Members of the Ohio State softball team huddle during the Ohio State-Michigan game on April 9. Ohio State lost 7-0. Credit: Christian Harsa | Asst. Photo Editor
Ohio State softball head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said before the weekend that she expected Indiana senior right-handed pitcher Emily Goodin to be the Hoosiers’ workhorse — and that was the case as the righty tossed three complete-game victories.
The Buckeyes (14-13) dropped three games at Indiana (14-14) as Goodin held them to just two runs across 21 1/3 innings pitched.
Ten runners were left on base in the series-opener in which Ohio State scored its only run Friday when sophomore second baseman Mariah Rodriguez stole home. Five Hoosiers hits in the final two innings helped Indiana win 4-1.
Goodin trotted back out to the circle to start the second game of the series, and limited the Buckeyes to just two hits in a five-inning, 8-0 win.
Ohio State’s offense opened up early at its first chance against a Hoosiers pitcher not named Goodin, scoring four runs in the first inning of Game 2. However, Indiana came back from down 8-2 to send the ballgame to extra innings, but sophomore designated player Taylor Pack hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth frame that keyed a 10-9 win.
The Buckeyes were shutout Sunday despite sending the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh inning, but Goodin forced back-to-back strikeouts to win the series and the game 3-0.
Senior third baseman Niki Carver collected two hits over the weekend, pushing her across the 100-career hits threshold during Game 1 Saturday.
Game 1
Milestones were abound this weekend as Goodin became the sixth Hoosiers pitcher to record 500 strikeouts with her fourth punch out of the game in the top of the third inning. Even more, Goodin went the distance for the seventh time this season and finished with eight strikeouts while allowing seven hits.
The lone blemish on Goodin’s stat line was the run charged against her when sophomore second baseman Mariah Rodriguez stole home in the top of the fourth frame. Rodriguez led off the inning with a single and was pushed to third following a walk and fielder’s choice.
Then, the quick-footed Rodriguez crept her way down the third-base line and raced home when Hoosiers senior catcher Bella Norton threw down to third base. The California native finished 3-for-3 while junior third baseman Ashley Prange also had a multi-hit contest.
Senior right-hander Payton Buresch started in the circle, but lasted one inning after allowing an unearned run and two hits. Freshman righty Allison Smith took over the rest of the way, collecting six strikeouts while scattering five hits.
Indiana senior third baseman Grayson Radcliffe reached base three times and hit the go-ahead single in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Game 2
Goodin followed her Friday gem with another masterpiece in the first contest of Saturday’s doubleheader, twirling a complete-game, two-hit shutout with five strikeouts. The right-hander didn’t issue a walk, and the Buckeyes had just two baserunners in the five-inning ballgame.
After throwing just one inning the day prior, Buresch tossed four innings in her start in Game 1 Saturday. Buresch picked up a pair of strikeouts in the first frame, then allowed an RBI single and two-run double as the Hoosiers jumped out to a three-run lead after two.
Two innings later, senior left fielder Gabbi Jenkins roped an RBI double to right-center field as five Indiana hitters reached until Radcliffe was thrown out at home during freshman catcher Grace Lorsung’s RBI single.
Senior right-handed pitcher Skylar Hayward relieved Buresch after a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Hayward walked two of the first three hitters she faced, then allowed back-to-back run-scoring singles to senior center fielder Taylor Lambert and Jenkins, the latter of whom drove in two runs to seal the win.
Carver and Pack each had a hit for Ohio State.
Game 3
For the first time to this point in the series, Ohio State didn’t face Goodin in the circle at the beginning of the game, and it jumped all over Indiana freshman right-hander Amber Linton for four runs in the first inning.
Back-to-back leadoff singles paved the way for sophomore left fielder Tegan Cortelletti to drive in the first run on an RBI single, then Carver cleared the bases with a three-run triple, her second of the season.
Ohio State took an 8-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth, then the Hoosiers out-scored the Buckeyes 7-1 over the next two innings to tie and create a brand-new ballgame entering the top of the seventh.
Indiana had turned the ball over to Goodin with two outs in the sixth inning, and she retired the next four Buckeyes as they continued to have trouble solving the senior hurler.
Buresch, who relieved Smith after the game-tying three-run home run by Lorsung in the bottom of the sixth, allowed a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning and caught a comebacker one batter later, firing back to second to double-up the Hoosiers and send the game to extra innings.
Junior center fielder Meggie Otte connected on a two-out single and Rodriguez walked, then Pack drove in Otte with a single to give the Buckeyes a 10-9 lead. Buresch allowed two singles, then loaded the bases with two outs, but got senior first baseman Annika Baez to strike out swinging to end the game.
The Buckeyes pounded four home runs in the game for just the ninth time in program history, and sophomore catcher Sam Hackenbracht had two of them. Prange and Otte added solo shots.
Hackenbracht, Otte, Pack and Rodriguez all had multi-hit games while Carver drove in three runs.
Lambert, Lorsung and Radcliffe had home runs for the Hoosiers, and Jenkins pounded three hits as the two teams combined for 25 hits and 19 runs.
Game 4
In Game 4, the Buckeyes were faced with Goodin yet again in the circle.
The right-hander didn’t let up on any of the momentum she generated over the series, and Goodin threw her second complete-game of the weekend, this time a 3-0 shutout with six strikeouts and one walk.
It didn’t come particularly easy, however, as the Buckeyes had a runner reach base in all but one inning Sunday. Prange hit a one-out double and Cortelletti followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Carver grounded the ball to shortstop, where freshman Brooke Benson fired the ball back to the plate and prevented Prange from scoring by just a step.
Ohio State sent the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning after graduate shortstop Carley Gaskill and Otte hit back-to-back one-out singles. Goodin took a breath in the circle, then reared back two strikeouts of Rodriguez and Pack to end the game.
Indiana used two hits in the bottom of the third to propel its first two runs as Radcliffe hit a sacrifice fly and Norton, this time pinch-hitting, hit a single through the hole in the right side of the field.
Hoosiers all-time stolen base leader Jenkins reached base in all four trips to the plate, going 3-for-3 with two more swiped bags.
Ohio State returns home next weekend when it hosts Rutgers for four games beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
