Hoosiers take pounding in Ohio, use 7 pitchers

IU baseball coach Tracy Smith called on his pitching staff to improve after losing three of four against Illinois last weekend. But a trip east to Oxford, Ohio, only left Smith more frustrated, after Miami (Ohio) took the Hoosier pitching staff to the proverbial barn, scoring 10 earned runs in an 11-4 victory. \nThe RedHawks started fast, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings and knocking IU starting pitcher Doug Fleenor out of the game after only three innings. The Hoosiers answered with one run in the second and two in the fourth, cutting the score to 4-3. \nThat was as close as \nIU got. \nA home run by RedHawk left fielder Chris Nadeau in the bottom of the fourth pushed the score to 5-3, and three-run fifth and sixth innings widened a gap the Hoosiers did not close. \nSophomore third baseman Tyler Rogers’ RBI in the eighth – \nhis second of the game – did little to soothe the wounds the Miami lineup inflicted. \nThe RedHawks forced the Hoosiers to use seven pitchers on the evening, none lasting more than Fleenor’s three innings. \nAfter the game, Smith said his team’s struggles on the mound have him “concerned.” He reiterated that he thinks the skill is in place, but his players need to be more confident in their abilities. \n“Truly to me it’s mentality at this point,” Smith said. “It’s lack of confidence. When you’re not confident, it’s tough to execute.”\nNadeau caused his share of trouble for the Hoosiers, going 3-for-4 with a lone RBI coming on his home run. Designated hitter John Hornke also went 3-for-5. Miami had seven different players record at least one RBI, and 10 different RedHawks had at least one hit. \nHowever, Smith said it was the walks his staff surrendered – eight of them, to be precise – that frustrated him the most. He said he doesn’t think his team is being aggressive enough in the strike zone, something else he attributed to a lack of confidence. \n“It starts above the shoulders, getting the mind right, getting them to understand and believe,” Smith said. “You’ve gotta have some confidence.”