There are winning games, and then there are winning games in a dominating and historic fashion. That’s what happened with the Ohio State softball team on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series vs. Purdue at Buckeye Field.
The Buckeyes got the victory by a dominating 9-0 margin, and despite having a lot of offense, it was the pitching that was the story of the game. That’s because Allison Smith not only pitched a gem but did so by way of a no-hitter.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsIt was the first no-hitter of Smith’s career, and it was backed up by an Ohio State offense that got out of the gate early and didn’t look back. OSU scored three runs in the first inning, all with two outs. Kami Kortokrax began things with a double and was brought home by a Sam Hakenbracht triple to make it 1-0. Meggie Otte followed with a rare back-to-back triple and made it 2-0. Jaycee Ruberti finished the scoring in the opening inning with an RBI single.
The Buckeyes added two more runs in the second inning on another Hackenbracht hit, this time a two-run scoring single to put Ohio State up 5-0 and well on its way with OSU adding four more runs in the fourth on an Otte two-run homer, and a two-run single by Mariah Rodriguez to cap the scoring.
Series secured ✅
No hitter secured ✅#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Vc6GbAuD3k— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) April 23, 2023
Meanwhile, Smith was dealing. She struck out seven hitters in five innings and only allowed just four baserunners on the way to her 16th victory of the season. With the win, Ohio State moves to 30-15 on the season, and 10-7 in the Big Ten.
OSU will host Minnesota next weekend for its final home series. The first game of the three-game set is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
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