The Terrapins softball team fell behind in the first inning against Ohio State for the third time this weekend and never recovered Sunday.
The Buckeyes exploded for eight runs in the third inning to widen the gap, eventually handing the Terps a 13-4 loss via the run rule in five innings.
Pitcher Brenna Nation allowed home runs in the first and third innings, and after she was removed in the third, Hannah Dewey surrendered a three-run triple. The Terps (7-23, 0-3 Big Ten) trailed 11-1 heading into the fourth.
Outfielder Sarah Calta, who went 2-for-3, hit an RBI single in the fourth. Then with two outs and the bases loaded, infielder Lindsey Schmeiser knocked a two-run single up the middle to cut the Terps’ deficit to 11-4.
Coach Julie Wright elected to bring in pitcher Madison Martin, who leads the team in ERA and pitched a complete game Saturday, to try and keep the team within striking distance. Martin threw one scoreless frame, but in the fifth she gave up a walk-off two-run home run.
The Terps allowed seven home runs in the three-game series. In their first 25 games, the team had only allowed 18 long balls.
Their loss to the Buckeyes (18-7, 3-0) on Sunday marked their eighth straight defeat. Next weekend, the Terps will return home to face Nebraska, which received votes in the last national poll, as they try to notch their first Big Ten win of the season.
