BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Buckeyes (12-10, 0-3 Big Ten) dropped both games of a doubleheader at Indiana (17-7, 3-0 Big Ten) on Sunday to close out the teams’ three-game series.
Game 1: Indiana 9, Ohio State 6
Game Recap
- Kade Kern picked up the first hit of the game for the Buckeyes with a one-out double in the top of the first inning.
- In the top of the second, with one out on the board, Nick Erwin singled through the left side, but there was nothing else doing for the Buckeyes and they remained scoreless.
- With two outs in the top of the third, Kern doubled to right field and advanced to third base on an Indiana error. Marcus Ernst was next up to bat and he went yard, hitting his sixth homerun of the season over the fence in center field to give the Buckeyes the lead, 2-0. Matthew Graveline drew a walk to get on base and Hank Thomas doubled down the right field line, sending Graveline home to put OSU ahead, 3-0.
- The Hoosiers, however, took the lead in the bottom of the third, 5-3, after a two-RBI double, an RBI single, a score on an OSU error and a score on a sac fly.
- In the top of the sixth, Graveline led off with a single through the left side, followed up by a single from Thomas. An RBI double from Erwin added one run for the Buckeyes to put them within one score of the lead, 5-4.
- Trailing by one in the top of the seventh, Mitchell Okuley went yard, hitting his first homerun of the season to tie the score, 5-5. Kern and Caden Kaiser drew back-to-back walks and back-to-back errors from the Hoosiers allowed Kern to score and put the Buckeyes back in the lead, 6-5.
- The Hoosiers hit a three-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh to get ahead of Ohio State by two, 8-6.
- With one out in the top of the eighth, Erwin was walked and Henry Kaczmar was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Tyler Pettorini came in to pinch hit and singled up the middle on the first pitch he saw to load the bases for the Buckeyes. The runners were stranded, however, as the next two Buckeyes struck out.
- An RBI single added another run for the Hoosiers in the home half of the eighth, putting them ahead of Ohio State by three, 9-6. The Buckeyes threw out a runner at home to get out of the inning.
- Kern led things off with a single in the ninth and advanced to second, but the Buckeyes weren’t able to capitalize as they fell to Indiana, 9-6, in the first game of the doubleheader.
Buckeyes by the Numbers
- Kern led the Buckeyes with three hits. Erwin and Thomas each added two.
- Ernst had a team-high two RBIs.
- Gavin Bruni struck out four and allowed five runs on four hits in a 2.0-inning no-decision.
- Jonah Jenkins (3-2) took the loss on the mound. Jenkins fanned a season-high five and gave up two runs on four hits in 4.0 innings pitched.
Game 2: Indiana 7, Ohio State 5
Game Recap
- Pettorini hit a two-out single in the top of the first for OSU’s first hit of the game.
- Kaczmar and Okuley had back-to-back singles to open the third inning. Kaczmar, however, was picked off at first and Okuley was stranded as the game remained scoreless.
- Indiana took the lead in the bottom of the third inning, scoring on a groundout followed by a two-run homerun to get ahead, 3-0.
- Pettorini reached base after being hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. A single from Cole Andrews advanced Pettorini to third and put runners on the corners. With no outs, Thomas was walked to load the bases. A sac fly from Caden Kaiser scored Pettorini to put the Buckeyes within two, 3-1.
- Indiana added three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a five-run lead over Ohio State, 6-1.
- With one out on the board in the top of the sixth, Erwin doubled down the right field line. Kaiser followed that up with a single to center field and Erwin advanced to third. Kaczmar drew a walk to load the bases for the Buckeyes once again. Okuley drew a walk to send Erwin home and cut the Hoosier lead to four, 6-2. Kaiser scored on a groundout from Trey Lipsey to leave the Buckeyes trailing by just three runs, 6-3. Kaczmar scored on a wild pitch to add one more run for Ohio State in the sixth and put the Buckeyes down by two, 6-4.
- The teams went scoreless until the bottom of the eighth, when Indiana added one more run to get ahead by three, 7-4. The Buckeyes turned a double play to end the inning.
- In the top of the ninth, Kern had a solo homer to add another run for the Buckeyes, but it was not enough as they fell to the Hoosiers, 7-5.
Buckeyes by the Numbers
- Kern led Ohio State with two hits.
- Justin Eckhardt (1-3) took the loss. He struck out three while giving up six runs on six hits in 4.0 innings pitched.
- Jaylen Jones and Landon Beidelschies each fanned two in appearances out of the bullpen.
Up Next
- Ohio State returns to Bill Davis Stadium to host Xavier on Tuesday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. before hosting Minnesota for a three-game Big Ten series March 31-April 2.
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