March 28, 2009
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COLUMBUS, OH – No. 15 Ohio State plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the University of Iowa softball team, 3-0, Saturday in Columbus. Saturday’s game marks the first time this season that the Hawkeyes have lost two games in a row.
“We did a nice job of executing our game plan for the first five innings,” Head Coach Gayle Blevins said. “Ohio State strung together some hits and that was the difference. We need to come out focused tomorrow for another tough road game.”
The Buckeyes scored all three of their runs off three hits in the sixth for the win. Vanessa Spears drove in Whitney Cooper with an RBI double, followed by a Leah Ledford double to left. Junior Lindsey Digmann attempted to throw out Spears at the plate on the play, but freshman catcher Liz Watkins dropped the ball on the tag, allowing the second run to score. Ohio State then scored the final run of the game on a squeeze bunt.
Junior Katie Brown collected Iowa’s only hit of the game off Ohio State starter Kim Reeder, with a single in the fourth.
Senior Brittany Weil worked her way out of some early jams to keep the game scoreless. Ohio State catcher Sam Marder started the game with an intentional walk and a Buckeye single put two runners on with only one out. Weil calmly struck out the final two batters of the inning to keep the Buckeyes off the scoreboard.
Marder was once again intentionally walked in the third and another single gave the Buckeyes two baserunners with no outs. Weil managed to sit the next three batters down in order, including a strikeout to end the frame.
Weil threw all seven innings and allowed three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
Iowa will look for a weekend split with Ohio State Sunday, with the first pitch at 2 p.m.