Baseball closes season after being swept by Illinois

The IU baseball team’s season came to an end during the weekend as the Hoosiers (30-25, 11-13) were swept in devastating fashion by Illinois (25-25, 15-9).

Needing one win to advance to the Big Ten Tournament, IU lost on walkoff home runs twice in the three-game series and lost 13-12 in the other game.

For the first time since 2008, coach Tracy Smith’s Hoosiers will have the last week in May off and can point to the three losing series in the Big Ten.

Despite winning five out of their eight conference series, the Hoosiers were swept in all three series they lost in 2011.

“I’m very, very disappointed,” Smith said. “The problem was getting swept in the three was just disastrous. But quite honestly, with the way that we played in those series, we kind of got the result that our play dictated. We didn’t play well, and therefore we aren’t in the tournament.”

The final weekend series of 2011 began Thursday with a 4-3 defeat. With the score tied at three in the bottom of the ninth inning, Illinois’ Casey McMurray hit a walk-off home run off IU closer Ryan Halstead.

Game two Friday was anything but a pitchers’ duel as IU and Illinois combined for 29 hits and 25 runs.

Leading 12-11 and six outs away from evening the series at one game apiece, IU’s bullpen allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth, and that, along with four Hoosier errors, proved to be the difference.

Saturday proved to be just like the series opener with some more late-inning Illini magic. The Hoosiers took a 5-3 lead in the seventh, but Illinois tied during their next at-bat.  

Illinois’ Matt Dittman sealed the fate on IU’s 2011 season with a two-run walk-off home run against junior Chad Martin, giving the Illini the 7-5 win and the sweep.

Junior Alex Dickerson, who is expected to enter the MLB Draft, finished his IU career off in style with his 47th career home run Saturday, tying him for the most in school history. Senior Jerrud Sabourin will leave as IU’s all-time hits leader.

“I don’t want their legacy to be that they didn’t make the tournament in their final years,” Smith said. “I’m sure they are just as disappointed, if not more than I am, to end their careers this way.”