Maybe we shouldn’t curse it, but the Ohio State softball team is starting to put together a pretty good season. With a win over Big Ten foe Rutgers last night 2-0, the Buckeyes have run their overall record to 22-10, and league to 6-1. It sits just one game back of first place.
And Ohio State has done it in multiple ways. Sometimes it breaks out the bats and outscores teams, other times it uses quality pitching and great defense to squeak out a close one.
The latter happened in a home game against the Scarlet Knights last night. Lauren Rice and Morgan Ray combined on a shutout, giving up just three hits on the night. Rice picked up her 13th win of the season to just one loss, while Morgan Ray picked up her second save of the season.
On offense, it was the fifth inning that keyed all the offense the Buckeyes would need. Meg Otte started things off with a single to lead off the inning before a sacrifice bunt moved her over to scoring position. Brianna Betschel then singled to right to bring Otte in for the first run of the ball game.
Lilli Piper drew a walk, then Emily Clarke blooped a double into center field to bring Betschel in to make it 2-0 Buckeyes. That’s all the scoring that would occur before Morgan Ray shut the door.
Ohio State takes on Rutgers again Saturday in game two of a weekend series. The first pitch is scheduled for 2PM at home.
