The Ohio State baseball team huddles before the Ohio State-Wright State game March 21. Ohio State lost 3-0. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
Despite a dominant start from junior lefty Isaiah Coupet, Minnesota scored three unanswered runs in the ninth inning to claim a 3-2 victory over Ohio State, which has now lost five in a row.
The Gophers (6-19, 1-0 Big Ten) shined brightest when they needed to with back-to-back home runs from infielders sophomore Brady Counsell and freshman Weber Neels to tie the game up Friday night. Sophomore infielder Jake Perry hit a double to right center field, allowing junior outfielder Boston Merila to score and firmly put Minnesota in the driver’s seat.
“Today wasn’t about the bullpen,” Buckeyes head coach Bill Mosiello said. “Today was about the offense not competing and scoring runs. It’s crushing to me when you get a great outing and a shutout going into the ninth inning.”
Coupet and Minnesota sophomore lefty Tucker Novotny lead the way on the mound. Both pitchers combined for a total of 13 innings played and 20 combined strikeouts on the mound.
However, it was the Buckeyes (12-12, 0-4 Big Ten) whose bats were silenced down the stretch after leading for most of the game. Coupet pitched a gem with seven innings pitched and 10 strikeouts, the latter one short of his season-high.
“Isaiah can make guys that are solid hitters look kind of goofy,” pitching coach Sean Allen said. “When he’s got something going, we know that we can execute that, whether it’s fastball, curveball, change up or slider.”
With two outs in the bottom of the second, Ohio State got on the board first as sophomore infielder Josh McAlister singled to center and filed for two RBIs, scoring senior outfielder Mitchell Okuley and freshman catcher Matthew Graveline to put Ohio State up by two.
Both teams were scoreless after Ohio State’s last runs at the bottom of the second until the top of the ninth. Minnesota scored three runs starting with back-to-back home runs off graduate right-hander Nolan Clegg.
Freshman lefty Landon Beidelschies came in relief for Clegg but gave up an RBI double to Perry to give the Gophers their first lead of the game at 3-2. In the home half of the ninth inning, Okuley and McAlister walked, leaving sophomore outfielder Trey Lipsey as the final chance for the Buckeyes.
Lipsey flied out to left field, with Ohio State leaving Friday with its fourth-consecutive Big Ten loss.
Perry led the Golden Gophers, going 4-for-4 with two second-base hits and one RBI. Counsell and Neels both had a homerun to put Ohio State on the back foot with the tying runs aboard first and second.
In 32 at-bats for the Buckeyes, they only had six hits and two runs, with five walks to 13 strikeouts. Beidelschies came into the game for the Buckeyes with three saves to his name and gave up a hit and a run in one inning of work.
Ohio State looks to bounce back against Minnesota at home Saturday at 2 p.m.
“We’re not going to forget this loss, that’s for sure,” Mosiello said. “When the team loses it’s a big deal.”
