Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you updated on what's happening with some of the other sports on campus.
Another Big Win
One of the more pleasant surprises in the Ohio State athletic department this season has been the hot start from the men's lacrosse team. The Buckeyes began the year unranked but started the season with a bang, blowing out then-No. 5 North Carolina 20-8 on the road.
Ohio State lost a little steam last week with a 14-11 loss to No. 4 Cornell, but the Buckeyes got the momentum rolling once again this week, notching their second top-10 win of the season this week with a 14-11 victory over No. 10 Notre Dame.
"The men answered the bell."
— Ohio State Men's LAX (@OhioStateMLAX) March 12, 2022
More from head coach Nick Myers after the #Buckeyes' 14-11 win over No. 10 Notre Dame at #TheShoe.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/2QMEuiruAl
The Buckeyes went 5-for-5 in extra-man opportunities on Saturday which proved to be the difference in the game.
With the win, Ohio State climbs to No. 7 in the latest media poll and is the second-highest ranked Big Ten team in the country, behind only top-ranked Maryland.
Pitching Dominance
Sophomore pitcher Emily Ruck had herself a game on Sunday, tossing a five-inning no-hitter to lead the Buckeyes past UMass by a score of 8-0.
Ruck saw 17 batters and struck out 11 of them, allowing just two to reach base by way of a walk. It was Ohio State’s first no-hitter since April of 2019 and its 19th since 1997. She improves to a perfect 3-0 on the season.
The Buckeyes played another game on Sunday as well, and it was another dominant pitching performance as Lexie Handley had perhaps her best outing yet, allowing just one hit in seven innings against No. 22 South Florida. She struck out 13 batters.
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— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) March 14, 2022
1 No-hitter
24 Total strikeouts
1 Hit allowed
14 Scoreless innings
13 Runs scored
3 Home runs
2 Big wins #GoBuckshttps://t.co/XeVtrLzyn9
Combined, Ruck and Handley pitched 12 innings on Sunday and gave up one between the two of them while striking out 24 batters.
Ohio State is now 13-3 on the season and is riding a five-game winning streak.
Another Top-15 Win
After an absolutely dominant start to the season where they swept four top-10 teams in less than two weeks, the Ohio State men's tennis team suffered its first loss of the season at the ITA Indoor Championships, falling 4-3 to No. 4 TCU.
Since then, the Buckeyes have gotten back to their winning ways.
Ohio State swept its next two matches against UCF and Notre Dame back in February, and this weekend, the Buckeyes bested No. 15 Texas in Austin by a score of 4-3.
The Buckeyes are currently ranked No. 2 in the country behind only top-ranked Tennessee, who Ohio State swept 4-0 back in February.
