The No. 11 Ohio State softball team swept the No. 12 Northwestern Wildcats in a two-game series last weekend in Evanston, Ill.
The Buckeyes (42-7, 14-2 Big Ten) defeated the Wildcats 10-1 in five innings in game two, and 7-6 in game one at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
Freshman shortstop Alicia Herron hit two home runs and drove in five runs in the 10-1 victory over Northwestern on Saturday. Her huge offensive output moved her into first place in OSU’s all-time record books for freshman.
Herron hit her 10th and 11th home runs of the season and passed junior catcher Sam Marder’s freshman record for home runs in a single season.
Junior right fielder Courtney Pruner capped off a great weekend with a three-run home run in the top of the second inning. Pruner was 4-6 and knocked in six RBIs during the series.
OSU mercy-ruled the Wildcats in five innings and shut down the No. 1 offense in the Big Ten by holding them to just one run.
CHRIS UHLER/THE LANTERNOhio State senior pitcher Kim Reeder winds up to pitch during the April 29 game against Western Michigan. OSU won both games of the doubleheader.A big part of the Buckeyes’ success was their defense and the pitching performance from sophomore Lindsay Bodeker. Bodeker (15-3) pitched five innings and gave up only one run on three hits.
Senior captain Kim Reeder started game one for OSU. In the 7-6 victory, Reeder (22-4) pitched five-and-two-thirds innings. She gave up three earned runs on seven hits and struck out seven in the win.
OSU started off the scoring in the third inning on Courtney Pruner’s two-run double. The Buckeyes’ lead was as large as four runs before the Wildcats stormed back.
In the seventh inning, with the Buckeye lead down to one, it was Alicia Herron who came up with a game-clinching hit. She hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh and created some breathing room.
Northwestern scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the chance to tie the game with one player on second base and no outs. But Reeder and the OSU defense sat the high-powered Wildcat offense down one-two-three, topped off by Courtney Pruner’s game-winning catch in right field.
The Buckeyes started off their four-game conference road streak with a dominating performance against Big Ten power house Northwestern. OSU has won seven games in a row and continues its road trip Wednesday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
OSU is in first place in the Big Ten, tied with the Michigan Wolverines. The teams will meet at 5 p.m. today to start a doubleheader in Michigan. This series will make or break the Buckeyes’ chance to be champions of the Big Ten and receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Evan Winkofsky can be reached at [email protected].
