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Wrestling

Hoosiers lose final meets of season

Dropping two of the final three dual meets of the Big Ten regular season was not what the No. 18 IU wrestling team had in mind heading into the postseason.

The Hoosiers (15-7-1, 2-5-1) capped off the 2008-09 regular season being host to the defending national champion in No. 1 Iowa on Friday, followed by a dual meet with No. 12 Minnesota on Sunday.

Rally towels and the season’s largest turnout weren’t enough to vault the Hoosiers past the undefeated Hawkeyes. IU lost 24-12.

In the opening match, No. 3 Angel Escobedo lost in overtime to No. 5 Charlie Fleck of Iowa in a much-anticipated matchup. Escobedo (19-3, 6-2) fell to 2-3 all-time against Fleck.

Despite a major upset in the 141-pounds weight class as a result of senior Andrae Hernandez’s defeat of No. 2 Alex Tsirtsis of Iowa, the Hawkeyes proved to be both too strong and physical for the Hoosiers.

“I thought we wrestled hard and relatively well at times, but I also thought we conceded some matches and figured they were predetermined,” IU coach Duane Goldman said.

The Hoosiers were then unable to bounce back from Friday’s loss Sunday against Minnesota, falling 22-13 to the Golden Gophers (15-8, 5-3).

The Gophers recorded five decisions and one pin against the Hoosiers in Sunday’s contest.

Despite winning just seven matches in the course of two dual meets, IU will prepare for the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday at Penn State.
– By Frank Therber

Baseball

IU takes 2 of 3 to open season

IU coach Tracy Smith entered the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in Florida looking to see what his team was made of.

After winning two of three games 12-4 and 9-7, Smith left the Sunshine State feeling good about his team’s chances this season.

“We were disgusted with the way we played Friday, but to bounce back on the road and grab a couple wins was very good,” Smith said. “I like what I have seen so far.”

But while the Hoosiers finished the tournament strong, their first matchup against West Virginia did not go as planned as they fell 14-4.

Junior ace Matt Bashore gave up eight hits and six runs in the first three innings of play. Freshman pitcher Wyatt Hoff replaced Bashore and pitched four innings, giving up three hits and recording two strikeouts.

But by the time sophomore pitcher Kyle Leiendecker entered the game, the Hoosiers were trailing 8-2. Besides junior catcher Josh Phegley, who was 4-for-5 in the game, no IU hitter had more than one hit on the afternoon.

IU rebounded Saturday with a 12-4 victory against Georgetown. Junior pitcher Eric Arnett threw six innings, giving up only four hits and striking out a career-high eight batters.

Sophomore Jerrud Sabourin led the Hoosiers in hitting with three hits and two runs scored.

In the weekend’s final game, the Hoosiers defeated South Florida behind freshman Blake Monar’s pitching performance.

The Rockport, Ind., native gave up only three earned runs and had six strikeouts in five innings of his debut. Freshman Alex Dickerson contributed with three hits – including his first career home run – and four RBI.
– By Greg Rosenstein

Men’s Tennis

Hoosiers unable to roll through Alabama

Almost breaking the Tide, the No. 58 Hoosiers lost 4-3 to No. 20 Alabama on Saturday.

“To be honest, it’s really bittersweet because you realize you’re right there,” sophomore Santiago Gruter said. “The difference is almost nothing. We were right there against them.”

With two nationally ranked doubles teams, the Tide came into the match with an edge. IU did not win any doubles matches. The pair of sophomore Lachlan Ferguson and freshman Stephen Vogl lost 8-6 against Alabama’s No. 14 doubles team while the duo of senior Peter Antons and freshman Maxime Armengaud came close with an 8-5 loss.

Singles competition was closer. Three matches went to a third set. After leading the first set 5-3, Gruter battled back to win a second-set tiebreaker and won the match in the third.

“I was just thinking about playing each point at a time,” Gruter said. “I came up with some good shots, and he also got a little tight in the tie-break. That helped me turn around the match.”

Gruter praised Ferguson for defeating his No. 86-ranked opponent.

“He had a great practice week, and he definitely got ready for that match,” Gruter said. “It was a great performance for him.”

However, the Hoosiers were unable to earn needed wins.

“It’s tough to be positive about it, but I think the team came a long way definitely from last weekend when we lost to Kentucky,” Gruter said. “We weren’t close in that match. It’s the fifth 4-3 match we’ve lost. That sucks.”
– By Stephanie Kuzydym

Women’s Tennis

Top competition pounds IU

After breezing to a 7-1 start this spring season, the IU women’s tennis team has now dropped three straight.

The No. 44 Hoosiers suffered a 7-0 sweep Friday to No. 22 Tennessee. While the Hoosiers were unable to win a match in doubles, all three contests were close with the No. 1, 2 and 3 teams being defeated 8-6, 9-8, and 8-5, respectively.

Senior Alba Berdala and junior Lindsey Stuckey took their singles matches to three sets before falling, but the cream and crimson were unable to contest with the Lady Vols in singles, losing all of them.

Sunday did not fare much better for the Hoosiers, who lost to No. 20 Kentucky 6-1, again unable to win a match at doubles. The only win of the day came from sophomore Myriam Sopel.

Despite his team being roughed up, IU coach Lin Loring was optimistic about his team’s weekend competition.

“We played much better today, we were competitive is almost every singles match,” Loring said in an e-mail. “I think playing two top  25 teams on the road this weekend was a great learning experience for our team.”

Being swept in straight sets across the singles board, IU is now 7-4. With the Big Ten season in the weeks to come, the Hoosiers expect matches like they had this weekend.

“Every team on our schedule will be in the NCAA Tournament or on the bubble to get in,” Loring said. “We simply do not have one easy match remaining. Every player on every team will be good. We have to ready to raise our level of play.”
– By Stephanie Kuzydym

Softball

IU drops to 1-10 on season

Many say the first win is the hardest to get in sports.

On Friday at the Seminole Classic in Tallahassee, Fla., the IU (1-10) softball team was able to get exactly that, shutting out the UC Riverside Highlanders 6-0.

“Against Riverside we had runners on, stepped up and found a way to get it done,”  IU coach Michelle Gardner said.

Senior shortstop Emily Bergeson provided a spark for the Hoosier offense, hitting a grand slam in a five-run fourth inning. The lead was more than enough for sophomore pitcher Sarah Olsen, who delivered a complete game shutout and recorded a season-high five strikeouts en route to the Hoosier win.

Unfortunately for IU, the momentum of the victory did not transfer to the next three games as it fell to Florida State, Eastern Carolina and No. 4-ranked Michigan.

“Our bats just kind of went quiet,” Gardner said of her offense that put up three combined runs in the losses.

Gardner said there will be growing pains playing against some of the more elite teams in the country.

“We lost quite a few games but we are playing against tougher competition for a reason,” Gardner said. “It will work for us in the future.”
– By Connor O’Gara