College Softball: Rutgers Split Doubleheader against Buckeyes
Saturday, April 18, 2015
April 18, 2015
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers (24-13) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| Ohio State (23-19) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| RU Batting | AB | H | R | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B Huang, Stephanie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LF Howard, Chandler | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| CF Bates, Jackie | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B Whitley, Jordan | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS Slowinski, Melanie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1B Hall, Rebecca | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| RF Todd, Carly | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DH Maddox, Sierra | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C Adams, Elizabeth | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OSU Batting | AB | H | R | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF Conrad | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C Prantl | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS McIntyre | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1B Leonard | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RF Watkins | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B/3B Kirk | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| LF White | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B Goodwin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DH Sturgeon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PH/DH Saibene | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RU Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maddox, Dresden | 6.1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Landrith, Alyssa | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| OSU Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springer | 7.0 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
OSU claimed the series win, 2-1, marking only the second Big Ten set that RU has faltered in. Rutgers moved to an overall record of 24-14 and a conference mark of 8-7, while Ohio State moved to a record of 24-19 and a mark of 8-9 in the league.
Senior Jackie Bates (Lincroft, N.J.) headlined the day with three home runs across both contests. Bates now holds the Rutgers' single-season record with 16 homers this year and is now tied for the top spot in the career record books with 34 long balls.
GAME ONE
Rutgers captured a 3-2 victory over Ohio State in game one, evening the series at 1-1.
Junior Elizabeth Adams (Crystal Lake, Ill.) paced the squad with a 2-for-2 showing in the box, along with a team-high two runs. Bates added her first home run of the day in the win.
Classmate Dresden Maddox(Kennesaw, Ga.) earned her seventh victory of the season and second in conference play, while senior Alyssa Landrith (Vacaville, Calif.) registered her first save of the year.
In the opening inning, Bates recorded her 14th homer of the season to give RU an early 1-0 lead.
After Adams was hit by a pitch, senior Chandler Howard (North Wilmington, Del.) sent her across to expand RU's advantage to 2-0 in the top of the fourth.
The Buckeyes loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the frame. Alex Bayne then registered a sacrifice fly to put a run across for OSU. However, Maddox and the defense worked out of the jam, retiring back-to-back Buckeyes at the plate to end the fourth inning with a 2-1 edge.
OSU added another in the fifth with a homer from Maddy McIntyre to even the score, 2-2. However, the Scarlet Knights reclaimed the lead, 3-2, in their following trip to the plate via a bunt from Adams and a Buckeye miscue that sent her across.
In the bottom of the seventh, Landrith entered the circle with two runners on and one out in the books. The left-hander retired two at the plate, sending the final Buckeye down swinging to seal the win and register the save for RU. Landrith ranks second in the record books with six career saves.
GAME TWO
Despite generating a 3-0 lead in the opening inning, Rutgers fell, 8-4, in the series finale.
Bates led the Scarlet Knights with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, including two homers, three RBIs and two runs. Junior Melanie Slowinski (Severn, Md.) and freshman Rebecca Hall (Fairfax, Va.) also added two hits in the loss.
Junior Stephanie Huang (Paramus, N.J.) opened the contest by drawing a walk. Up next, Howard ripped a double to left field to send Huang home. The rally did not end there as Bates crushed her second homer of the day to bring in both runners and extend RU's lead to 3-0.
Ohio State countered with a three-run inning of its own. Erika Leonard registered a two-run homer to cut the deficit to one, followed by a solo homer from Taylor Watkins to even the score at 3-3 after the first frame of play.
In their next at bat, the Buckeyes would go on to move in front with another two-run homer this time from Caitlin Conrad.
Behind 5-3, the Scarlet Knight offense found some momentum in the top of the fourth. Slowinski led off the inning with a double to right field, while Hall followed with a base hit of her own. Entering to pinch hit, freshman Meaghan Wells (Piscataway, N.J.) drew a walk to load the bases. Despite the drive, RU was unable to get a run across as all three were left on.
Although OSU would add one more run to the board in the second half of the frame, junior right-hander Dresden Maddox (Kennesaw, Ga.) denied any Buckeyes from crossing the plate in the final innings.
In the top of the seventh, Bates registered her third homer of the day to cut into the deficit, 8-4, but it was not enough to lift the Scarlet Knights.
Up next, Rutgers hosts Maryland on Tuesday, April 21 for a doubleheader at the RU Softball Complex. The first pitch of the day is set for 2 p.m. ET.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers suffered only its second Big Ten series loss. RU claimed three consecutive series against Indiana, Purdue and Michigan State before dropping its series to Michigan and Ohio State in the last two league matchups.
- With the win in the first contest, Dresden Maddox improved her overall win-loss record to 7-4 and picked up her second Big Ten victory.
- Alyssa Landrith registered her first save of the season, bringing her career total to six saves. She now has sole ownership of the second-place spot on the career record lists, surpassing former Scarlet Knight Chrissy Yard with five saves through 2006-09.
- With three home runs on the day, Jackies Bates brought her season total to 16 homers, claiming the top spot in the Rutgers single-season record books. Bates surpassed former Scarlet Knight Brittney Lindley who had registered 13 home runs in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
- Bates brought her career total to 34 homers, tying for first on the all-time career list. She shares the spot with Brittney Lindley.
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