Softball
Weekend Softball Roundup
By Kevin Schlosser

(COLUMBUS, Oh)

Saturday

Sunday

Wildcats Take Two from Buckeyes
Ohio State no hit in game one, shut out in game two

The Northwestern softball team has been waiting an entire season to get a second crack at Ohio State after they lost the conference title to OSU by winning percentage. When given their opportunity, they wasted few chances; the Wildcats no-hit the Buckeyes in the first game to win 7-0 and shut out the home team 6-0 to take the second. Ohio State fell to 23-14 and 2-6 in the Big Ten while Northwestern remained undefeated in conference play at 6-0 and improved to 20-9 overall.

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back in game one. Starter Kim Reeder held Northwestern scoreless in the second, third, and fourth innings before Northwestern came back with two in the fifth, three in the sixth, and one in the seventh. At the same time the Buckeyes were hitless and only managed three walks and one hit batsman. Megan Miller relieved in the seventh for OSU and got the final two outs to end the game as Reeder (12-9) took the loss.

Miller started the second game for Ohio State and retired the first ten Wildcat batters she faced. The Buckeyes broke their hitless drought in the third with a two-out single by left fielder Brittany Vanderink, but Dee Dee Hillman left her on base when she struck out to end the inning. Miller gave up a one-out single in the fourth and paid for it when she gave up a two-run homerun. Northwestern also added a solo home run before ending the inning with a 3-0 lead.

The Buckeyes had their best opportunity to score in the fourth when Sam Marder led off and was hit by a pitch to get on base. After a strike out and a pop out; Tory Haddad singled to right field sending Marder to third. Both runners were stranded when Brittany Goodchild struck out swinging to end the inning. The Wildcats added one in the fifth and two in the sixth to conclude the scoring. Megan Miller (5-3) pitched a complete game and was the pitcher of record for OSU.

“We are disappointed in the number of strikeouts we had. We know Delaney is a strikeout pitcher, but we did not work well in our at bats,” commented OSU head coach Linda Kalafatis after the doubleheader. “We were trying to key on hitting ground balls and shorten up our swings. We didn’t help ourselves and she did a good job of attacking our hitters.”

“Our lefties are a big part of what we do and you expect them to at least make contact and continually work. We weren’t able to bunt, we weren’t able to move runners and we weren’t able to do a lot,” said Kalafatis. “They are a good program and a good team; we just didn’t play well enough to play with them.”

The Buckeyes were plagued this weekend by errors, walks, and hit batters. For most of their unforced mistakes; their opponents took advantage and made them pay. At the same time, Ohio State struggled with getting base runners on and when they did they could not bring them home. Unless you can shut someone out, you can’t expect to win some timely hitting.

“At times we threw really well and other times we didn’t. It seems like a lot of opponents are getting their leadoffs on and we are not,” offered Kalafatis. “Obviously, that is a trend we want to see not continue. That has been an emphasis here lately and we will continue to emphasize that. We are trying to score first and that isn’t happening; so we will keep trying until it happens and we get back in our groove.”

Ohio State ended the weekend with four straight defeats in the Big Ten and concluded a twelve game home stand with six consecutive losses. The Buckeyes are currently 4-8 at home this season after starting the year 23-6 on the road. Next weekend, they will make a four game trip through the Hoosier state with a two game series against Indiana (9-23; 0-4) on Friday; and Saturday and a doubleheader at Purdue (23-10; 2-2) on Sunday.

“The home stand hasn’t worked for us,” said Kalafatis. “With a young team, I have wondered sometimes if we weren’t as focused here as we needed to be. Maybe going on the road will help us focus a little bit more.”

“We are a little down right now, but we are trying to stay positive,” said catcher Sam Marder after the double header. “It only takes one win to end a slump.”

The head coach remained optimistic despite the recent skid; choosing to focus on the things they can build on, not on the things they can not change.

“We are trying to be positive and to talk about the steps it takes to be successful to win rather than focusing on the win or loss,” concluded Kalafatis. “We talk about the love of the game and playing with heart, the things that make you successful. We will keep working hard and get things turned around.”

Saturday

Single Spartan Overpowers the Buckeyes
Two Michigan State homeruns too much to overcome for Ohio State

The Michigan State softball team made it two-straight over Ohio State with a 5-3 win on Saturday afternoon. In losing their fourth in a row at home, OSU had no answer for Caitlin Mahoney who hit two home runs and accounted for all five MSU runs. With the sweep the Spartans moved to 4-2 in the Big Ten and 19-15 overall as the Buckeyes fell to 23-12 and 2-4 in the Big Ten.

Both teams were scoreless until the top of the third when the Spartans took the lead on a Caitlin Mahoney three-run home run. Sam Marder had the only hit for the Buckeyes in the first three innings and she got the team started in the fourth with her second single game. While Marder was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice Brittany Vanderink and Karisa Medrano were left on base behind her for Tory Haddad to drive in with a two-run double.

Michigan State put two on in the fifth but ended the inning without scoring when Kara Weigel was thrown out trying to steal second base. Sam Marder received a two-out intentional walk in the fifth and was stranded when Vanderink popped out to short. Pitcher Kim Reeder walked the first batter in the sixth and Mahoney made her pay for it with her second home run of the game to extend the Spartans lead.

Down 5-2, the Buckeyes began their final comeback with two out in the bottom of the seventh. Sam Marder was intentionally walked and driven home by a Brittany Vanderink double. Shae Bass came into relieve Lesley Noel (11-9) and got Karisa Medrano to fly out to left field to end the game. Bass earned the save, Noel received the win, and the Buckeyes lost their fourth in a row.

Pitching her second-consecutive complete game against Spartans, junior Kim Reeder (12-8) took the loss for Ohio State. While she pitched a much better game on Saturday, the long ball proved to be her undoing. Reeder has pitched in twenty of the last twenty-three games for the Buckeyes and has fourteen complete games this season.

“You don’t plan on or work on losing any games; we try to keep it one game at a time,” said OSU head coach Linda Kalafatis after the game. “With as young as we are, the maturity has to come along. Emotionally, a lot has hit us in the last two weeks and we are still trying to search to find our groove.”

“I think we are struggling a little bit but we are working our way through it,” offered Rachel Shepherd.

“Our confidence hasn’t been the highest it has been; but I think we are really coming together as a team. We are almost there; we just need to put it all together and stay focused on the next game.”

With only four returning starters, the younger players need to step up and contribute for the Buckeyes to put together a consistent effort. Kalafatis remains as optimistic as anyone on the field. She felt the freshmen and sophomore are making strides despite taking some lumps.

“I think our kids are fighting like heck. There is not a better catcher in this league than Sam Marder. Rachel Shepard is starting to mature and this exciting; Dee Dee Hillman is getting better; and Brittany Goodchild is back to feeling more confident and is playing harder,” asserted Kalafatis. “If those young players keep coming along; we will be very happy in the future. We will keep going to work and keep trying to make the adjustments as we go.”

The team will conclude a twelve game home stand on Sunday with a doubleheader against Northwestern. The first game is scheduled to begin at noon at Buckeye Field. In what is expected to be a highly contested and developing rivalry game, OSU will need to be ready to play from the first pitch to the last in each game. The Wildcats are the last Big Ten team to remain undefeated in conference play at 4-0 and 17-9 overall.

“Every game in the Big Ten is a rivalry game,” said Kalafatis about the weekend. “I think Northwestern wants to beat us pretty bad, but I hope we want to beat them just as bad. If it comes down to execution on the field and not the emotion; they are a very good team and we have to attack them to win.”

Return to the-Ozone Columns and Features

Return to the-OZone Front Page