For the second-straight game, walks haunted and a big-inning paved the way to a tough Buckeyes loss in College Park.

Ohio State (13-10) lost a 10-6 ballgame at Maryland (11-12) after a 7-run sixth inning broke the 2-2 game open. The Buckeyes also issued a combined nine walks while hitting four more batters, following a game at Michigan in which the pitching staff allowed eight free passes to the Wolverines.

“I wish I knew the answer to that,” head coach Greg Beals said. “Today was not very good. Maryland’s got a solid offensive team, so there’s some careful in the pitching, but not that much. They scored 10 runs off five hits, so the free base number was the difference in the ballgame.”

Eleven Terrapins dug into the batter’s box in the sixth inning, and despite just three of them finding hits, seven came around to score. Senior center fielder Chris Alleyne hit a 3-run double in the frame while three more scores were plated via wild pitch, hit batsman and passed ball.

Redshirt-sophomore and 2021 Perfect Game Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Sean Burke moved his record to 2-2 after tossing six innings of two-run ball, striking out nine across three hits.

“He’s a big-time prospect. Big, physical kid. The ball comes out of his hand really easy. The fastball’s got great ride, life to it,” Beals said. “We knew that was going to be a challenge. It was going to be a challenge to our hitters, it was going to be a challenge to [junior Garrett] Burhenn to go toe-to-toe with him, and I thought we did that. I thought we went toe-to-toe with him. After five innings, we’re 2-2 and right in the ballgame. That sixth inning just totally imploded on us.”

For the Buckeyes, redshirt-senior catcher Brent Todys went deep for the first time this season, connecting with a solo home run to begin the top of the seventh inning. Redshirt-senior first baseman Conner Pohl also added a big fly, and sophomore right fielder Mitchell Okuley matched him with the sixth home run of his season on a three-run shot in the ninth.

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Burke welcomed the Buckeyes with a healthy dose of inside pitches in the top of the first. The right-hander threw eight of his 13 pitches for strikes, needing just three to get junior shortstop Zach Dezenzo to go down swinging.

Burhenn matched his counterpart in the bottom half, cruising to a 1-2-3 first inning of work using the same number of pitches.

Pohl clubbed his then-team-leading sixth home run with one out in the top of the second, quickly giving the Buckeyes their first run on their first hit.

The Terrapins manufactured a run in the bottom half of the second. Junior shortstop Benjamin Cowles was hit by a pitch with two outs, then raced around the bases to tie the game on sophomore left fielder Tucker Flint’s RBI double to the wall in right-center field.

Just one inning later, Maryland took a 2-1 lead when Alleyne walked with one out, stole second, took third on a flyout, then scored when Pohl couldn’t pick the short throw from Dezenzo at shortstop.

Burke had cruised through the third and fourth innings, striking out five of the seven batters he faced, including all three in the former frame.

But, the Terrapins pitcher ran into trouble come the fifth inning. Todys, who picked up three hits in the weekend series at Michigan, laced a one-out double to the right-center field gap before advancing to third on graduate left fielder Scottie Seymour’s walk, which saw the fourth ball bounce away from senior Justin Vought behind the plate.

Junior third baseman Nick Erwin laid down a safety-squeeze bunt just in front of Burke on the mound in a 0-1 count, and it was enough to get Todys to score and tie the game at two.

Come the bottom of the sixth, Burhenn allowed a leadoff single to freshman first baseman Matthew Shaw before getting two quick groundouts on four pitches.

Then, the Buckeyes had trouble commanding the strike zone.

Cowles drew a five-pitch walk, prompting Beals to lift Burhenn for graduate left-handed pitcher Patrick Murphy. Murphy, who entered with a sub-3.00 earned-run average, didn’t putout any of the five batters he faced, walking three while hitting another and allowing the 3-run double to Alleyne.

Redshirt-senior righty Joe Gahm entered after a four-pitch walk to senior right fielder Randy Bednar, then allowed an RBI single after Bednar swiped second.

Among the five Buckeyes pitchers thrown Friday, perhaps it was freshman right-hander Trent Jones who flashed on the mound.

Firing cross-body from the rubber, Jones retired four of the five Terrapins hitters he faced, with a single to junior first baseman Maxwell Costes the only blemish. Beals said Jones has also participated in two-way work in the outfield.

“Really, just a competitor and an athlete,” Beals said. “He was throwing strikes. We need that. You come in, throw strikes, get guys out, you’re gonna get the ball back faster. Players make coaches make decisions, and Trent Jones is making me make some decisions.”

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Maryland junior right-hander Sean Heine relieved Burke after the long sixth inning, and immediately allowed a solo home run to Todys to begin his outing.

Senior second baseman Tommy Gardiner hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the seventh to get back the run allowed in the earlier portion, and the game remained at 10-3 until Okuley stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth.

Okuley drove his sixth home run — tying Pohl once again for the team-lead — to right-center field and cut the deficit to 10-6.

Graduate right-hander Elliott Zoellner needed two pitches in relief to seal the game’s final out, a 5-3 groundout off the bat of Dezenzo.

Ohio State left six runners on base while Maryland stranded seven, and both teams recorded just five hits. All of the Buckeyes' base knocks went for extra bases, but their 13 strikeouts were the most since their March 20 loss at Rutgers.

“I feel like our team is at a moment where we’re fighting too hard and not just playing the game,” Beals said. “We’ve talked about that. That’s going to be our challenge tomorrow is come out and just play the game and not fight the game, not fight ourselves; just compete and play the game.”

The Terrapins will host the Buckeyes for the middle game of the series beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. Redshirt-junior left-handed pitcher Seth Lonsway will make his seventh start of the year against Maryland sophomore righty Nick Dean, who has struck out nine in 12.1 innings this season.