Maryland right-hander Trevor LaBonte had only given up three homers in 40 innings entering Sunday’s start against Ohio State. Buckeyes center fielder Ridge Winand quickly changed that, hitting two in the first three innings to lead the Buckeyes to victory in a rubber match in College Park.

In his first two at-bats, Winand hit a solo shot and a three-run homer to give Ohio State a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning. The senior, who went 0-for-7 in Saturday’s doubleheader, previously had only one long ball this season.

LaBonte, a freshman no stranger to series-clinching opportunities — pitching in his sixth in nine starts this season — made two costly mistakes in an overall successful outing.

Although LaBonte only allowed four runs over six innings and Ohio State only scored once more, Maryland’s offense only produced one run in a 5-1 loss to drop a fourth straight weekend series at home.

“We knew how good Ohio State is and it just tells you how much you have to finish games when you have a chance,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “We had the chance yesterday to win the series and again, they battled back and showed a lot of toughness on their end.”

Maryland was six outs away from clinching a third consecutive conference series win on Saturday — a feat the program hadn’t accomplished since 2003. It led 8-4, hours after exploding for a season-high 20 hits to take the series opener in the first half of a doubleheader.

But the Buckeyes hit timely home runs to erase a late deficit to win the game in extras. Designated hitter Brent Todys hit a two-run homer at sparked a four-run comeback in the eighth. In the 11th inning, the sophomore went deep again to provide the game-winning hit.

Despite squandering a chance to take win the series before the weekend finale, Maryland was confident it’d erase the result from its mind with LaBonte on the mound. The Terps had won the previous two Sundays with him pitching, taking a pair of road series against Northwestern and Illinois.

But Maryland’s weekend struggles at home persisted, falling to 7-12 at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium this season. Unable to come from behind and erase Winand’s homers, the Terps dropped their fourth straight three-game series at home — the last successful weekend at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium coming in late February against Maine.

“Those two pitches are obviously the two I wish I could have back,” LaBonte said. “I was a little too middle with both of them. [Winand] put two good swings on them, so I paid for it.”

By the end of his start, though, LaBonte had settled into a groove and held the Buckeyes scoreless over his final three innings. Winand’s two homers accounted for the only run production off the Terps starter in six innings.

“I tried to put those two pitches behind me and just keep attacking guys and keep running off the plan that we had,” LaBonte said.

Right-hander Mark DuLuia allowed the only other Buckeyes run of the game in the top of the eighth, when right fielder Dominic Canzone doubled with two runners on. The sophomore pitched the final three innings and only allowed the one run, which was unearned.

That provided a chance to win for Maryland’s offense, which produced 23 runs in two games on Saturday. But it couldn’t replicate similar success against Buckeyes starter Griffan Smith, who tossed a complete game and struck out a career-high 10 hitters.

“I think that’s just baseball sometimes,” catcher Justin Vought said. “You’re going to be swinging the bat well like we did yesterday and bounced back today and [Smith] was throwing three pitches for strikes in the zone and we didn’t get that one big hit.”

Second baseman Benjamin Cowles hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the third and scored two batters later when shortstop AJ Lee bunted him home. But within reach for the entirety of the contest, the Terps left two runners on in the third and fourth innings.

Maryland went 0-for-8 with runners on base. Finishing with only four hits, the Terps only had two baserunners after the third inning — a double from Vought in the fourth a a walk from Vought in the sixth.

“As much as I would like to say we should’ve done more,” Vaughn said, “I have to tip my cap to how much [Smith] competed on the mound.”

Maryland baseball held leads over Ohio State in the eighth and ninth innings, but both times, the Terps watched those advantages disappear before Buckeyes designated hitter Brent Todys hit a game-winning home run in the 11th inning for a 10-9 win.

The Terps led 8-4 entering the top of the eighth, but relievers Elliot Zollener and Andrew Vail combined to concede the game-tying runs on a two-run homer, a sacrifice fly and a double.

Third baseman Taylor Wright used an infield single to bring in the go-ahead run for Maryland in the bottom of the eighth, but an unearned run in the top of the ninth that scored on a two-out RBI single extended the game to extra innings.

After Maryland left the bases loaded in the 10th inning, Ohio State’s extra-inning homer stole the middle game of the weekend’s three-game set, forcing a series-deciding matchup on Sunday.

It had been nearly two months since Maryland last won a game when right-hander Zach Thompson started. The Terps entered the second-half of Saturday’s doubleheader against Ohio State an abysmal 1-9 in games that junior had started — the only victory coming on Feb. 22 against Maine.

While Thompson’s 5.29 ERA isn’t an every-weekend winning formula, his offense was only providing 3.8 runs per game in his starts — the fewest among Maryland’s three weekend starters.

Maryland’s bats gave Thompson five runs in the bottom of the second, enough to backup the starter’s seven-inning, four-run performance. Instead, the Buckeyes late-inning success squandered a win for the junior.

Two of the first three Ohio State hitters homered to start the game, including one on the second pitch of the game hit by right fielder Dominic Canzone.

Maryland immediately looked as if it would retaliate in the bottom half of the frame, using three consecutive walks to load the bases with no outs. But after a Buckeyes mound visit, starter Seth Lonsway struck out the heart of Maryland’s order to escape the jam.

In the following frame, Maryland nearly blew another prime opportunity to even the score. After back-to-back singles put two runners on with one out, right fielder Michael Pineiro was picked off first base for the second out of the inning.

But rather than wasting another chance with a runner in scoring position, the Terps scored five runs with two outs in the second inning. Shortstop AJ Lee Wright hit two straight doubles, plating three runs to take a 3-2 lead.

One batter later, first baseman Maxwell Costes smashed a two-run homer over the scoreboard in left-center field to cement the five-run frame. It marked Costes’ second homer of the doubleheader, which put him in the team-lead with eight home runs this season.

Lee continued his hot afternoon when Maryland loaded the bases again in the third inning, this time using a bloop single to extend the Terps lead to 6-2. A Lonsway wild pitch handed over another run to the home team.

Left-hander Andrew Magno pitched the final four innings for the Buckeyes, striking out 11 hitters to claim the win. He ran into trouble in the bottom of the 10th when Maryland loaded the bases with only one out.

Magno dug deep, striking out Maxwell Costes and Josh Maguire to add another frame to Saturday’s doubleheader. Right-handed closer John Murphy, who pitched a season-long three innings, conceded the game-winning homer to Todys on an 0-2 count with two outs in the top of the 11th.

The Terps went down in order in the bottom of the 11th, as the series became even heading into Sunday.

Before Ohio State reliever Will Pfennig recorded an out in the bottom of the seventh, Maryland had scored five runs on five hits to turn a slim two-run lead into a comfortable advantage.

Shortstop AJ Lee, center fielder Randy Bednar and third baseman Taylor Wright — the Terps’ first three batters — all picked up their fourth hits of the game in the frame. First baseman Maxwell Costes smashed a three-run homer that marked Maryland’s 20th hit of the afternoon.

Even though Maryland starter Hunter Parsons conceded seven runs for the second consecutive weekend, another offense surge in a series opener powered the Terps past a sluggish pitching performance.

Left-handed reliever Sean Fisher held the the Buckeyes to one run over the final three frames, securing the save in a 14-8 Terps victory in the front-end of Saturday’s doubleheader. Maryland is now one win away this weekend from winning its third consecutive conference series.

When Parsons takes the mound every weekend, Maryland knows it’ll likely only need four runs to win the game. More often than not, that holds true. In seven of Parsons’ 10 starts this season, the senior has held opponents to three runs or fewer.

On Saturday, for the second consecutive weekend, that wasn’t the case.

One week after conceding seven earned runs over seven innings against Northwestern, Parsons allowed another seven runs against the Buckeyes in second straight uncharacteristic performance. But the Maryland offense picked up their ace, one who has essentially single-handedly won the team games over the last two seasons.

Lee, Bednar and Wright went 12-for 15 with a combined eight runs scored and six RBI. All but one Maryland hitter picked up at least one hit, and six of the nine recorded multi-hit games.

The Terps scored twice off wild pitches in the first inning against Ohio State starter Garrett Burhenn, a freshman who entered 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA. But the right-hander conceded a season-high eight earned runs and allowed a run in five of the six inning he pitched in.

After Ohio State tallied a run on a solo homer in the top of the second, Bednar drove in a run with a two-out double to make it 3-1 Maryland only two innings in. But the Buckeyes offense had the answer for Parsons and scored five runs off him in the top of the third to take a 6-3 advantage.

A two-out rally set up a two-run Bednar triple in the bottom of the fourth. Wright then bunt singled home Bednar to tie the game at six. Catcher Justin Vought and right fielder Michael Pineiro each picked up an RBI to reclaim an 8-6 lead through five.

Both teams exchanged a run in the sixth, the final frame for both starting pitchers. As relievers entered, the tides turned in Maryland’s favor for good. The Terps scored five runs off Pfennig in the five-run seventh, while the Buckeyes only scored once off Fisher and twice in the final six innings.

Maryland starting pitcher Zach Thompson was already halfway between the mound and the third-base line, but home plate umpire Mike Cerra still hadn’t budged.

Thompson and the Terps didn’t get the punch-out they needed, one that would’ve ended the third inning with Maryland down four runs but still in striking distance. Instead, the inning continued to the dismay of the home crowd at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.

And, of course, baseball’s brutality reared its ugly head after Thompson retreated to deliver another pitch, as Indiana right fielder Grant Richardson smashed the team’s fourth homer in the first three innings.

The power surge never stopped. By the time the Indiana sealed an 20-5 beatdown — Maryland’s largest defeat in eight years  — they had hit nine long balls to set up a decisive rubber match on Sunday.

First baseman Matt Lloyd and designated hitter Scotty Bradley each mashed two home runs, while Richardson hit three.

Indiana’s offense stayed in Bloomington an extra night before finally making its way to College Park for the middle of the three-game set. On Friday, Maryland pitchers Hunter Parsons and John Murphy held the Hoosiers to only two hits in a 2-0 shutout victory.

The Hoosiers eclipsed their Friday hit total before Thompson recorded an out. Center fielder Matt Gorski doubled to leadoff the game, second baseman Drew Ashley followed with a single, and Lloyd homered for the first time of the game to give Indiana a 3-0 lead.

Center fielder Chris Alleyne led off the bottom half of the frame with his fourth homer of the season, putting the Terps on the board. Maryland didn’t score again off Indiana starter Tanner Gordon, who allowed three hits over seven innings.

Even with Thompson over 40 pitches after a four-run first inning for Indiana, the game didn’t seem unsalvageable yet. Only Murphy, Maryland’s closer, had pitched the night before thanks to Parsons’ eight scoreless innings. Head coach Rob Vaughn had his entire bullpen at his disposal if Thompson couldn’t recover and give his team distance.

It didn’t matter, though. Maryland trailed 6-1 after Thompson exited in the top of the fourth after allowing a leadoff single, but the bullpen was just as unsuccessful as its starter.

Freshman Daniel O’Connor and sophomore Billy Phillips each conceded five runs and only recorded two outs apiece. Sophomore Mark DiLuia tossed 3.2 innings, but he also allowed two solo homers. Freshman Kody Milton pitched the final frame, and he allowed a solo homer that pushed Indiana to 20 runs — the first time Maryland has conceded that many runs since 2010.

Indiana scored in each of the first five innings, pulling away in a seven-run fourth and a five-run fifth, and led by 17 midway through the contest. The Hoosiers’ 20 runs on 18 hits were both the most this season, as they improve to 4-1 in conference play.

The Terps scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but the game was decided five innings earlier. Maryland’s 20 conceded runs are the most since April 27, 2010 against George Mason and its 15-run loss is the largest since a 16-0 defeat on Feb. 20, 2011 at the hands of Texas.

By the time right-hander Hunter Parsons exited his start against Indiana last season, he had significantly increased Maryland’s chances of reaching the Big Ten tournament. It still wasn’t enough.

He slightly outperformed eventual fifth-round MLB draft selection Jonathan Stiever, leaving the Terps with a crucial one-run lead in the final series of the season. But he handed the ball off to a bullpen that faltered in a four-run eighth, triggering a three-game sweep that eliminated Maryland from postseason contention for the first time in five years.

This season, Maryland’s postseason hopes depend on a positive display throughout conference play, which started on Friday against the same Hoosiers. With the sour taste of last year still lingering, Parsons only allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings before leaving with a two-run lead.

Closer Johny Murphy avenged the three-run, go-ahead homer he allowed in that devastating series opener against Indiana one year ago, and preserved the 2-0 Maryland victory to open Big Ten play.

“Guys understood that our postseason hopes were taken away by them last year,” Parsons said. “So to be able to start our Big Ten play going against them was just a lot of energy coming out of the dugout … just wanting to get after it.”

Parsons retired the first 12 batters he faced, setting the tone for a pitchers’ duel against Indiana senior Pauly Milto, who defeated Maryland in the second game of that crushing final series a season ago.

The Terps defense helped Parsons stay locked in, energizing the crowd at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, where Maryland had lost six straight games. It fell victim to sweeps against East Carolina and Creighton in consecutive weekends, and only scored two runs per game in that stretch.

But Maryland didn’t need many runs to take the series opener, especially after solid defense stopped Indiana’s best scoring opportunities. Right fielder Randy Bednar robbed a home run to begin the third and, one batter later, shortstop AJ Lee used his entire frame to leap and snag a line drive destined for the left-center gap.

“Early in the game I was scuffling and then Randy goes up and makes that play,” Parsons said. “It’s a reality check.”

The home team’s dugout erupted into cheers after both plays, as a dedicated fan waved a yellow flag with a bright red “M” into the sun-setting College Park sky. Parsons still hadn’t allowed a base runner before nightfall.

Parsons finally allowed a hit with one out in the fifth, and a leadoff double in the seventh was his only other blemish.

Early on, Milto was just as dominant as his counterpart, retiring all nine Terps one time through the order. But center fielder Chris Alleyne’s leadoff triple in the fourth disrupted the starter’s rhythm. Two batters later, third baseman Taylor Wright scored Alleyne on a well-executed safety squeeze to give Maryland a 1-0 edge.

“When we score first, we’re a really hard team to beat,” Alleyne said. “So that was the mindset … to safety [squeeze] to get the run in and that helped us out.”

Alleyne led off the sixth inning with a drag bunt that split Milto and second baseman Drew Ashley. Again, he came around to score, when Caleb Walls lifted a fly ball to left field with one out in the sixth.

Parsons issued a two-out walk in the top of the eighth with Maryland still leading 2-0, drawing head coach Vaughn out of the dugout to talk to his starter. At 112 pitches, Vaughn needed an honest answer from his veteran, and asked him if he had enough left in the tank for one more batter.

Parsons did, and used two more pitches to complete his eighth and final scoreless frame. Then, Murphy faced the heart of Indiana’s lineup in the ninth, working around a leadoff walk to earn his fifth save of the season.

And although Maryland is far away from knowing how this one result plays into its postseason fate this season, Parsons’ dominance reversed the struggles against the same Indiana team that abruptly ended its 2018 campaign.

“That was a heavyweight matchup. That’s what Friday nights are supposed to look like,” Vaughn said. “You’re going to get bruised and bloodied up a little bit, but Hunter didn’t blink.”