Hoosiers lose 4th straight game

No. 19 IU lost its fourth straight game Wednesday at Bart Kaufman field, falling to Ball State 5-3.

The Hoosiers (26-8) have lost five of their last six games after their 18-game winning streak.

Not so coincidentally, IU Coach Tracy Smith said, sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber got hurt six games ago and has had limited playing time since his injury.

“I would love to sit here tonight and tell you it’s a coincidence, but apparently it is not,” Smith said. “As a competitor, that’s what I’m disappointed in with our group — we should be mentally tougher than that.”

Even though Schwarber is out, it shouldn’t have an impact on the team, junior infielder Dustin DeMuth said.

“It shouldn’t affect us at all,” DeMuth said. “Even without him we still have a stacked lineup, and for some reason right now we’re not playing as well as we should.”

IU’s defense was subject in the top of the third inning, as the Cardinals got three runs aided by two Hoosier errors.

 “We’re making a bunch of mental errors right now,” sophomore infielder Scott Donley said. “If we just focus in on the little details, we’ll be all right.”

Freshman pitcher Christian Morris made his first career start, and despite recording the loss, Smith said he liked how Morris performed

Ball State almost broke open the game in the top of the sixth. With runners on first and second with two outs, Elbert DeVarie hit a fly ball to left field that appeared to be over the head of left fielder Tim O’Conner.

While fully extended, O’Conner dove backward, robbing DeVarie of extra bases and allowing IU to get out of the frame unscathed.

IU’s offense responded in the bottom of the frame when DeMuth hit a two-run homer to left that narrowed the deficit to 4-3.

In the bottom of the eighth with two outs, DeMuth was again at bat when play was suspended due to lightning in the area.

After a more than three hour rain delay, DeMuth stepped back up at the plate at 8:15 p.m.

He hit a long fly ball to the right field warning track that came up just a few feet short of being the go-ahead home run.

“We’re down a little bit because we’re not winning right now,” Donley said. “But I got enough faith in this team, I know we’re going to pull it back together and get back on another streak.”