Ohio State senior outfielder Trey Lipsey (2) takes a swing during the game against Indiana. The Buckeyes lost to the Hoosiers (12-2, 8-7) in both games of a doubleheader Friday. Credit: Spencer Meyer/Indiana Athletics via Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State began Big Ten play on the wrong side of the win column, three times.
Behind two run-rule victories, Indiana cruised to a three-game weekend sweep over Ohio State in the opening weekend of conference play for both teams.
The three-game set was disrupted by weather, as Saturday’s game was moved to a Friday doubleheader because of forecasted rain.
Despite the losses, Buckeye catcher Matthew Graveline homered twice in the series and drove in four runs, a team lead.
Game One
It was all Hoosiers in Game 1 of the Friday doubleheader as the Indiana offense racked up 14 hits and pushed across 12 runs in a 12-2, eight-inning victory.
Ohio State got on the board first in the top of the second, as left fielder Nick Giamarusti lined a homer that barely cleared the wall in left to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead.
But that was the extent of Ohio State’s advantage.
The Hoosiers responded with 12 unanswered runs over the next seven innings to clinch a dominant 12-2 Game 1 victory.
Game Two
A four-run eighth inning sparked a comeback effort for Indiana as the Hoosiers prevailed in a 10-inning battle, winning 8-7.
The Buckeyes struck first again, scoring two runs in the first on a home run by second baseman Tyler Pettorini.
Indiana cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI groundout.
But Ohio State continued its early momentum, scoring two more in the second on an RBI double from right fielder Trey Lipsey and another Pettorini base hit.
The Hoosiers responded, scoring once in the bottom half on a single to cut their deficit to two.
The Buckeyes added two more runs, thanks to Lipsey’s RBI double in the fourth and first baseman Will Carpenter’s RBI single in the fifth, to take a 6-2 lead.
After an Indiana run in the sixth, Graveline pummeled a solo homer in the seventh inning to restore the Buckeyes’ four-run lead.
The Hoosiers kept battling.
Boosted by two extra-base hits, Indiana scored four runs in the eighth to tie the game at seven.
After Hoosier pitching kept the Buckeyes scoreless over the next two frames, a single from Indiana second baseman Hogan Denny gave the Hoosiers an 8-7 walk-off victory in the 10th inning.
Game Three
Boosted by seven runs over the first two innings, Indiana cruised to a 14-3, seven-inning win Sunday.
The Hoosiers struck for three runs in the bottom of the first, aided by two errors from the Ohio State defense.
The Buckeyes finished the day with four errors.
After Indiana added four more runs in the second, Ohio State got on the board in the fourth when Graveline launched his second homer of the weekend to bring home two runs.
Graveline plated another run with a single in the fifth, pulling the Buckeyes within four.
But that was as close as Ohio State got.
Behind seven more runs in the bottom of the fifth, Indiana pulled away and never looked back, winning 14-3.
The Buckeyes (5-9, 0-3 Big Ten) return to Bill Davis Stadium Tuesday at 6 p.m. to take on Miami (OH) (10-9, 5-1 MAC). The game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
