IU tops Minnesota 4-2, will face OSU

MINNEAPOLIS — Things got tense in the late innings, but Ryan Halstead allowed Hoosier fans to breathe the ultimate sigh of relief.

Halstead closed out Minnesota in the ninth for the school-record 21st save of his career, preserving IU’s 4-2 win over Minnesota in game five of the 2013 Big Ten baseball Tournament at Target Field.

The junior right-hander picked up his 11th save of the season, a school record for saves in a single season.

And yet it was Halstead’s unselfishness that IU Coach Tracy Smith was raving about. Smith said that Halstead never complained when freshman Scott Effross, who has five saves, was called on to close out a game.

“This guy probably could have shattered the record by now if we had not given the ball to Effross as much as we did in close situations,” Smith said. "So he’s a consummate team guy, but very, very rewarding, very deserving for him to get that because he probably could have had more.”

The top-seeded Hoosiers will play No. 2-seeded Ohio State at 8:05 ET Friday. The Buckeyes beat Nebraska 3-2 earlier Thursday in their first game of the tournament.

Minnesota closed the gap to 4-2 in the eighth on an RBI groundout by Andy Henkemeyer. The Gophers then mounted one last threat in the ninth with two outs.

Dan Olinger hit a ball off the fists that cued down the third base line. Junior third basemen Dustin DeMuth letting it roll in the hope it would go foul, but the ball instead kicked the third-base bag for a base hit.  

Michael Handel followed with a bloop single to right-center, putting the tying run on base, but Halstead shut the door by striking out Troy Larson looking.

?For the first time, Aaron Slegers started the first game of a series for IU, taking over the slot normally filled by experienced ace Joey DeNato.

Slegers (9-1) did not disappoint, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and no walks.

The plan to start Slegers — normally the team’s No. 3 starter — at the beginning of the series had been in the works for two weeks, however.

Smith said the team planned to go with whichever starter had been pitching well on the most consistent basis for IU’s first game of the tournament.

“I’d say it had more to do with what Aaron was doing, not with what (DeNato and left-hander Kyle Hart) weren’t doing,” Smith said. “But I think his numbers speaks for themselves. He’s a legitimate force out there.”

The Hoosiers (41-13) jumped on Minnesota left-handed starter DJ Snelten in the first, hitting three doubles. Chris Sujka doubled off the wall in left-center field to lead things off.

Three batters later, Scott Donley hit a ground-rule double to left that plated Sujka. Michael Basil added a sac-fly to right and Dustin DeMuth an RBI-double that hit the warning track in center and one-hopped the wall, giving IU a 3-0 lead.

“It’s just huge to get kick-started and we knew if we jumped to a lead right away, Slegers is gonna come out and do what he’s been doing all year,” Donley said.

Sujka’s and DeMuth’s double may have been a home-run in other ballparks, as Target Field’s dimensions (339 feet to left, 403 to center) are larger than the typical major league park.

Slegers said he was more than happy to get the early run support.

“That’s big for confidence, throwing strikes and just getting after hitters,” Slegers said “You don’t need to kind of pitch around anyone. When you got a lead to work with you can just let ‘em put the ball in play and pitch with some confidence.”

IU added a run in the 5th on an RBI single to center by Donley, who finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.

Snelton (5-2) took the loss for Minnesota (31-21). He gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.