March 31, 2006
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa baseball team dropped its Big Ten opener, 12-5, to Ohio State Friday at Banks Field.
Senior centerfielder Nate Price was the bright spot for Iowa, going 4-of-5 with a pair of runs scored.
The Hawkeyes struck first, taking a 1-0 first-inning lead by playing small ball. Price led off with a bunt single, then moved to second when second baseman Jason Zoeller sailed a throw to the fence. Price moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Travis Sweet, then scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Kevin Hoef.
Ohio State struck back in the top of the second, taking a 3-1 lead on a three-run home run from Zoeller. With one out, the Buckeyes got a pair of singles before Zoeller hit a pop fly that got up into the wind whipping out to right-center, carrying it over the fence.
The Hawkeyes struggled in the third, allowing four runs with a pair of errors, a hit batsman and a wild pitch. Iowa cut the lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the inning, bringing home a run with two singles and a throwing error.
The Buckeyes added three more runs with four hits in the top of the fourth to take the score to 10-2. Ohio State added another in the top of the sixth.
Iowa threatened a few times in the late innings, getting runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the sixth and seventh before getting turned away empty handed. The Hawkeyes posted a run in the eighth on an RBI groundout from Skyler Moss. Iowa got a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough.
Senior Luke O’Loughlin (1-3) took the loss, allowing ten runs off ten hits in four innings of work. Lefty Chris Zinn was solid out of the bullpen, giving up just one run on two hits in three innings.
The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes will return to action in a doubleheader tomorrow at 2 p.m.
GAME SUMMARYOSU 034 301 001 -- 12 14 2IOWA 101 000 012 -- 5 13 3
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