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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports baseball

Hoosiers can't overcome mistakes in loss to Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A couple mistakes can change the course of a game, a season possibly.

Saturday, IU made one mistake too many in its 6-4 loss against Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Perhaps the most crucial of the Hoosier mistakes came in the ninth inning. Senior pitcher Luke Harrison had just entered a tie game, trying to get the game to the bottom of the ninth

After striking out the first batter, Harrison allowed a 1-out double. The next batter up was Dansby Swanson, a junior projected by many to be the first overall pick of the Major League Baseball Draft in June.

With first base open, an intentional walk would have set up a potential inning-ending double play and allowed Harrison to avoid a hitter who hit four home runs in the SEC Tournament a week prior.

Instead, Lemonis elected to let his senior pitch to Swanson. The result? A first-pitch hanging curveball being sent into the left field bleachers, giving the Commodores the 6-4 lead they would later close out in the bottom half of the inning.

“We were trying to pitch around him, we just didn’t make the pitch,” Lemonis said. “We should have had the catcher stand up and do that intentional walk but we were trying to pitch around him at that point. He just left the ball over the plate and a good player hit it.”

The first mistake came earlier in the game. After working out of trouble earlier in the game, IU junior starting pitcher Christian Morris once again found himself with Commodores on base.

After allowing leadoff single to start the inning, Morris had the task of dealing with Swanson. After getting Swanson down 0-2 in the count, he battled back and drew a walk to load the bases.

“It’s a pretty dynamic offense so once they get clicking in there they move pretty quick,” Lemonis said.

Move quick the Commodores did.

Three of the next hitters drove in runs, turning what was a 3-0 IU lead into a 4-3 deficit.

“We were trying to get Effross ready but it just happened pretty quick,” Lemonis said. “We felt like he could get through that inning an o but that last AB he left the ball up that’ when I knew.”

After Effross entered he shut Vanderbilt own. All in all, the right-hander pitched 51 scoreless inning while striking out four.

“Once you get rolling out there you get in a rhythm and start throwing your secondary stuff a lot better,” Effross said.

The Hoosiers battle back, eventually tying the score at four thank to a RBI groundout by edelow who had three RBI during the game.

But ultimately, Swanson’s late home run was the difference. The Hoosiers went down tamely in the bottom of the ninth, also thanks to a nice defensive play from Swanson at short stop for the first out.

Sunday, the Hoosiers will be tasked with possibly two elimination games, the first a rematch against Radford at 4 p.m.

Lemonis said he doesn't know who will start the game, but the the Hoosiers have multiple options still available.

One thing the Hoosiers, especially Dedelow, know is that the IU will not have any trouble re-focusing against Radford.

“I mean we are a great team and the last couple weeks our backs have been up against the wall, and we responded pretty well to that," Dedelow said. "So, I think it will be pretty easy for us.”

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