Ohio State redshirt sophomore first baseman Blayne Robinson (38) stands in the batter’s box during the Buckeyes’ game against Toledo at Bill Davis Stadium Wednesday. Ohio State lost 7-6. Credit: Casey Smith | Assistant Lantern TV Sports Producer
Ohio State looked to get its first win in conference play Friday, but a pitcher’s duel and inconsistent defense saw the Buckeyes fall to Nebraska 5-3.
The Buckeyes (8-14, 0-2 Big Ten) were troubled by Cornhuskers (10-14, 2-2 Big Ten) pitching all night. Congruently, the team committed six errors during the game and put themselves in a hole they were unable to escape.
“They got hits when they needed to as a result of some of those errors,” assistant coach Dan DeLucia said. “Obviously the six errors stick out like a sore thumb. You got to play clean baseball. I think our guys have that belief factor that we can do it. But the reality is that we have to do it on the field.”
Sophomore left-hander Isaiah Coupet was outstanding in his start for Ohio State. Coupet finished his start with seven innings pitched, one earned run given up and 14 strikeouts. He was matched evenly by Nebraska senior right-handed pitcher Shay Schanaman, who himself pitched 6 1/3 innings, also gave up one earned run and struck out eight batters.
The first inning got the game off to a fast start. Senior designated hitter Cam Chick cranked a solo home run to center field off of Coupet to give Nebraska a 1-0 lead. Coupet ran into further trouble by loading the bases early on, but he got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
The second inning is where the defense began to falter for Ohio State. Nebraska scored an unearned run on two unforced errors by senior infielder Marcus Ernst, giving the Cornhuskers a 2-0 lead after two innings of play.
The middle innings were dictated by the pitchers, as neither team was able to score a run. The nightmare defensive performance continued for Ohio State as freshman infielder Josh McAlister committed two errors to put runners on the corners in the fifth inning. However, Coupet escaped the jam unscathed.
“I was focused,” Coupet said. “I needed to pick my teammates up. I need to get ahead early, throw the first strike.”
On the other side of the mound, Schanaman consistently kept the Buckeyes at bay. However, in the seventh inning, redshirt sophomore designated hitter Blayne Robinson hit a solo shot off of Schanaman to cut the Cornhusker lead to 2-1.
In the biggest spot of the game, with Ohio State runners on the corners and one out, sophomore left-hander Emmett Olson came in relief for Schanaman in the seventh inning. Olson got two huge outs when Ernst hit a pop-up and senior infielder Zach Dezenzo struck out to limit the damage and keep the lead at 2-1.
Junior right-hander Nate Karaffa came in relief for Coupet in the eighth inning. The Cornhuskers’ offense took advantage as junior outfielder Leighton Banjoff hit an RBI single to extend the Nebraska lead to 3-1 after eight innings.
Nebraska redshirt freshman outfielder Garrett Anglim hit an RBI off of freshman right-hander Jake Johnson in the top of the ninth inning. Another run came around to score on McAlister’s third error of the game on the same play to make the game 5-1 in Nebraska’s favor.
But that did not stop Ohio State from attempting a rally. The Buckeyes tagged Olson on back-to-back doubles by senior catcher Archer Brookman and senior infielder Colton Bauer to cut the lead to 5-2.
“We have to be able to battle like it’s the ninth inning, every inning,” DeLucia said. “Bringing that winning energy and that heightened focus by at-bat can give us the results like in the ninth inning we’re looking for.”
Bauer came around to score on an RBI single by Ernst. However, Nebraska called on junior right-hander Braxton Bragg to get the final two outs. He came in to shut the door on the game for Nebraska and beat Ohio State by a final score of 5-3.
Ohio State plays its next game at home against Nebraska Saturday at 3:05 p.m.
