A day after dropping its opening game against Oklahoma, IU baseball trusted its co-captain to deliver the first win of the year.
Junior pitcher Pauly Milto took the mound for the Hoosiers against Kansas State on Saturday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Milto was able to give IU just what they needed, pitching six shutout innings en route to a 5-0 victory.
It took the Wildcats 5.2 innings to get their first hit against Milto. Following a leadoff walk in the second inning, Milto was able to retire the next 14 Kansas State batters before senior Jake Biller singled to centerfield.
After six strong innings, Milto was replaced by freshman pitcher Tommy Sommer who would finish the game for IU.
IU pitching also got the run support it needed. The Hoosiers picked up three consecutive singles in the second inning to jump out to an early 1-0 lead.
The highlight for the offense came in the fourth inning, however. IU was able to score four runs on three hits in the inning, highlighted by a home run from senior Logan Sowers. Dating back to last season, Sowers has now hit a home run in four consecutive games.
Junior Cade Bunnell and freshman Elijah Dunham both made their first career starts for the Hoosiers against Kansas State. Dunham did make a pinch-hit appearance in the season-opener against Oklahoma, but he picked up his first hit as part of a two-hit performance.
IU will continue the Brittain Resorts Baseball at the Beach tournament in Conway, South Carolina, tomorrow against No. 20 South Alabama.
Stefan Krajisnik
