April 6, 2014
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ATHENS, Ohio - Junior Adrienne Gebele (Annapolis, Md.) crushed her fourth home run of the 2014 season while freshman Leanna Bachman (Carroll, Ohio) and sophomore Savannah Jo Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) combined to keep the opposing bats in check in the pitching circle as the Ohio University softball team (19-15, 4-2 MAC) bested Mid-American Conference East Division foe Buffalo (16-15, 1-1 MAC), 6-3, on Sunday (April 6) in the weekend series finale at the Ohio Softball Field.
Gebele bashed a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Bobcats the early advantage. She bumped home a run when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning for her third RBI of the day and added a single in the sixth to post her 11th multi-hit game of the season.
Senior Alexandria Basquez (Elk Grove, Calif.) smacked an RBI single in the sixth inning after bumping home a run in the third when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to earn her team-leading seventh multi-RBI game of the season.
In her first home start in the pitching circle, Bachman retired the side in each of the first three frames. Dorsey picked up where the rookie left off in the fourth, totaling three strikeouts while surrendering just two hits and two walks over four scoreless relief frames to earn the pitching victory and improve to 14-11 on the season.
A day after being no-hit by Buffalo senior starting pitcher Tori Speckman, Ohio's bats set the tone in the Sunday finale thanks to some two-out lightning. Freshman Casie Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio) cracked a single to right field to set the table for Gebele's bomb over the centerfield scoreboard, giving the `Cats the 2-0 edge in the bottom of the first.
Ohio tacked on two more scores in the third. Senior Alyssa Wolfe (Junction City, Ohio) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. One out later, sophomore Alexia Cortez (Beaufort, S.C.) sent a base hit down the left field line. Cortez reached second base safely when she was hit in the back of the helmet by a throw on a fielder's choice that put Hutchinson on first as Buffalo attempted to get the force out second. With the bases loaded, Gebele was hit by a pitch to bump home the third run, and Basquez made it a 4-0 contest when she was struck.
The Bulls retaliated with three runs in the top of the fourth, but Ohio added on single tallies in the fifth and sixth for insurance.
Freshman Taylor Saxton (Circleville, Ohio) hit a one-out, pinch-hit single to left, then advanced to second on a passed ball in the fifth. Junior Kaylin Clarke (North Royalton, Ohio) capitalized with a pinch-hit RBI single back up the middle to plate Saxton and make it 5-3.
The Bobcats tacked on their final insurance run in the ensuing frame as Hutchinson coaxed a two-out walk, advanced to second on a single through the left side by Gebele and scored by way of Basquez's single to left.
Ohio steps out of conference play for a Wednesday (April 9) doubleheader against in-state foe Ohio State in Columbus. The twin bill is set to get underway at 5 p.m. ET. The Bobcats beat the Buckeyes, 7-3, on March 7 in their opening game of the Red and Black Classic in Louisville, Ky.
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