Ohio State Splits in Home and Conference Opener

Friday, March 6

Columbus, Ohio

4:30 p.m.

Ohio State

7-11, 1-0

Iowa

13-7, 0-1

Iowa

Ohio State

Ohio State Splits in Home and Conference Opener

3/6/2026 9:15:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The series rubber match will be played Sunday at 11 a.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State softball (7-12) split its double header with Iowa (14-7), taking the first game 5-2 and dropping the second 9-1.

Hailey Lang led at the plate for the Buckeyes, going 2-3 on the day with two home runs in the first game. Kiki Estrada would also homer. Six Buckeyes collected hits in the win, with Reagan Milliken making her season debut at 2-3. Milliken, Hadley Parisien, and Lang each had multiple hits. Jenna Molk earned her fourth win of the season in the contest. Parisien, Taylor Cruse, and Sara Tarr each recorded hits in the second matchup as well.

How it Happened Game 1, Ohio State 5, Iowa 2

Kiki Estrada put Ohio State in front two during the first inning via a towering shot to right field that scored Taylor Cruse.
Hailey Lang followed up with a two-run shot of her own in the second inning, doubling the Ohio State lead.
Lang hit her second bomb of the game, a solo home run to left to give Ohio State a 5-0 lead.
Iowa would tack on two runs on a Tory Bennett sac fly and a Devin Simon RBI single in the seventh, but a Lorin Boutte strikeout shut the door on the game.
Jenna Molk got the start and the win, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out four. She was relieved by Boutte, who threw two innings with two strikeouts.
Serayah Neiss (7-2) got the start and the loss for Iowa.

How it Happened Game 2, Ohio State 1, Iowa 9

Ohio State opened scoring again in the second, when a Hadley Parisien RBI single brought in Hailey Lang.
Iowa tied it in the third with a solo home run off the bat of Avery Jackson. They preceded to add five more runs on two errors, run scoring hits by McKenzie Leitgen and Kiyah Chavez, and a Brianna Johnson sac fly to lead 7-1 at the end of the third.
Johnson homered in the 5^th, scoring Chavez to put the Hawkeyes up by their winning mark of 9-1.
Jenna Molk (4-7) got the start and the loss, going 2.1 innings and allowing three earned runs. Lorin Boutte would go two innings, allowing two earned runs, and Lexi Paulsen would make her season debut with .2 an inning pitched and one strikeout.
Avery Sapp (3-2) got the nod and the win for the Hawkeyes.

Looking Ahead
Ohio State will wrap up its series with Iowa on Sunday at 11 a.m. Fans can take part in a team poster giveaway, while supplies last. Sunday will also be the first of five Sunday Fundays at Buckeye Field, featuring inflatables, free popcorn for youth (while supplies last), and other activities for kids. Streaming will be available via B1G+ with links to tickets, streaming, and live stats available on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. In-game updates will also be available on the official Ohio State Softball X account, @OhioStateSB.