Softball: No. 21 Ohio State sweeps Texas Invitational, improves to 11-1

Tayla Davis
Sun, 25 Feb 2018 22:53:55 +0000
News, Softball, Sports, Alex Vargas, Amy Baluch, Andi Farrah, Ashley Goodwin, Bailee Sturgeon, Becca Gavin, Bri Herschel, Buckeyes, Carley Gaskill, Claire Nicholson, Emily Clark, Kallie Boren, Katya Duvall, Kelly Kovach Schoenly, lilli piper, Longhorns, Maddie Marotti, Megan Choinacky, Megan McMenemy, MJ James, Morgan Ray, Niki Carver, ohio state, Ohio state buckeyes softball, Ohio State softball, Ohio State softball roster, Ohio State softball schedule, Ohio State softball score, Shelby McCombs [and 12 more]

Emily Clark follows through on her swing, hitting a double against Wright State on Sep.
24. Credit: Gretchen Rudolph | For The Lantern

The No. 21 Ohio State softball team (11-1) dominated this weekend at the Texas Invitational winning all three games, moving its win streak to six games.

The Buckeyes were originally set to play Virginia Tech at 10 a.m. Friday, but that game was cancelled due to weather.

Wichita State vs. Ohio State

Trailing by three halfway through the game and down a run with one out left, it looked as if Ohio State would open the weekend with a surprising defeat. However, junior shortstop Lilli Piper blasted a two-run shot over the fence in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off 4-3 victory.

Ohio State senior pitcher Shelby McComb’s two-run home run in the fourth brought the game to within one run after the Buckeyes had trailed by three.

The Shockers got on the board when freshman catcher Madison Perrigan scored on a passed ball in the top of the second.

They extended their lead in the top of the third, scoring twice thanks to a sacrifice fly to right field from shortstop Laurie Derrico and an RBI single up the middle from pitcher Caitlin Bingham.

It was Piper’s fourth home run this season and McCombs’ third. McCombs improved to 5-0 in the circle, pitching five innings, giving up one unearned run.

Ohio State vs. Texas

Ohio State had another comeback in the final inning, this time scoring four runs off a grand slam from junior second baseman Emily Clark in the top of the seventh to beat Texas 8-5 Saturday.

The Buckeyes kicked off the scoring early, taking an early 2-0 lead when senior first baseman Ashley Goodwin homered to drive in a pair.

It was quiet for a few innings until the top of the third, when Texas scored five times, with only one being earned due to four Ohio State errors in the inning. The inning was capped off by a RBI-infield single from freshman center fielder Tuesday DerMargosian, leaving the Buckeyes with substantial ground to gain in just four innings.

However, they responded with a homer from Piper in the top of the fifth inning that scored freshman left fielder Megan McMenemy and brought Ohio State to within one.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Buckeyes completed a second comeback in as many days, when junior second baseman Emily Clark took a full-count pitch and sent it soaring for a grand slam that brought in Piper, senior outfielder Bailee Sturgeon and senior catcher Becca Gavin for a decisive 8-5 lead.

Junior pitcher Morgan Ray allowed just one hit in the bottom of the seventh to close out the game and earn her sixth win of the season.

All eight runs on the board for the Buckeyes came from home runs.

Ohio State vs Wichita State

The third and final game of the weekend didn’t have as much drama as the first two, with the Buckeyes taking a first-inning lead and adding on the rest of the game.

Goodwin singled in the first inning to bring home Piper and give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead.

Piper scored again in the third inning on a wild pitch after she had tripled, but it was in the very next inning that the Buckeyes were on fire, recording seven runs in the fourth.

Ohio State broke away from the Shockers in the fourth inning, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs on six hits. McCombs delivered a two-RBI single to put the Buckeyes up 9-0, while reaching base twice in the inning.

Ohio State’s seven-run inning in its meeting with Wichita State was its largest outpouring of runs in a single inning this season.

The Buckeyes have a week off, and will be back in action on March 9 for the Louisville Slugger Invitational in Fullerton, California.