Buckeyes Start West Coast Trip with 8-0 Win over Long Beach State

Wednesday, April 2

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 P.M. EST / 4:00 P.M. PST

Ohio State

30-7-1

Long Beach State

18-13

Ohio State

Long Beach State

Buckeyes Start West Coast Trip with 8-0 Win over Long Beach State

4/2/2025 9:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Ohio State scores four runs in the second and fourth innings to pull away

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 22nd-ranked Ohio State softball team got back into the win column on Wednesday evening as it began its three-game west coast road trip with an 8-0 five-inning victory over Long Beach State.

The win was powered by a four-run second inning and back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning. Jasmyn Burns went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run and three RBI while Kami Kortokrax got the big fourth inning started with a solo home run of her own. In the circle, freshman Layna Gerhard improved to 5-0 on the season as she scattered five hits over five innings. She was helped out by a defense behind her that turned two double plays.

The victory was Ohio State's 30th of the season and its 25th in the last 29 games. The Buckeyes (30-7-1, 6-2 Big Ten) will now make a trip north to Los Angeles for a meeting with ninth-ranked UCLA this weekend. The two-game series begins on Friday night.

How The Runs Were Scored

After a scoreless first inning that saw both teams strand two runners, Ohio State put four on the scoreboard in the top of the second via back-to-back bases loaded walks and a two-run RBI single off the bat of Jasmyn Burns. Each of the four runs scored in the top of the second inning came with two outs.
Both teams had quiet third and fourth innings, but the Ohio State bats were awoken in a big way to start the fifth inning. Kortokrax and Burns hit back-to-back home runs – the team's 90th and 91st of the season – to increase Ohio State's lead to 6-0. It was the 12th home run of the season for Kortokrax and the 15th for Burns.
Later in the inning, Skylar Limon added a two-out RBI single that scored Morgan Frye to push the Ohio State advantage to 7-0. Frye reached one batter earlier on a single to center field.
A throwing error plated Ohio State's fourth run of the inning and eighth of the game.

Buckeye This and That

The win on Wednesday night was Ohio State's 15th this season via the run rule.
The second-inning RBI were the 49th and 50th of the season for Burns. She joins Reagan Milliken with 50 or more RBI on the season for the scarlet and gray. The last time Ohio State had two or more players with 50+ RBI in a season was 2015.
Additionally, the hit that scored those two runs by Burns was the 100th of her career. She reached the milestone in just 89 career games.
Ohio State entered today as the nation's leader with 173 extra base hits and added two to that total on Tuesday night. The Buckeyes have 33 more extra base hits than any other team in the country. Its opponent this weekend – UCLA – is second with 140 such hits.
Bewick, Kortokrax and Frye all extended long streaks of reaching base. Bewick's streak is at a team-high 35 games while Kortokrax (21) and Frye (20) aren't far behind.
Both Frye (.577) and Kortokrax (.500) are hitting .500 or better over the last 10 games. Gerhard has been equally as effective in the circle with a 0.79 ERA in 17.2 innings over her last six appearances.

What's Next
The Buckeyes and Bruins meet for the first time as conference foes on Friday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) at Easton Stadium on the campus of UCLA. The second game of the series is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Both contests will be streamed live on B1G.

This weekend's matchup at UCLA will feature two of the best offensive teams in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes rank first in home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage and doubles. UCLA, meanwhile, is third, second, fifth and second in those categories, respectively. Individually, the series will feature the top four RBI producers in the Big Ten: Ohio State's Reagan Milliken (55) and Jasmyn Burns (48) along with UCLA's Jordan Woolery (57) and Megan Grant (50). Wooley and Burns are No. 1 and No. 2 nationally, respectively, in extra base hits.