The Iowa softball lost its first Big Ten series of the year, falling to Ohio State, 5-2, in game one before dropping the finale, 10-2. The Hawkeyes are now 14-8 overall this season.
Buckeyes jump ahead early in game one
Ohio State got out to an early lead in game one, scoring all five of its runs in the first three innings.
The Hawkeyes responded in the seventh, scoring once on a sacrifice fly from senior Tory Bennett and adding another off a Devin Simon RBI single, one of her two hits in the contest.
Teammate Mariah Myers added a pair of hits as well for the Hawkeyes, who finished with seven hits and three walks compared to six strikeouts.
Serayah Neiss fell to 7-2 on the season, giving up eight hits over three innings. Carly Brewer delivered in relief, allowing one hit over three innings.
Hawkeyes respond with five-inning win
An RBI single put the Buckeyes on the scoreboard first, with the Hawkeyes finding a quick response and ending the game early due to run rule.
Jackson got the Hawkeyes started with a solo home run, followed by consecutive singles from Bennett and Simon. Kiara Sipe reached base on an error and later scored on first-year McKenzie Leitgen’s two-run double to right field. The scoring continued when first-year Kiyah Chavez singled and brought in two more of her teammates, capping a seven-run frame.
“The Big Ten is a grind, especially on the road,” Iowa head coach Stacy May-Johnson told HawkeyeSports. “There’s going to be ones you have to work for and that was one of them.”
The Hawkeyes achieved the run-rule when Brianna Johnson hit her first homer of the year.
Junior Avery Sapp was on the mound for the Hawkeyes, recording her first complete game of the season. Sapp pitched five complete innings with three strikeouts, retiring the next ten Buckeyes after allowing the lone run.
Sapp is three strikeouts away from 200 for her career.
“Avery Sapp was really good tonight, ”May-Johnson said. “She had them guessing the whole time and every time they found a barrel, defense ran the ball down.”
Buckeyes take series
Iowa couldn’t carry its momentum into the series finale, falling to Ohio State, 10-2.
The Buckeyes struck first in the opening inning, loading the bases and scoring a run on an RBI groundout.
Iowa responded quickly when Bennett reached base on a walk, and later scored on Sipe’s double to even the score.
Ohio State quickly regained the lead soon after, sending three balls out of the park over the next two innings. The Hawkeye pitching staff conceded six hits for nine earned runs, walking eight and striking out five.
Junior Leah McAnally cut into the deficit, with a solo home run to left field, but it was the last run the Hawkeyes would score.
Up Next
Iowa travels to Normal, Illinois on Tuesday to take on Illinois State, at 3 p.m. Central Time. The Redbirds are 12-7 on the season.
The Hawkeyes will then head to Champaign, Illinois, for the weekend to take on Illinois in their second conference matchup of the season.