The Ohio State softball team dropped their first game of the NCAA tournament on Friday night in Knoxville, TN. The Buckeyes lost to Atlantic Sun champion USC Upstate, 7-3. After trailing for most of the game, back-to-back home runs from Lilli Piper and Emily Clark gave the Buckeyes a brief 3-2 lead heading into the seventh inning.
However, after OSU starting pitcher Shleby Hursh and reliever Shelby McCombs held the Spartans to two runs (one earned) on five hits through 5.2 innings, Morgan Ray entered the game, and after closing the door in the sixth, gave up five runs in the seventh as USC Upstate batted around in the decisive frame.