IU baseball team loses 5 of 8 games during spring break

The Hoosiers earned three wins in eight games during their spring break trip to Southern California, and sophomore starter Joey DeNato earned two of those wins. His ERA on the season now sits at a 1.64 in five starts.

IU began its trip with a 7-3 win against Cal State Northridge. The Matadors scored all three of their runs in the first inning. IU chipped away at the deficit, taking a 4-3 lead in the fourth on an RBI groundout by junior left fielder Michael Basil.

On Saturday, March 10, IU committed seven errors in its 12-5 loss to Cal State Northridge.

IU dropped its next two games, and the Matadors rallied to win the series. IU committed 11 errors in the series.

San Diego won the first game of its two-game set 9-3 Tuesday, pushing IU’s losing streak to three games.

The Hoosiers responded Wednesday, winning 7-6 in 11 innings to preserve a series split against the Toreros.

IU traveled north to Los Angeles on Thursday. DeNato allowed one run on three hits in the series opener against Loyola Marymount, and IU won 3-1, giving the Hoosiers consecutive wins for the first time since February 18 and 19.

The Lions of Loyola Marymount swept Friday’s doubleheader 7-4 and 9-0, respectively. It wrapped up the Hoosiers’ spring break to Southern California. It was a trip in which they went 3-5 and committed 18 errors. Their record for the season now stands at 6-13.

— Micah McVicker