Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State baseball, softball have up-and-down starts their season

COLUMBUS — While everyone has been focused on Buckeyes football and basketball, several spring sports at Ohio State have started their season.

The Kirin Kumar era of Ohio State softball officially got started last weekend. The Buckeyes started the season 4-0 win wins over North Carolina Central, UNC Greensboro, Elon and UConn in opening weekend. Kumar’s squad faced a major step in competition in their second weekend, however.

The Buckeyes ventured down to Florida for the Clearwater Invitational. Ohio State faced No. 12 Florida State, No. 15 Missouri, No. 11 Alabama, Clemson and UCF over the course of the three-day event. They finished with a 1-3-1 record.

The highlight of the weekend was beating Missouri 7-2 on Friday night to give Kirin Kumar her first ranked win at Ohio State. Otherwise the Buckeyes lost to Florida State, 9-1, Alabama, 9-5, and Clemson, 11-13. Ohio State had taken a 5-4 lead over UCF before rain came into the Clearwater area in the top of the sixth. Because the inning wasn’t completed, the game reverted back to the end of the fourth inning and resulted in the 4-4 tie.

The Buckeyes, 5-3-1, continue their early-season road trip next weekend with five games scheduled in Evansville, Ind. Ohio State is slated to play Evansville twice, Central Michigan, Saint Louis and UT Martin.

Ohio State baseball drops season-opening series

As for Buckeyes baseball, the Justin Haire era got off to a slow start in opening weekend. Ohio State got swept in its season-opening series at Arizona State.

The Buckeyes fell to Arizona State, 9-8, in a back-and-forth game on Opening Day in Phoenix. Ohio State totaled 11 hits on Opening Day but it wasn’t enough to beat the Sun Devils. Blaine Wynk started on the mound. He gave up six runs on four hits in 3.0 innings pitched. He struck out two. Hunter Shaw took the loss. He fanned three and allowed three runs on three hits in 3.0 innings tossed.

In game two, Arizona State earned the 7-6 walk-off win over the Buckeyes after a two-RBI double with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Chase Herrell fanned four and allowed four runs on six hits in a 6.0-inning no-decision.

Ohio State fell to the Sun Devils in high-scoring series finale on Sunday. The Buckeyes used 11 pitchers in the series finale and surrendered 17 runs to Arizona State while only scoring 10 of their own.

The Buckeyes, 0-3, head to the Jax College Baseball Classic next weekend. Ohio State will face NC State on Friday, Feb. 21, Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 22, and Alabama on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Counting down

Ohio State vs. Texas: 194 days away
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 285 days away

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