Ohio State Buckeyes fall to Oregon State Beavers in NCAA softball regional

Oregon State jumped out to a 4-1 lead and held on for a 4-3 win over Ohio State in an NCAA softball regional in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Friday.

The Buckeyes (35-16) were to face Campbell in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Campbell lost 9-1 on Friday to Tennessee, who then beat Oregon State 3-0 on Saturday.

The winner of the OSU-Campbell game was to face Oregon State game at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Buckeyes loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning but were unable to score, with Beavers pitcher Sarah Haendiges striking out the final two batters.

The Buckeyes outhit the Beavers 9-4, with Melina Wilkison going 3 for 4. OSU pitcher Lexie Handley held the Beavers to two earned runs.

“It was a very tough, hard-fought battle," said OSU coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly. "I really believed we were going to take it there at the end. All the credit to them for making two great pitches when she need to. We’re ready to fight and keep moving on here in this tournament. We have a lot more softball to play.”

Said OSU junior Taylor Pack: “This isn’t the first time we’ve lost a game. We know how to come back from a loss. We’ll whip the day that we had and come back new tomorrow. We can do it. We’ve done it before.”

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State softball: Buckeyes fall to Oregon State in NCAA softball