Ohio State baseball has a team huddle before its game against Michigan State at Bill Davis Stadium April 9. Ohio State won 13-5. Credit: Casey Smith | Assistant Lantern TV Sports Producer
Ohio State baseball looked to go into the series against Maryland with confidence in Big Ten play after winning its last series. But several rallies and a shutout saw the Terrapins sweep the Buckeyes in their three-game set.
The Buckeyes (11-21, 2-8 Big Ten) were unable to come away with a win in the series after a series of comebacks by the No. 24 24 Terrapins (29-7, 7-2 Big Ten). Ohio State has now lost four of its past five games, as back-end pitching continues to struggle to stay consistent.
Game 1
Ohio State rallied multiple times in the first game of the three-game series, but its comebacks fell short as the Terrapins earned the victory on a walk-off home run.
The start of the game saw Maryland get out to a quick start facing sophomore right-hander Nate Haberthier. The Terrapins scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning on a trio of RBI singles and quickly got out to a 3-0 lead.
Ohio State responded in the next half-inning on back-to-back home runs by sophomore designated hitter Blayne Robinson and junior outfielder Mitchell Okuley to quickly cut the lead to one. After an RBI double in the third by sophomore outfielder Kade Kern, the Buckeyes tied the game at three apiece.
Maryland got the lead back in the next two innings on an error by freshman infielder Josh McAlister and an RBI single by Terrapins freshman outfielder Ian Petrutz to make it a 5-3 game.
But Ohio State answered in the sixth frame on Okuley’s second RBI of the game to cut the lead to one. The Buckeyes took the lead in the eighth inning after Okuley scored on a wild pitch. Kern drew a walk with the bases loaded to make the game 6-5.
With junior-right hander Ethan Hammerberg on the mound to close things out, Maryland jumped on its last at-bats of the game with a walk by senior infielder Maxwell Costes and a single by junior outfielder Troy Schreffler Jr. Then, junior outfielder Bobby Zmarzlak hit a three-run walk-off home run off Hammerberg to win game one of the series by a final score of 8-6.
Game 2
After a heartbreaking loss Friday, Ohio State looked to bounce back with sophomore left-hander Isaiah Coupet on the mound. But two big innings dictated by home runs saw Ohio State fall 6-5 in game two.
The Buckeyes struck first after senior infielders Marcus Ernst and Zach Dezenzo led off with back-to-back singles. Ernst scored on a groundout by Kern to put the Buckeyes up 1-0.
They added to the lead in the fourth inning on an error by freshman infielder Jacob Orr and an RBI single by McAlister to make it a 3-0 game. Coupet was brilliant throughout his start, not allowing a hit until the fifth inning and striking out five.
But the fifth inning is where Maryland turned around the game and took the lead. Following a leadoff double, Zmarzlak struck again with a home run off Coupet to cut the lead to just one.
Junior right-hander Wyatt Loncar came in attempting to limit the damage. Fifth-year outfielder Chris Alleyne tied the game at three apiece after a single and an error by senior catcher Archer Brookman. Junior infielder Nick Lorusso added to the inning on a sacrifice bunt to make the game 4-3.
But the Buckeyes answered in the seventh inning. Following a walk by McAlister, Dezenzo hit a two-run home run of his own off graduate right-hander Nick Robinson to make the game 5-4 in Ohio State’s favor.
The Terrapins responded immediately in the same half inning. While Loncar remained in the game, a pair of solo home runs by sophomore catcher Luke Shilger and Lorusso would put the Terrapins up for good.
Redshirt freshman righty Nigel Belgrave closed things down for Maryland, as the Terrapins took game two of the series by a final score of 6-5.
Game 3
The third game of this series was over soon after it began. Using an offensive explosion, Maryland swept Ohio State emphatically with a blowout 16-1 win.
Freshman right-hander Jacob Gehrig did not last long for Ohio State. In only three innings of work, he was tagged for five earned runs, highlighted by a two-run double by sophomore infielder Kevin Keister to quickly make the game 2-0.
Senior left-handed reliever Griffan Smith came in for relief and did not fare much better. Zmarzlak continued to terrorize Ohio State pitching with a two-run double in the fifth inning to make it a 5-0 game.
Maryland strung together hits with two outs, as Ohio State could not find an answer. A three-run home run in the seventh inning by sophomore infielder Matt Shaw off of freshman right-hander Jake Johnson extended the lead. That would not be the end of the inning, as the Terrapins pushed two more runs across the plate to make the game 15-0.
Aside from Dezenzo scoring a run on a wild pitch, Ohio State simply had no answers for Maryland Sunday, falling by a final score of 16-1.
Ohio State looks to bounce back against Marshall Tuesday at Bill Davis Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.
