Buckeyes Too Much For Maroon And White, 11-0
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Ohio State Scoring Barrage Sparked By Grand Slam In First Inning
MARIETTA, Ga. -- Fourth-seeded Ohio State scored 11 runs on 10 hits behind a one-hit shutout from Jamee Juarez as the Buckeyes mercifully ended fifth-seeded Mississippi State's stay at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic with an abbreviated 11-0 victory over the Bulldogs Sunday morning at the Al Bishop Complex in Marietta, Ga.
The Buckeyes (10-5) got four RBI apiece from Megan Schwab (3-for-3, 3 R) and Billie Jo Carder (2-for-2, BB, R) in the contest en route to their second-highest scoring output of the weekend. Carder's hitting line was highlighted by a grand slam in the opening inning, while Schwab's batting performance was fueled by a solo home run in the second and a three-run blast in the fourth. State's (16-8) lone hit of the contest came from the bat of Michelle Kinney (1-for-2) on a seeing-eye single in the third.
Mississippi State starter Kelli Miller (4-4) allowed five runs on four hits and a walk in her shortest outing of the season, with reliever Ragan Blake yielding six runs on six hits and a trio of walks in a three-inning appearance. Juarez (6-4) struck out seven and allowed just four Bulldog base runners in the complete game outing.
The victory marked the fifth consecutive for Ohio State who would go on to win two more en route to a runner-up finish at the tournament Sunday afternoon. The loss was the most lopsided result for the Bulldogs since a 16-2 loss at Tennessee on March 23, 2003. Sixth-year senior Jennifer Jessup would later go on to earn all-tournament team honors after hitting .467 (7-for-15) in six starts at the tournament.
"We got down early and it only got worse from there," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "The bottom line is that we didn't compete. It was embarrassing for us to come out and compete like we did. Hopefully it served as a little wake up call as we get ready for SEC play that we need to make some changes and people need to step up. That's what we are looking for."
After sending down MSU quietly in the top half of the first, Ohio State reached base in four consecutive at-bats before Carder's bomb to centerfield gave OSU a 5-0 advantage. Schwab cushioned the lead out to six on a solo shot in the second, before the Buckeyes batted around for the second time in the fourth. OSU would get five runs on four hits in the frame to provide the final.
