Smith and Eppele Lift Buckeyes to Series Win at Michigan

Sunday, May 5

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Ohio State

31-19, 12-11

Michigan

38-16, 19-5

Ohio State

Michigan

Smith and Eppele Lift Buckeyes to Series Win at Michigan

5/5/2024 4:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Allison Smith tosses a complete game two-hitter, Eppele hits two solo home runs

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Not all series wins are created equal. That's why Ohio State's 2-1 victory on Sunday took on added significance. Not only did it clinch a series win over the Wolverines for the second consecutive year, it also came as the result of timely hitting and a clutch effort in the circle from senior Allison Smith.

Smith tossed a complete game and got a game-ending strikeout with two Wolverines in scoring position to back up a two-home run game by Kirsten Eppele, who had a total of three long balls on the weekend also with five RBI.

The Buckeyes conclude the regular season with a 31-19 record and were 12-11 in the Big Ten. Michigan is 38-16 overall and 18-5 in conference play. The Wolverines entered the day with a chance to win the Big Ten regular season title, but Ohio State's win eliminated that possibility as Northwestern will claim the championship.

The Short Story
Eppele hit solo home runs in the second and fourth innings and Michigan was limited to just two hits on the day by Smith, who did not walk a batter and struck out five. She improved to 18-9 on the season and lowered her ERA to 2.42.

Michigan had runners on base in the sixth innings (via an error) and seventh (a hit by pitch and double). But with runners on second and third base with one out in the seventh, Ohio State successfully challenged a safe/out call at first base for the second out of the inning and then Smith got freshman Ava Costales swinging on a 1-2 pitch to end the game.

How The Runs Were Scored

The first hit on Sunday's game went a long way, as Kirsten Eppele's solo home run with two outs in the top of the second inning gave Ohio State an early 1-0 lead.
The blast was Eppele's second homer of the weekend and her 10th of the season. In Saturday's game, she connected on a three-run home run to give the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead.
It didn't take Eppele long to get her 11th homer of the season, as her solo shot in the top of the fourth inning put Ohio State ahead 2-0.
Michigan could answer with a solo home run from Ellie Sieler on the first pitch in the bottom half of the inning. It was the Wolverines' first hit of the game. They would only have one more for the rest of the afternoon – a one-out double off the left field wall in the seventh inning.

Buckeye This and That

Ohio State enters next week's Big Ten Tournament as the conference's hottest team. The Buckeyes have won 11 of their last 13 games and are 10-2 in that span against Big Ten opponents.
The Buckeyes will finish the regular season 3-3 against the teams that finished first and second in the Big Ten regular season standings (Northwestern and Michigan, respectively).
Over the final two games of the series, pitchers Lexi Paulsen and Allison Smith held Michigan to just five hits in 14.0 innings, a .102 batting average against and 0.50 earned run average. They both pitched complete games.
Eppele hit .375 on the weekend with three home runs, five RBI and a 1.500 slugging percentage. She homered in three of her final four at-bats of the weekend.
Eppele and Kortokrax finished tied for first on the team in Big Ten games with 20 RBI. A total of four players had 15 or more RBI in conference play.
The Buckeyes have eclipsed the 30-win mark for the 10th consecutive full season (2020 and 2021 excluded) under head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly.
Smith's 18 wins this season are a career high for her. In her last four starts, she's gone 22.2 innings and given up just seven earned runs.
The Buckeyes handed Michigan their only two losses at Alumni Field this season. The Wolverines were 13-0 at home entering the weekend.

What's Next
With the regular season completed, Ohio State now turns it attention to the Big Ten Tournament, which gets underway at the University of Iowa on Wednesday. The official seedings and pairings will be announced by the Big Ten Conference later tonight.

The entire tournament will be broadcast live on BTN. A link to live stats will be posted on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. For in-game updates and more news and information, follow the Buckeyes on X at @OhioStateSB.