Softball: Ohio State splits four games at Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

Kevin Harrish
Wed, 01 Mar 2017 03:05:49 +0000
Softball, Sports, Anna Kirk, Emily Clark, Ohio State softball, taylor white

OSU then-sophomore Taylor White (21) during a game against Penn State on April 6 at Buckeye Field. Credit: Lantern file photo

The Ohio State softball team split a four-game weekend (7-5) at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California, winning games against St. John’s and LIU Brooklyn, but falling to No. 7 Washington and No. 21 California.

The Buckeyes opened the weekend with a Friday matchup against No. 7 Washington and fell 11-4, despite keeping the score close for most of the game. The Huskies took the first lead, scoring one run in the top of the third, but OSU bounced back immediately as sophomore second baseman Emily Clark hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the third to give the Buckeyes a 3-1 lead. Washington scored twice in the fifth inning to knot it up at three. The Huskies took over in the seventh, scoring seven runs. The Buckeyes were only able to counter with a home run from senior third baseman Anna Kirk in the bottom of the inning.

OSU responded from the loss with two wins on Saturday.

The Buckeyes topped St. John’s 3-1, thanks to a career-high eight strikeouts from senior pitcher Lena Springer, as well as two home runs from junior center fielder Taylor White and one from sophomore shortstop Lilli Piper. In the second game of the Saturday double-header, OSU downed LIU Brooklyn 5-0, thanks to a complete-game shutout from senior pitcher Shelby Hursh and RBIs from Piper, Clark and junior first baseman Ashley Goodwin.

On Sunday, the Buckeyes lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to No. 21 California on a walk-off hit. OSU got on the board first in the top of the third from an RBI single from Piper, but California responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Buckeyes retook the lead 4-2, in the fifth, thanks to a two-run home run from Piper and an RBI from Goodwin. The Golden Bears tied the game in the bottom of the fifth and won the game in the seventh, with a walk-off single from senior outfielder Khala Taylor.
The Buckeyes head to Orlando, Florida, this weekend for the four-game Central Florida Tournament where they’ll face Georgia, Central Florida, Delaware State and Mercer.