IU baseball drops first of three in Jacksonville

In the first of a three-game series, the IU baseball team fell to Jacksonville 4-3 on Friday.

Both teams scratched across a run in the first inning, with junior second baseman Casey Rodrigue scoring the Hoosiers’ run on an RBI fielder’s choice by junior outfielder Ricky Alfonso.

After Jacksonville responded with runs in each of the first two frames, junior catcher Kyle Schwarber knotted the score with a home run deep over the right field fence, his second of the season.

An RBI single from Sam Travis allowed Schwarber to score again in the seventh, but it was not enough to overcome the Dolphins’ strong fifth-inning performance. In that inning, a throwing error and two doubles scored two Jacksonville runs.

Senior left-hander Joey DeNato started on the mound for IU, giving up three runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked five in the 101-pitch performance.

The two teams will face off again tomorrow at 2 p.m. Sophomore left-hander Will Coursen Carr is expected to start for the Hoosiers.

Alden Woods