Buckeyes Split Games on Final Day of Bevo Classic

Sunday, February 15

Austin, Texas

8:30 a.m. CT // 9:30 a.m. ET

Ohio State

5-3

Syracuse

4-4

Ohio State

Syracuse

Buckeyes Split Games on Final Day of Bevo Classic

2/15/2026 2:40:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Ohio State tops Syracuse, 9-0, falls to No. 2 Texas, 7-4

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (5-4) concluded play at the Bevo Classic on Sunday at the University of Texas, splitting its two games against Syracuse and the host Longhorns. The Buckeyes downed Syracuse, 9-0, in six innings and then lost a hard-fought 7-4 decision to Texas. The Buckeyes concluded their weekend in Austin with a 3-2 overall record with wins over Northern Illinois, Abilene Christian and Syracuse.

The Short Story
Pitcher Kennedy Kay tossed a six-inning shutout to open the day against Syracuse and was backed by home runs off the bat of Abbie Wilhelm and Hailey Lang in Ohio State's second run-rule win in as many days.

Immediately after beating Syracuse, the Buckeyes battled No. 2 Texas down to the end, getting the go-ahead run on base in the seventh inning before eventually falling, 7-4, to the host Longhorns. Wilhelm and Lottie Landmesser both homered for an offense that also had four walks and two hit by pitches.

How It Happened – Ohio State 9, Syracuse 0 (6 innings)

After two scoreless innings to start the day, Abbie Wilhelm got Ohio State on the board first with her third home run of the weekend – this one coming via a grand slam – that propelled the Buckeyes to a 4-0 advantage.
The big inning was aided by back-to-back walks from Kailea Rick and Izzy Neal, followed by a bunt single from Taylor Cruse to load the bases.
With Kay holding down the Orange in the circle, Ohio State's offense gave her and the defense three more runs in the top of the fifth inning.
It came via a Hailey Lang two-run home run and a two-out RBI double off the bat of Skylar Limon.
Wilhelm added her fifth RBI of the morning in the top of the sixth inning when she tripled down the left field line and scored Cruse, who reached base with two outs thanks to a Syracuse error.
The next batter, who was Lang, brought Wilhem home via a double to left field.
Lang and Wilhelm combined to drive in eight of Ohio State's nine runs, going 4-for-8 with all four of their hits going for extra bases.
Kay's line included six scoreless innings in the circle with a season-high seven strikeouts and just three walks. She improved to 2-2 on the season.

How It Happened – Texas 7, Ohio State 4

Texas was able to push across four runs in the home half of the first inning despite getting just one of its three hits out of the infield.
The Longhorns capitalized on two walks, a hit batter and infield singles to third base and shortstop that scored three of their four runs. The fourth run was scored on a bases loaded hit by pitch.
Molk retired eight consecutive Longhorns after the first inning, but UT was able to increase its lead to 5-0 in the top of the fourth on a two-out solo home run by Hannah Wells.
Lottie Landmesser put Ohio State on the scoreboard in emphatic fashion in the top of the fifth, blasting her first career home run over the right center field fence on a 1-1 pitch.
Texas would tack on two runs in the home half of the fifth to up its advantage to 7-1. The Longhorns scored on an RBI ground out and infield single.
Wilhelm answered for Ohio State in the top of the sixth with her fourth home run of the weekend, a solo shot that made the score 7-2 in favor of Texas. It was her team-leading fifth round-tripper of the season.
The Buckeyes refused to go quietly, and in the top half of the seventh inning scored twice and brought the go-ahead run to the plate during their rally. Ohio State batters worked two walks and were hit by two pitches. Trailing 7-4, the Buckeyes had the bases loaded but couldn't push across any more runs.

The Weekend That Was

Wilhelm's big day on Sunday upped her average to .500 for the weekend with four home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.389 slugging percentage. Seven of the nine hits that she recorded went for extra bases.
Wilhelm, Lang and Limon all hit over .500 this weekend. Limon drove in six runs while Lang added a .632 on-base percentage, aided by four walks in five games.
The Buckeyes hit 13 home runs but also had 10 doubles. They averaged 9.2 runs scored per game.
Molk and Kay combined to pitch 24.0 of the 28.2 innings this weekend. Collectively, they had 18 strikeouts.

What's Next
Ohio State heads to the Mizuno Classic next weekend on the campus of the University of Virginia. There, the Buckeyes will take on Delaware and Virginia twice while also facing Liberty.