In the 100th regular season game at Bart Kaufman Field, IU used efficient pitching to secure its 77th win at the five-year-old facility.
IU defeated Middle Tennessee State 6-0 Sunday afternoon to capture the series win. The Hoosiers closed the weekend with consecutive wins against the Blue Raiders after losing Friday’s opener.
Freshman Andrew Saalfrank tossed six shutout innings for his first collegiate win, while sophomore third baseman Luke Miller recorded two RBIs to lead the Hoosiers.
Saalfrank began the game strong, striking out four through two innings. He benefitted from pitching with the lead from the second inning onward.
Senior Alex Krupa, one day removed from hitting his first home run as a Hoosier, hit his second career homer to lead off the first. Krupa’s blast mirrored yesterday’s, as both were solo shots to right field.
The Hoosiers doubled their lead in the fourth. Singles from freshman Matt Gorski and senior Craig Dedelow put runners on the corners for Miller, who delivered an RBI single to center field.
Saalfrank cruised through five innings, striking out six Blue Raiders.
Conversely, freshman pitcher Devin Conn lasted just four and one-third innings for Middle Tennessee. Conn was removed from the game in the fifth after runners reached second and third with one out.
His replacement, senior Cody Puckett, escaped the jam after striking out Krupa and getting Dedelow to pop out.
The sixth was the closest Saalfrank came to allowing a run. A leadoff double by senior Riley Delgado led to the Blue Raiders having a runner at third with one out.
However, Dedelow displayed his arm strength by gunning down Delgado as he tried to tag home from third on a fly out to center field. Dedelow’s throw bounced once on its way to sophomore Ryan Fineman, who applied the tag.
Sophomore Matt Lloyd, listed as an infielder on IU’s roster, entered for Saalfrank in the 7th. Lloyd had not pitched previously for IU, but he went 7-0 last season at Iowa Western Community College.
Lloyd pitched two innings while allowing just one hit.
Offensively, IU scored two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to pad its lead.
Fineman scored to make it 3-0 in the seventh on a throwing error after freshman Jeremy Houston laid down a bunt. Miller also drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-0.
The Blue Raiders again changed pitchers as sophomore A.J. Spencer entered.
Houston was credited with an RBI in the eighth after doubling to left field and scoring junior Logan Sowers. Finally, junior Laren Eustace recorded a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Junior B.J. Sabol pitched for IU in the ninth, preserving the shutout win. The shutout was the first for IU since April 20, 2016, when it defeated Xavier 8-0.
The win gives IU its first series win of the season and improves the Hoosiers’ record to 6-7-1.
IU opens a four-game series at Hawaii Wednesday.
Cameron Drummond
