Softball: Ohio State wins fourth straight with 2-0 victory against Rutgers

Weiyu Tong
Sat, 06 Apr 2019 04:17:15 +0000
News, Softball, Sports, Alex Vargas, Amy Balich, 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, Maddie Marotti, Megan Choinacky, Megan McMenemy, MJ James, Morgan Ray, Niki Carver, ohio state, Ohio state buckeyes softball, Ohio State Rutgers, Ohio State softball, Ohio State softball roster, Ohio State softball Rutgers, Ohio State softball schedule, Ohio State softball score [and 10 more]

The Buckeyes give a shout out to the crowd after they defeated Indiana 2-0 on March 24. Credit: Gretchen Rudolph | For The Lantern

Coming off a series win against Maryland and a road win against Pittsburgh, Ohio State (22-10, 6-1 Big Ten) continued its winning ways Friday, beginning a three-game home series against Rutgers (16-19, 0-7 Big Ten) with a 2-0 victory.

Ohio State sophomore pitcher Lauren Rice earned her 13th win of the season, pitching 5.2 innings of scoreless softball, allowing four hits and two walks. Senior Morgan Ray finished the final 1.1 innings without allowing a hit, earning her second save of the season.

With five hits heading into the fifth inning, Ohio State added a run to the scoreboard. Until the Senior left fielder Bri Betschel singled through the right side, scoring freshman center fielder Meg Otte scored for the first run of the game.

Ohio State head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly was impressed with the performance of Otte, who recorded two hits in three at bats, scoring one of Ohio State’s two runs.

“As a freshman, she figured [out] a lot. I think she is putting all together now,” Schoenly said.

For Betschell, this win means more than just the performance of one player. It shows the consistency of the team as a whole.

“It’s always good to have a Big Ten win,” Betschel said. ?“I didn’t have a great game in the middle week. So, coming into today, I was just trying to keep it simple, and that’s exactly what I did.”

The Buckeyes soon extended their lead an RBI double to center field from senior second baseman Emily Clark, scoring Betschel.

Schoenly said the game tonight was very competitive, taking advantage of Rutgers senior pitcher Whitney Jones for nine runs on two hits in six innings.

With games on Saturday and Sunday, chances to extend Ohio State’s winning streak, ?Clark said the Buckeyes will keep doing what they can do.

“Coming off a win, I think we are just trying to be intentional what we do and control what we can control,” Emily said.

Ohio State will take on Rutgers in the second game of the three-game set Saturday at 2 p.m.