IU’s sluggish start to the season continued as the Hoosiers dropped two of three ball games in Birmingham, Alabama, to Samford this weekend to fall to 4-6-1.
The Bulldogs, now 5-5, claimed the rubber match Sunday and defeated the Hoosiers 5-3 while outhitting the visitors 10-7.
Seven Hoosiers got into the hit column, but not a single one was able to record multiple hits in the final game of the series, and once again, the team struggled to rack up hits in bunches.
IU went 2-18 with runners on base, 2-13 with runners in scoring position and 1-9 with two outs. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, went 6-14 with two outs.
Getting on base to start innings wasn’t an issue for the Hoosiers, who saw five of nine leadoff batters reach base. The problem that has stuck with the team thus far this season has been converting on these opportunities when runners are on base.
IU left 11 batters stranded on base during the game, eight of which were left in scoring position.
Sophomore pitcher Stephen Jones picked up the win for Samford, pitching five strong innings and giving up four hits and just one run, which was unearned.
On IU’s side, freshman pitcher Andrew Saalfrank earned the first official decision of his college career in the loss. He also lasted five innings and gave up four hits; however, he allowed two earned runs and three total.
Senior pitcher Luke Stephenson returned from a day-to-day injury, a blister on his finger that had sidelined him since his last appearance against Gonzaga on Feb. 19.
He was only able to record one out but loaded the bases and allowed Samford’s fifth run to score on a bases-loaded hit by pitch. Junior Austin Foote entered the game to relieve Stephenson and escaped the jam by forcing a fly out, then a strikeout.
Samford junior Wyatt Burns collected his fourth save of the year in a long outing for a close. The righty finished with 2.2 innings pitched and struck out three Hoosiers, including setting down IU junior right fielder Logan Sowers then sophomore catcher Ryan Fineman consecutively to end the ballgame.
IU’s bats were on fire to begin the series and the team scored double-digit runs in a convincing 10-5 win Friday in the weekend’s opener.
The Hoosiers were in prime position to clinch the series victory Saturday afternoon when they got off to a 5-0 lead over the Bulldogs. But, Samford chipped away starting in the sixth inning and went home with a 6-5 victory after a walk off three-run home run .
After dropping the rubber match Sunday, IU returns to the field Tuesday in Evansville, Indiana, as it takes on the Evansville Purple Aces.
Spencer Davis
