IU continues series against OSU after Thursday win

Game two pits IU lefthander Kyle Hart (4-4, 3.52 ERA) against OSU lefty Brian King (4-4, 4.33 ERA). The game will be broadcasted live over BTN.com, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m.


Thursday

Indiana baseball (28-26 overall, 14-8 Big Ten) clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament by with a dramatic comeback over the Ohio State Buckeyes (31-23 overall, 11-11 Big Ten) Thursday, erasing a seven-run deficit over the sixth and seventh innings for a 10-8 victory.

Closer Johnny Hoffman (6-1) got the win in relief for Indiana. Righthander Greg Greve (3-3) took the loss for OSU.

IU sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run seventh inning to reduce OSU’s lead to one, 8-7. In the bottom of the eight, Freshman first baseman Sam Travis roped a go-ahead two-run double down the third baseline off Greve to give Indiana its first lead of the day, at 9-8.

“I was just looking for the first available pitch to hit a sac fly to tie the ballgame up, but he gave me a pitch I could hit hard and thankfully it went through the infield,” Travis said.

The hit released some frustration for Travis, the team leader in RBI. In his first two at-bats, Travis grounded into inning ending double plays, including in the fifth when the bases were loaded. But he didn’t let it get him down.

“I just try not to let it bother me,” Travis said. “As long as the team is doing well, I’m doing well. As long as we’re wining or in the game, I’m fine with that.”

The Buckeyes jumped out to an early 4-1 lead through three innings off Hoosier starter Joey DeNato. In the second, David Corna ripped a one out solo home run and Kirby Pellant followed with a single up the middle.

A wild pickoff attempt that got away from Travis moved Pellant to third, who then scored on a Greg Solomon RBI double to make it 2-0 Ohio State. A Tim Wetzel RBI single that skipped just underneath DeNato’s glove made it 3-0.

In the third, Ohio State took advantage of more Hoosier defensive lapses. Brad Hallberg doubled over the head of leftfielder Will Nolden, who misplayed the ball badly. Nolden initially twisted the wrong way and could not recover in time to make the catch.  Two batters later, Corna blooped an RBI double that fell in front of a late-breaking Nolden.

Nolden was replaced in the lineup by Tim O’Connor to lead off the bottom half of the inning.

“Will can make plays, he just hasn’t playing well defensively,” head coach Tracy Smith. “That’s a concern for us because we like what he’s doing offensively but when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, you gotta take outs when you can get outs. Will’s gonna have a chance to get back in there; I don’t think there was anybody more disappointed than he was.”

IU got on the board in the bottom half of the inning when catcher Kyle Schwarber knocked in Chris Sujka. After a Travis single, Schwarber was picked off at second by Buckeyes catcher Solomon, killing the two-out rally.

In the fifth, OSU designated hitter Mike Carroll led off with a single but was gunned down by Kyle Schwarber after trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. Schwarber’s defense ultimately saved a run, as Brad Hallberg then drilled a solo shot to left to make it 4-1 OSU.

A walk to Patrick Porter and single by Kirby Pellant meant the end of DeNato’s day, who was pulled in favor of right hander Matt Dearden. He promptly struck out Solomon to work out of a jam.

DeNato worked 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing 5 runs, all of them earned, on 11 hits. He struck out two and walked two in 90 pitches.

Ohio State would tack on two more runs in the sixth (one earned) off Matt Dearden and one in the seventh off Walker Stadler, leaving IU in an 8-1 hole that looked insurmountable. Through six innings, Buckeyes starter Jaron Long had allowed just one run on seven hits, all singles.

But Long lost his command and started leaving the ball up in the zone, opening the door for the Hoosiers.

Sophomore second baseman Dustin DeMuth led off the first inning with his first career homerun, a blast to right that energized the dugout.

“When DeMuth hit that out, we were all on our feet, just going crazy,” Dooney said.

But even DeMuth couldn’t predict what was to follow his blast.

“At the time, you look back thinking, ‘We’re down 8-2, not that big of a deal,” DeMuth said. “Everyone followed that and put the ball in play more. He (Long) got tired, his movement went away and he started leaving balls over the plate; everyone just rallied around it and the rest is history.”

Singles by O’Conner and Sujka followed by Long hitting Justin Cureton with a pitch loaded the bases for Schwarber. He ripped a bases-clearing double to reduce the Buckeye’s lead to three, 8-5.

Long, who came in with an ERA of 1.85, was pulled following Schwarber’s double in favor of righthander David Fathalikhani. Long pitched six innings, allowing six runs (all earned) on 11 hits, with two walks and two strikeouts over 107 pitches.

Later in the inning, Scwarber scored on a muffed pickoff attempt of Micah Johnson at first base to make it 8-6. Johnson advanced to second, and scored on a Dillon Dooney RBI single that cut the Buckeyes lead to one, 8-7. 

After a Michael Basil single and Dustin DeMuth RBI single, O’Connor poked a single through the right side.  Smith waved around third Dooney, not know for his speed. Dooney was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw by Corna in right field, preventing the tying run from scoring.

But Dooney knew IU wasn’t done there.

“When we got down by one, our team is so strong one through nine-- we all hit, we all swing the bat, put the ball in play-- I knew we were going to come back from that,” Dooney said.

A Chris Sojka walk and error at third by Hallberg on a bunt by Cureton to open the bottom of the eight allowed Schwarber to sacrifice both runners into scoring position.

Schwaber’s execution on the bunt paid off  the next at-bat, when Travis delivered the go-ahead blow, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

“Big Kyle (Schwarber) is actually one of our best bunters,” Smith said. “It was a little tough, but there’s probably only one or two times per year you ask that big donkey to bunt, and that was one of them.”

Dooney sealed the victory with an RBI single to plate Travis and make 10-8 IU. For the game, Dooney went 4-5 with two RBI.

Hoffman allowed just one hit over the final two innings to earn the win.