Ohio State Will Play in Knoxville Regional Final Tomorrow

Saturday, May 17

Knoxville, Tenn.

12:00 P.M.

Ohio State

44-13-1

Tennessee

42-14

Ohio State

Tennessee

Photo by: Tim Gangloff/Cal Sport Media

Ohio State Will Play in Knoxville Regional Final Tomorrow

5/17/2025 8:56:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Buckeyes split on Saturday; fall to Tennessee but top Miami (Ohio)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Ohio State softball team (45-13-1) stayed alive in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, rebounding from a 4-2 loss to seventh-seeded Tennessee to top Miami (Ohio) 11-1 in five innings at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville.

The win over the Redhawks advances Ohio State to Sunday's regional final where they will once against face Tennessee. The Buckeyes will need to beat the Lady Vols twice to advance to the Super Regional round next weekend. It will be the Buckeyes' first regional final appearance since 2018 when they did so at the Gainesville Regional on the campus of the University of Florida.

In Saturday's opening game, the Buckeyes cut a 4-0 deficit in half to 4-2 with a pair of runs in the sixth inning but could get no closer against Tennessee. Three hours later, however, the Buckeyes belted four home runs – two by Kami Kortokrax and once each from Reagan Milliken and Hadley Parisien – for their 24th run-rule win of the season.

Tennessee 4, Ohio State 2 – Recap and How The Runs Were Scored

After Ohio State was retired in order in the visitors half of the first inning, Tennessee manufactured a run with a lead off double, ground out that moved the runner to third and a sacrifice fly to right field.
Tennessee's second run of the game can when Gabby Leach singled up the middle and plated Laura Mealer, who had reached previously in the fourth inning on a walk. She advanced to second on a wild pitch and reached third via a ground out.
The Lady Vols made the score 4-0 in their favor in the bottom half of the fifth inning via a sac fly and one-out RBI single off the bat of Mealer.
The Buckeyes offense was able to plate two runs in the top of the fourth thanks a clutch piece of two-out hitting by Reagan Milliken, who worked deep into her at-bat and eventually delivered a single that scored two runs and cut the UT lead in half to 4-2.
Starting pitcher Kennedy Kay went the distance, tossing all seven innings while allowing four earned runs and eight hits. She limited the Lady Vols, though, to just one extra base hit. Tennessee was 4-of-18 with runners on (.222).

Ohio State 11, Miami 1 – Recap and How The Runs Were Scored

Kami Kortokrax hit Ohio State's seventh home run of the Knoxville Regional in the first inning of Saturday evening's game vs. Miami, as she connected on a three-run shot with nobody out.
The Buckeyes now have four players with 20 or more home runs this season.
Milliken connected on her second home run of regional weekend in the top of the third inning to extend the Ohio State lead to 4-0.
Miami plated an unearned run in the bottom of the third inning via a two-out single from Chloe Parks. Boutte and the Ohio State defense got out of the inning, however, with a pop up to shortstop.
The Buckeyes created even more separation in the top of the fourth inning when they scored five runs on five hits, highlighted by Kortokrax's second home run of the game and RBI doubles off the bats of Taylor Cruse and Hadley Parisien.
Parisien would add a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning. It was her 21st of the season as she finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs scored and four RBI.
Saturday night's game was Ohio State's 26th this season with three or more home runs. The Buckeyes have hit 10 this weekend at the Knoxville Regional.

What's Next
Ohio State and Tennessee meet tomorrow at 12 p.m. A TV designation will be announced following the conclusion of games on Saturday night. All of the NCAA Softball regional action is on the ESPN family of networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+.

If a second game is necessary, it will start approximately 35 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.