Catcher goes 5-5, hits for the cycle

Behind an explosive offense, the Hoosier baseball team won two of its three games at the Austin Peay Invitational this weekend in Clarksville, Tenn. \nIU scored 31 runs over three games, more than half of which came yesterday against Valparaiso in a 17-14 win.\nHitting out of the cleanup spot, sophomore catcher Josh Phegley went 5-for-5 and hit for the cycle in the victory over the Crusaders. It was the first cycle by an IU player since 2005.\n“It was the first time I had ever done it, but I didn’t really think about it much,” Phegley said after the game. “I caught a couple of breaks, but I was picking the ball up really well out of the pitcher’s release.”\nIU crossed six runners in the third to take a 9-3 advantage, but Valparaiso responded with seven runs in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead.\nIn the fifth, Phegley knocked in his fourth and fifth RBIs of the day as IU notched five runs to take the lead to 14-10, a lead which they would hang on to for the rest of the contest.\nOn Friday, the Hoosiers were crushed by the Illinois State Redbirds 12-5.\nJunior center fielder Andrew Means had three hits, including a pair of triples, and sophomore infielder Michael Early had two RBIs. But the Hoosiers could not match the firepower of \nthe Redbirds.\nWith the score knotted at five runs apiece in the sixth inning, Illinois State gathered six consecutive base hits and a walk, taking the lead for the final time in a game which already saw the Hoosiers come back to even the score twice. \nIllinois State then notched the final two runs of the contest in the seventh.\nIU sophomore pitcher Matt Bashore watched as the Hoosiers used five pitchers in the contest, trying to cool down the Redbird bats.\n“They really swung the bat well,” he said. “You have to give it \nto them.”\nBehind Bashore, the Hoosiers rallied back on Saturday, beating tournament host Austin Peay State 9-1. \nThe southpaw pitched six innings of shutout baseball, allowing four hits and three walks, while striking out five.\n“It felt good (to get the win)” Bashore said. “But it was frustrating walking three guys and getting my pitch count up.”\nBashore’s season ERA now stands at .083, as IU let up the fewest amount of runs in a game this season.\nIU coach Tracy Smith said Bashore is talented because he can cover up his team’s mistakes, and that makes him “one of the best around.” \nSenior pitcher Chris McCombs and sophomore pitcher Chris Squires combined for three innings in relief with five strikeouts, allowing only one hit and one walk a piece. Squires struck out the side in the ninth to close out the game. \nOn the offensive side, Means added three more hits to his weekend total, as the Hoosiers’ top four hitters combined to go 10-for-18 at the plate with seven runs scored and seven RBIs.\nIU lived and died by its top four hitters this weekend. Phegley, Means, sophomore infielder Evan Crawford and freshman outfielder Kipp Schutz hit for a combined 5-for-18 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the Hoosiers’ loss to Illinois State. But the four hit 21-for-39 with 15 RBIs and 16 runs during the next two victories. \n“The top four hitters are obviously going to be the ones who carry us consistently, but we are looking for the rest of the lineup to hit well also so we can put teams away,” Phegley said.\nWith the two wins this weekend, the Hoosiers’ record stands at 3-3, and Smith has the apprehensions of a coach whose team has a record over .500.\n“I don’t think we have played particularly good baseball, even this weekend,” he said. “One positive is that we haven’t played well but have still managed to win. I guess that is our silver lining.”\nThe team’s next contest will be Wednesday against Indiana State at 3 p.m.