April 20, 2007
Box Score
Urbana, Ill. -
In a game that had just about everything, first-place Ohio State rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to defeat Illinois, 7-6. The Buckeyes improve to 6-1 in the Big Ten, 25-14 overall. The Illini, who entered play just one game out of first, move to 26-17, 5-4 in the league.
Shanna Diller extended her Illinois record for home runs in a season with her 15th, a two-run shot in the bottom of the first. Sarah Bryers led off the fourth inning with her fifth homer of the year, fourth in Big Ten play.
If Illinois had held on, the story would have been the job Illini pitchers Claire DeVreese and Ashley Wright did in pitching out of jams. Ohio State left 11 runners on base while out-hitting the Illini, 10-7. After the Buckeyes scored two runs in the top of the first, DeVreese came in the game in relief to retire the final two batters and keep the lead at 2-0.
The game featured four ties and three lead changes. Four Illinois errors enabled three of those Ohio State runs to be unearned.
Junior Angelena Mexicano was on base three of the four times at-bat, going 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Her third inning double tied the score at three, and she later scored on a single by Lana Armstrong.
Ohio State responded with two runs in the top of the fourth, the big blow a run-scoring double from catcher Sam Marder to go back in front 5-4.
Illinois quickly responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Bryers' home run, and a sacrifice fly from Diller gave Illinois the lead back at 6-5.
Enter Ohio State pitcher Jamee Juarez. She replaced starter Kim Reeder with runners at first and third and out in the fourth and proceeded to strike out every batter the rest of the game save one, a total of 11 Ks in all.
Ohio State, meanwhile, continued to search in vain for a clutch hit, leaving runners at third base with less than two outs in both the fifth and sixth as Wright pitched out of jams.
The Buckeyes finally broke through in the seventh. Juarez helped her own cause with a lead-off double, advanced to second a seeing-eye single by Lauren Daykin, and scored by sliding around the tag after a ground out. The winning run scored on a wild pitch.
Juarez struck out the side in the seventh to improve to 11-8 on the season. The two teams meet again Saturday at Noon.
