Ohio State junior infielder Conner Pohl (39) swings at a ball during the game against Hawaii on March 23. Ohio State won 7-5. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Photo Editor
Ohio State tried to redeem itself Saturday afternoon at Bill Davis Stadium after losing to Northwestern 15-3 on Friday.
But the Buckeyes (16-15, 2-3 Big Ten) were not successful, losing 7-2 to the Wildcats (13-14, 3-2 Big Ten), its fourth loss in a row.
After Ohio State struck first in the bottom of the first on a bases-loaded walk by sophomore catcher Dillon Dingler, the Northwestern offense stepped up, picking up three runs throughout the first four innings, bringing the score to 3-1.
“I think we still have some room to improve, there’s definitely some things we can work on,” Ohio State redshirt freshman pitcher Seth Lonsway said.
Lonsway allowed three runs on five hits in his third loss of the season, walking three and striking out six.
Northwestern added two runs in the top of the eighth, extending its lead to 6-1 on an RBI double by sophomore catcher Michael Trautwein.
Lonsway said Northwestern took advantage of what it needed to with the small amount of mistakes Ohio State made.
“I feel like we limited our mistakes today and [Northwestern] just kind of out beat us today,” Lonsway said.
In his two-inning start, Northwestern freshman pitcher Mike Doherty walked a career-high three batters. Ohio State finished the game with seven walks.
Dingler and senior designated hitter Andrew Fishel each finished with an RBI.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Buckeyes added another run on a groundout by Fishel.
Ohio State head coach Greg Beals said he liked his team’s process against the Wildcats and the Buckeyes’ pregame preparation. However, it led to Ohio State’s fourth straight loss.
“I thought we went about things well, I liked that,” Beals said. “The result wasn’t what we wanted, but I like how we went about our work today.”
Ohio State will end its three-game series against Northwestern at 11:05 a.m. Sunday.
