Feb. 18, 2011

Ohio-VT Box Score
Ohio-Mercer Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Ohio Softball opened Charleston Southern's Buccaneer Invite beating the Virginia Tech Hokies 2-1 in the final frame, and the Mercer Bears 2-0.

Against the Hokies, Emily Wethington was dominant in the circle, striking out a season high 10 batters, while allowing only one run on five hits.

However, Wethington was not done contributing for the Green and White, as her clutch two-out double plated Alexis Joseph in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, Joseph led off with a single down the left field line, and was moved to second after a Jillian Van Wagnen sacrifice. Wethington was intentionally walked, which brought Lauren Gellerman to the dish.  Gellerman delivered a game-winning, walk-off single to right field that scored Joseph's second run of the game to give Ohio the opening win of the Buccaneer Invite. 

The `Cats offense carried that momentum into its matchup against Mercer when Van Wagnen scored on Gellerman's sacrifice fly to give Ohio the 1-0 advantage. 

The early lead was all the Bobcats needed to defeat the Bears of Mercer who had no answer for Wethington. The hurler put forth another brilliant pitching effort, allowing only one hit and striking out six in four innings. After a pitching change, it was Caitlin Colvin's game to close, and she did in three scoreless inning of work. She yielded just two hits while collecting her first save of the season. 

In the top half of the sixth, Gellerman continued her tear at the plate with a solo homer to right center that gave her three RBIs on the day and the `Cats a 2-0 lead.

Wethington's 16 strikeouts on the day leave her only 13 short of Ohio's career record set by Michelle Sauter from 2005-08.

Ohio (3-4) will be back on the diamond tomorrow morning to face host Charleston Southern at 11 a.m. ET.