drove in the game's first run. Kaitlyn Farley also picked up an RBI on a bases loaded walk.
The third and final run of the frame was scored when Tegan Cortelletti reached on a fielder's choice and Kirsten Eppele scored.
Pittsburgh scored two runs in the top of the fourth on a pair of RBI doubles. The Panthers would then leave runners on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Buckeye This and That

First pitch on Wednesday occurred at 7:26 p.m., which was 1:26 past the originally-scheduled time of 6 p.m. When the storms passed, however, fans were treated to a cool and comfortable night at Buckeye Field.
A host of four-legged friends were also in attendance, as the first-ever Bark at the Park at Buckeye Field took place.
Cortelletti's two hits raises her season batting average to a team-best .418. She's recorded at least one hit in 29 of the last 31 games.
Ohio State improved to 6-2 at home this season and in those games they've outscored their opponents 48-32.
After a 1-for-3 showing tonight, McKenzie Bump is batting .464 over the last 10 games with a .531 on-base percentage. That mark is topped only by Kirsten Eppele, who has a .500 average in the game 10-game stretch with five extra base hits and seven RBI.

What's Next
Ohio State will host its second Big Ten home series of the season this weekend when it welcomes Maryland to Buckeyes field for a three-game set Friday-Sunday. The series starts Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch. All of the games will be streamed live on BTN+.

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.