Buckeyes Drop Big Ten Opener to No. 21 Nebraska, 9-5

Friday, March 14

Columbus, Ohio

6:00 P.M.

Ohio State

18-6-1, 0

Nebraska

20-6, 0

Nebraska

Ohio State

Buckeyes Drop Big Ten Opener to No. 21 Nebraska, 9-5

3/14/2025 9:08:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Ohio State and Nebraska play again tomorrow at noon

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State began the Big Ten portion of its 2025 schedule on Friday night in front of another sellout crowd at Buckeye Field. The Buckeyes fell to No. 21 Nebraska, 9-5, despite bringing the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Ohio State is now 18-6-1 on the season while Nebraska improves to 20-6. The Buckeyes and Cornhuskers continue their series tomorrow. Due to expected weather, the start time of the game has been moved up to noon.

How It Happened

The Buckeyes struck first, when an RBI ground out off the bat of Jasmyn Burns scored Hadley Parisien, who hit a leadoff double and then took third on a passed ball. It was Burns 28th RBI on the season.
The score was evened in the top of the third with a solo home run off the bat of Nebraska pitcher Jordy Bahl.
The Ohio State offense wasted no time in responding. In the bottom of the 3rd an RBI double courtesy of Kami Kortokrax scored Hadley Parisien and put the Buckeyes back in front. Burns' second RBI of the game came as a single that scored Kortokrax to increase the Ohio State lead, 3-1.
The lead was short-lived, as home runs from Nebraska's Hannah Camensind and Ava Bredwell in the top of the 4th put Nebraska ahead, 4-3.
In the top of the 5th, Camenzind recorded her second and third RBI of the game with a double that increased the Cornhusker lead, 6-3.
Nebraska scored thrice more in the top of the 7th with a bunt single from Bella Bacon and a two-run RBI double from Lauren Camenzind to put them in front by six.
The Buckeyes would not go quietly to end the game. With the bases loaded and no outs, Kami Kortokrax scored Taylor Cruse on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Reagan Milliken walked to reload the bases and thus sent pinch-hitting freshman Tanaya Barrett to the plate. Barrett took Bahl's first pitch to send a single through the infield, scoring Hadley Parisien. Unfortunately, Nebraska would record the game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded an at-bat later.

Buckeye This and That

Despite the loss, the Buckeyes did threaten often, stranding seven runners in the last three innings.
Hadley Parisien recorded a banner-day against the All-American Jordy Bahl, recording three hits and a walk, which allowed her to reach base in every at-bat of the game.
Lorin Boutté got the start and the loss for the Buckeyes, where she went 3.1 innings and allowed four runs. Her record is now 9-4 on the year. Boutté was relieved in the fifth by Kennedy Kay, who in her own 3.1 innings largely kept Nebraska at bay until the 7th inning. She was ultimately relieved by Kassandra Gewecke, who recorded the last two outs of the seventh inning.
This weekend's series vs. Nebraska features two of the Big Ten's best offenses. Entering play on Friday, the Buckeyes and Cornhuskers were ranked first and second, respectively, in slugging percentage. Nebraska leads the league with 53 home runs while Ohio State is second with 48.
Friday's match-up in the circle included two of the top 10 pitchers in the Big Ten in strikeouts thus far. Bahl entered tonight's game with 95 Ks in 77.2 innings – good for second-best in the conference – while Boutte was tied for eighth with 66 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.
A week after playing its earliest-ever home opener, this weekend marks the earliest that the Buckeyes have ever opened conference play. Previously, the easiest conference home opener occurred on March 20, 2015.

What's Next
Ohio State's series with Nebraska continues tomorrow with a noon game at Buckeye Field tomorrow afternoon. The contest will be streamed live on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats will also available on the softball schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

For those interested in purchasing single-game tickets, CLICK HERE. Prices for non-premier games range from $5-$9 before fees. Premier pricing will be in place for a select number of home games this season. 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 serve basis. Children under two years old and younger will be admitted free but must sit on an adult's lap.