COLUMBUS, Ohio – The host Ohio State Buckeyes evened the series with Rutgers softball on Saturday afternoon as the Scarlet Knights fell 3-2 at Buckeye Field.

RU overcame the early 1-0 Ohio State lead with Payton Lincavage delivering her third home run of the weekend series to give the Scarlet Knights a 2-1 edge in the third. The Buckeyes, however, added a run in the fifth and sixth to take game two.

The loss drops Rutgers to 30-13 on the year and 7-3 in the Big Ten. Ohio State ups its overall mark to 22-13 and 3-5 in conference.

Ohio State 3, Rutgers 2

• Payton Lincavage finished 2-for-3 with a home run that also scored Kobie Hura. For Lincavage, it was her team-leading seventh home run of the year.
• Morgan Smith got the start inside the circle and tossed five innings with five strikeouts. She was also 2-for-4 at the plate.
• The loss went to Ashley Hitchcock as she dropped to 7-2 on the season.

• Kaitlyn Fairly took the Buckeyes' first pitch of the afternoon over the wall in left.
• Rutgers went in front in the top of the third. Payton Lincavage smacked her third home run of the series to left for a 2-1 Scarlet Knight lead.
• Ohio State evened the game up in the fifth. Melina Wilkison recorded a double to left-center field and advanced to third on a miscue setting up Sam Hackenbracht to bring her home on a sacrifice fly to center.
• Jaycee Ruberti gave the Buckeyes a 3-2 advantage leading off the bottom of the sixth with a long ball to right.