Eric Boggs
Ohio State softball returned from a successful Florida road trip with four victories, showcasing power at the plate and dominance in the circle. The Buckeyes secured a 6-1 win over North Florida and a 7-3 victory against UCF on Saturday, capping off a 4-0 weekend that improved their season record to 9-3-1.
Senior Reagan Milliken delivered a standout performance, especially against UCF, where she went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a bases-clearing double, tallying a career-high five RBI. Milliken’s overall weekend performance was nothing short of stellar—batting .333 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Against UCF, the Buckeyes took control early, never trailing in the game. Milliken’s first-inning blast gave Ohio State a quick 2-0 lead, followed by freshman Skylar Limon’s first career home run in the second inning to extend the advantage to 3-1. Milliken’s clutch bases-loaded double in the fourth inning pushed the lead to 7-3, sealing the victory. Freshman Lorin Boutte was impressive in relief, throwing six scoreless innings, striking out seven, and walking just one while earning her fifth win of the season.
Earlier in the day, Ohio State powered past North Florida, using solo home runs from Kami Kortokrax, Jasmyn Burns, and Kaitlyn Farley to build an early 5-0 lead. Cadyn Ruffer provided an important two-run single in the second inning, and Farley added an insurance run in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch. Kennedy Kay pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out three to improve to 3-1 on the season.
The Buckeyes’ offensive firepower was on full display throughout the weekend, tallying 14 home runs and 34 runs in four games. Milliken continued to lead the team with four home runs and 17 RBI on the season, while Farley was the team’s most consistent hitter, batting .667 with three home runs, six RBI, and a .688 on-base percentage. Boutte logged nine innings in the circle over the weekend, posting a 0.78 ERA with 14 strikeouts and just three walks.
Ohio State’s weekend schedule was an adjustment after the cancellation of their originally planned tournament in Evansville. The team navigated a complex travel itinerary, sharing a charter flight with the Ohio State baseball team, which competed in Jacksonville. The Buckeyes capped off the trip by attending the baseball team’s matchup against Alabama before heading back to Columbus.
The Buckeyes opened the Florida trip with a dominant showing at the Make It Happen Games in Madeira Beach, securing a 15-0 run-rule victory over Cornell and a hard-fought 6-4 win against Siena. The opener was historic, as Ohio State set a school record with seven home runs, coming from six different players: Hadley Parisien, Sami Bewick, Kortokrax, Farley, Ruffer, and two from Milliken. Bewick and Farley both delivered perfect 4-for-4 performances, combining for four RBI, while Milliken went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI.
Parisien set the tone early with a leadoff home run—her third in the last four games. Farley and Milliken added their own first-inning blasts, while Ruffer’s three-run home run in the third extended the lead to 7-0. The Buckeyes piled on with three runs in the fourth and five in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Boutte struck out seven in three innings, and Kassandra Gewecke closed the game with two perfect innings in relief.
Against Siena, Ohio State once again started strong, scoring four runs in the first, highlighted by a two-run shot from Burns. The Buckeyes built a 5-0 lead by the third inning behind freshman Layna Gerhard, who delivered a career-high 13 strikeouts in the circle. Siena fought back with two runs in both the fourth and seventh innings, but Kay entered in relief to secure the final out. Farley provided a key insurance run with a solo home run in the sixth, finishing the game 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
The Buckeyes’ seven home runs in their win over Cornell shattered the previous school record of five and were the most by any team in a single game this season. Kortokrax’s three-run blast pushed her career RBI total past 100, and Ohio State’s offensive explosion marked the most runs scored in a game since 2019. The team finished the day with nine total home runs and a remarkable .929 slugging percentage.
With a successful Florida trip behind them, Ohio State now turns its attention to the Bulldog Classic in Athens, Georgia, where they will face Stetson, UMBC (twice), and the host Georgia Bulldogs in a key weekend slate. The Buckeyes continue to prove themselves as an offensive powerhouse and a team to watch as the season progresses.
