Washington baseball knocks off Ohio State 8-6 at Big Ten Tournament

The Washington Huskies earned their first-ever win at the Big Ten Baseball Tournament on Tuesday night when they knocked off the No. 6-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes 8-6. Coach Eddie Smith's team needed just 6 hits on the day to get the job done, three of which came from catcher Ethan Swidler, who went 3-for-4 with a run batted in and 2 runs scored.

However, the hero of the day was center fielder Mic Paul, who capitalized on a pair of Buckeye errors in the ninth inning, including a dropped foul ball by catcher Mason Eckelman, by sending the next pitch he saw into the right field corner for a two-run triple to give UW the lead for good. Mic's got that DAWG in him. pic.

twitter. com/RYAd48Awto — Washington Baseball (@UW_Baseball) May 20, 2026 Out of the nine spot in the order, first baseman Casen Taggart only got one hit, but made it count, blasting a two-run home run as he went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and 3 runs scored. On the mound, Hayden Lewis gave the Huskies everything he had.

He worked 7 innings and let up 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts before he handed things over to the bullpen. Reliever Liam Lierman earned the win after working 2/3 of an inning and striking out both batters he faced, while Tommy Brandenberg recorded a save after a walk and 2 strikeouts in the ninth. Altho he won’t factor into the decision, Hayden Lewis provided @UW_Baseball with 7 strong innings, allowing 4 runs (3 ER) on 4 hits and a pair of walks with 6 Ks, he shows really good feel to command and manipulate his 83-86 CH allowing his 89-91 FB to play up pic.