It was another eventful week in Ohio State athletics. With school out for the summer, only a few teams remain in action. Three women's teams saw their seasons end, as the softball team lost in the Big Ten tournament semifinals and the women's tennis and women's lacrosse teams lost in the NCAA tournament.
Meanwhile, the baseball Buckeyes took on their rivals from up north and the men's tennis team rolled to the Sweet 16.
Freshman pitcher blanks michigan
The Buckeyes went 2-3 on the week, dropping one game to Miami (Ohio) and a pair to Michigan. The one win over Michigan, though, featured a gem of a pitching performance by freshman Tanner Tully.
In a 1-0 win, Tully tossed a complete game while allowing just seven hits and striking out three. The nine-inning start was a career-high for Tully, who has pitched at least seven innings in each of his Big Ten starts this season. Tully displayed deadly accuracy; of his 117 pitches, 80 were for strikes. Ohio State's lone run came in the second inning, when Craig Nennig doubled in Josh Dezse.
The Buckeyes followed up the series at Michigan by destroying Cincinnati, 11-3, in Columbus. OSU wraps up the regular season this weekend with a home series against Northwestern before beginning Big Ten Tournament play next week. The Buckeyes are now 29-24 on the season and sixth in the conference standings at 9-12.
Women's lacrosse season comes to an end
The No. 10 Lady Buckeyes qualified for the NCAA tournament but fell to Louisville in heart-breaking double overtime. In the first overtime, Ohio State's Katie Chase scored with eight seconds left to knot the game at 10-10 and force an extra session. In the end it wasn't quite enough, as Louisville's Nikki Boltja scored the game-winner in sudden death action.
Cian Dabrowski added two goals and an assist, while Jennifer Porretto and Kelsea Ayers each added two goals.
Ohio State's senior class of Heather Gravinese, Tayler Kuzma, Cara Facchina and Kaila Gottlick finishes as the third-winningest class in school history with 40 total wins. This year's 13 wins are also the second most in school history. Even with the first round loss, it was a great season for OSU women's lacrosse.
ncaa tennis tournament Happenings
The men's tennis team cruised to the Sweet 16, while the women's team lost in the first round to South Carolina, 4-1.
In the first and second rounds of men's action, the Buckeyes swept Bryant and Wake Forest 4-0. Ralf Steinbach and Kevin Metka went 2-0 in singles action on the weekend, while Chris Diaz and Hunter Callahan each went 1-0 in their singles action matches. The Buckeyes also dominated doubles action, going 5-0 collectively on the weekend.
The Buckeyes now travel to Athens, Ga. for Sweet 16 action against the Florida Gators. Florida is ranked 15th in the country and led by 51st-ranked Florent Diep. Ohio State faces the Gators at 7 p.m. this Friday; with a win, the Buckeyes would face the winner of Tennessee and No. 6 seed UCLA for a spot in the Final Four.
Final Four action will take place on Monday and the championship will take place on Tuesday, so stay tuned for more coverage on the men's tennis team.
