Home Runs Power Ohio State to NCAA Tournament Win

Friday, May 16

Knoxville, Tenn.

4 p.m.

Ohio State

44-12-1

North Carolina

40-16

UNC

Ohio State

Home Runs Power Ohio State to NCAA Tournament Win

5/16/2025 9:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Buckeyes hit six homers in 9-6 win over North Carolina

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The nation's top power-hitting offense took its show to the NCAA Tournament stage on Friday, as Ohio State hit six home runs en route to a 9-6 win over North Carolina in its opening game at the Knoxville Regional.

The Buckeyes now have a date tomorrow against No. 7-ranked Tennessee at noon. The winner of the game between Ohio State and UT will be off until Sunday morning while the loser will play an elimination game at 5 p.m.

The Buckeyes' home run prowess came from five different players on Friday afternoon: Morgan Frye, Hadley Parisien, Reagan Milliken, Taylor Cruse and Jasmyn Burns, who left the yard twice. Ohio State upped its nation's-leading home run total to 143 on the season. Ohio State also tied the NCAA Tourmament single-game record for home runs. The last - and only other - team to hit six in a tournament game was Tennessee in a 12-0 win over Virginia Tech on May 17, 2014.

How The Runs Were Scored

North Carolina was able to build a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a two-out double with the bases loaded from Kiannah Pierce. It was part of a three-hit inning for the Tar Heels but the frame ended with a strikeout.
Ohio State began to chip away at the UNC lead in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a solo home run from Reagan Milliken. It was her 19th of the season and also her team-leading 72nd RBI.
A good piece of two-out hitting by Kaitlyn Farley brought in Ohio State's second run of the game, as she singled home Kortokrax, who had reached earlier in the inning on the fielder's choice.
The Buckeyes' second home run of the game late in the fourth inning tied the game at 3-all, as Taylor Cruse connected on a solo shot to right centerfield. It was her 16th homer of the season and 53rd RBI.
North Carolina and Ohio State would trade home runs in the fifth inning, as Sanaa Thompson put UNC back ahead 4-3 on a solo shot in the top half of the inning, but Burns would responded with her 24th of the season to knot the game up at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth.
The Buckeyes' late-inning home run barrage started with a towering three-run shot from Morgan Frye in the bottom of the fifth inning that clocked in at 80 miles an hour off her bat and traveled 275 feet.
In the bottom of the next inning, Parisien and Burns went back to back with solo homers to increase the Ohio State lead to 9-4. North Carolina would score on a two-run home run with two outs in the seventh inning for the final scoring of the afternoon.

Buckeye This and That

Freshman pitcher Lorin Boutte picked up her 20th win of the season. She gave up just three runs in the final six innings of work and struck out four batters.
UNC's Kat Rodriguez, the nation's leader in RBI coming into the game with 83, was held hitless.
Eight different players had a hit for Ohio State. Burns and Millien each had two while Cruse, Frye, Farley, Bewick, Limon and Parisien had one.