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Rutgers visits Ohio State for 3rd Big Ten series of season

 – Photo by Casey Ambrosio

Last weekend the Rutgers softball team lost all three games against Michigan, which leaves the Scarlet Knights (16-17, 0-6) with zero wins through six Big Ten games.

This weekend, Rutgers travels to Columbus, Ohio to battle Ohio State in search of its first conference win.

The Buckeyes (20-10, 5-1) have won their past three games including a nine-inning-long clash against Pittsburgh. For a five-win Panthers team to go the distance with Ohio State proves that it would be no surprise if the Knights can pull off an upset.

The Buckeyes are undefeated in Columbus, as they swept Indiana in their only home series of the season.

They have a total of five players batting over .300, including their leadoff hitter Spencer Sansom, who could be a problem with a batting average of .400. Rutgers has three batters over .300 including senior infielder Jess Hughes, who is batting .406.

Expect the Knights to have some trouble facing off against Ohio State’s pitcher Lauren Rice, who is 10-1 on the season with a 1.80 ERA. The Buckeyes' other star pitcher Morgan Ray is 8-5 on the season with a 1.70 ERA. Ray was also selected as 1 of 30 candidates nationwide for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award.

The three-game series should be entertaining. The two teams are very similar in offensive statistics with total team batting averages of .277 for Ohio State and .264 for Rutgers. But, the Buckeyes take charge when it comes to pitching with a solid 1.84 ERA. The Knights' ERA is at 4.03.

Rutgers has 18 games remaining, not including the Big Ten Tournament and it has a chance to make a statement this week and turn its season around against one of its main conference rivals: Ohio State.


For updates on the Rutgers softball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.



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