Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State softball goes 4-0 on the weekend, baseball finishes 1-2 with a ranked win

COLUMBUS – The Buckeyes baseball and softball teams were back in action over the weekend. Matter of fact, both programs were in the state of Florida to play some stout competition.

Ohio State softball had another 4-0 weekend. The Buckeyes had a 17-hit, 15-run offensive attack in Friday’s opening game that was highlighted by a school-record seven home runs. They cruised to a 15-0 win over Cornell in five innings.

The Buckeyes then beat Siena 6-4 in the second game of the day. Ohio State scored four times in the bottom of the first inning – keyed by a two-run home run by catcher Jasmyn Burns – and built a 5-0 lead after three innings. Freshman pitcher Layna Gerhard got the start in the circle and struck out a career-high 13 batters. The Buckeyes held off a late game rally from Siena to finish Friday 2-0.

On Saturday, Ohio State used solo home runs off the bat of Kami Kortokrax, Jasmyn Burns and Kaitlyn Farley to build a 5-0 lead over North Florida after three innings. From there, pitcher Kennedy Kay pitched a complete game while striking out three and scattering five hits to lead the Buckeyes to a 6-1 win in the first game of the day.

The Buckeyes then beat UCF 7-3 in their final game of the weekend. Infielder Reagan Milliken was the stars of the night at UCF, going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three-run bases loaded double. Freshman pitcher Lorin Boutte came on in relief and pitched scoreless six innings with seven strikeouts. She picked up her fifth win of the season.

Kirin Kumar’s squad is now 9-3-1 on the season. Ohio State will return to action next weekend, Friday through Sunday, when it competes in the Bulldog Classic on the campus on the University of Georgia.

Buckeyes baseball shows fight but finishes 1-2 in Jacksonville

It was a good start to the weekend for the Ohio State baseball program. The Buckeyes beat No. 12 NC State for first win of Justin Haire era on Friday.

After a scoreless first inning, a throwing error from NC State sent two runs home for the Buckeyes to give them a 2-0 lead and a sacrifice bunt from first baseman Will Carpenter scored catcher Mason Eckelman to give Ohio State a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the third inning, NC State tied the score at 3-3. Then in the fifth inning second baseman Lee Ellis stepped up to the plate and he went yard to put the Buckeyes back in the lead, 5-3. Ohio State add two mores runs in the sixth and another in the ninth to earn a 8-3 win over the 12th-ranked Wolfpack.

On Saturday, the Buckeyes fell to Coastal Carolina in extra innings. Pitcher Chase Herrell was dealing for the Buckeyes in a six inning no-decision but it still wasn’t enough to get the win. After coming back to tie the game in the ninth inning, Ohio State fell to the Chanticleers, 10-8, in 11 innings.

Ohio State then suffered a heart-breaking loss on Sunday. The Buckeyes built a commanding 10-0 led through the first fourth innings but it still wasn’t enough to hold off the Crimson Tide. Ohio State was defeated by Alabama 12-10 on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

The Buckeyes will be a part of the College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field next weekend, playing games against Auburn, Baylor and Oregon State.

Counting down

Ohio State vs. Texas: 187 days away
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 278 days away

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