Buckeyes Split on Friday In Clearwater, Knock Off No. 16 Missouri

Friday, February 14

Clearwater, Fla.

2:00 P.M.

Ohio State

4-1

Florida State

6-1

Ohio State

Florida State

Buckeyes Split on Friday In Clearwater, Knock Off No. 16 Missouri

2/14/2025 10:28:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Kennedy Kay tosses a complete game in the win over the Tigers

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team split its two games to open play at the Clearwater Invitational, falling to No. 9 Florida State, 9-1, before rebounding to pick up a 7-2 victory over No. 16 Missouri in the nightcap. The Buckeyes are now 5-1 on the season and return to action tomorrow when they face No. 12 Alabama at 10 a.m. (ESPN+).

The Short Story
The Buckeyes put their loss to the Seminoles behind them quickly by using a six-run fourth inning to surge past Missouri. Trailing 2-1, the Buckeyes got a two-run triple off the bat of Sami Bewick, as well as run-scoring singles from Lottie Landmesser, Cadyn Ruffer and Kami Kortokrax to grab the lead.

That offense would be enough for starting pitcher Kennedy Kay, whose line of the night included seven innings, four strikeouts and just five hits allowed. Kay, who threw a career-high 129 pitches, was helped by the defense behind her, as first baseman Reagan Milliken and centerfielder Skylar Limon each made highlight-worthy plays to record outs.

At the plate, Kortokrax, Farley and Bewick each had two hits as Ohio State's 11-hit attack came from eight different players. Hadley Parisien, Jasmyn Burns and Bewick all had extra base hits.

In the first game of the day, Florida State scored three times in the first inning and six times in the second to open up a big early lead. Ohio State was first on the scoreboard, however, as Milliken's two-out single to center field scored Parisien, who singled to lead off the game.

Buckeye That and That

Kortokrax and Bewick each had three hits on the day. Bewick hit .600 and drove in two runs, as did Kortokrax, who went 3-for-7.
Kortokrax is also approaching 100 career RBI. Her two today give her 97 for her career.
Kay's complete game was the first of her career. She improved to 2-0 on the year and lowered her ERA to 3.60 in 11.2 total innings.
Friday night's matchup vs. Missouri was Ohio State's first meeting against the Tigers in eight years, since a 5-4 win in 2017 in Tampa, Fla.
With a fourth-inning double, Burns now has at least one hit in five of Ohio State's first six games. She's batting .579 with a double and two home runs.

What's Next
Tomorrow's game against Alabama will begin at 10 a.m. and be streamed live on ESPN+. The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide have not played since 2006. Alabama (4-3) lost on Friday to San Diego State, 4-3, and Liberty, 7-6.