DeNato shines - again - in game one win

Senior starter Joey DeNato now owns three of the most significant pitching records in IU baseball history.

IU (23-11, 9-1) beat Michigan State (20-15, 5-5) in game one of their three-game stint Friday night 7-0. The Hoosiers combined timely hitting with another masterful DeNato – 8 innings pitched, 5 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, 0 runs on 113 pitches.

Already this season, DeNato broke a couple of IU records. His 32 wins and 261 strikeouts are most for any pitcher in IU’s 119-year history. Against Michigan State on Friday night, DeNato’s career innings count went to 324 – setting another IU record.

“Actually I didn’t know about the innings pitched (record),” DeNato said.

DeNato had a rocky start to the game. The Spartans had the bases loaded in the top of the first with just one out, but DeNato got a key strikeout to make it two outs.

Then a Spartan batter tried to execute a suicide squeeze, but he whiffed on the bunt attempt. The runner on third, charging home, was caught in a precarious situation. Junior catcher Kyle Schwarber threw to third and senior third baseman Dustin DeMuth tagged out the runner, ending the Michigan State threat.

In the first inning it took DeNato 25 pitches to ultimately get through the frame unscathed. Through the rest of the game, DeNato settled down and stymied all potential Spartan rallies.

As for the difference between the first inning and the rest of the game, IU Coach Tracy Smith had a simple explanation as to why that happened.

“That’s just baseball,” Smith said. “I don’t think there was anything major that I would attribute that to. The good part of it is: he doesn’t let that stuff bother him.”

Only two Hoosiers gave DeNato run support, and it was two unlikely suspects.

Junior outfielder Will Nolden went 2-for-3 with four RBI and sophomore shortstop Nick Ramos went 1-for-4 with a two-run homerun and a sac fly to total three RBI on the day.

The bottom of the order came up big for the Hoosiers and picked up the slack of the top of the order. Hitters 1-through-5 went a combined 4-for-17 on the day.

“I thought Will Nolden had one of the better games from him that I’ve seen,” Smith said. “Just in terms of focus at the plate … that was nice to see from him sitting down here in the seven-hole.”

In Nolden’s first at-bat, he roped a line drive to right-center field – in between two Spartan outfielders. Nolden hustled around the base paths, and recorded a stand-up triple to score two Hoosiers.

Nolden knew pretty soon he was going to round second and continue to third.

“Right off the bat,” Nolden said. “I kinda knew I was going three because I saw both the outfielders with their backs turned, and that’s the biggest part of the ballpark.”

The series continues tomorrow from Bart Kaufman Field. IU’s Christian Morris – 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA – will go against Spartan starter Justin Alleman – 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:05.