Rutgers vs Ohio State | Big Ten Softball - Game 1 | Softball - Apr 5, 2019 at 5:51 PM EDT

Game 1: Rutgers vs Ohio State

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Ohio State opened its three-game weekend series against Rutgers with a 2-0 victory on Friday night keyed by the pitching of Lauren Rice and Morgan Ray coupled with timley fifth-inning hitting. With the win – Ohio State’s fourth in a row – the Buckeyes improve to 22-10, 6-1 in the Big Ten while Rutgers falls to 16-18, 0-7 B1G.

THE SHORT STORY
Rice, who improved to 13-1 on the season, went 5.2 innings and allowed just three hits. Morgan Ray went the final 1.1 innings for her second save of the season, getting a key bases-loaded strikeout in the top of the sixth inning to preserve the 2-0 lead. At the plate, Emily Clark and Bri Betschel both drove in runs in the fifth inning with a double and single, respectively, to back the Buckeyes’ efforts in the circle.

HOW THE RUNS WERE SCORED
• Meg Otte began the bottom of the fifth with a single to center field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Claire Nicholson. Two batters later, Betschel singled through the right side and scored Otte for a 1-0 Ohio State lead. Clark gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead on a double that landed in shallow center field, scoring Betschel.

IN THE CIRCLE
• In picking up her 13th win, Rice walked just two batters and allowed only two hits after the first inning. Ray’s strikeout in the sixth inning with the bases loaded was the Buckeyes’ lone K on the night.