Baseball wins in first round

In the first round of the Big Ten tournament, No. 1 seed IU defeated No. 8 seed Iowa, 5-2.

The win means the Hoosiers will move on to play the winner of the Michigan–Minnesota game tonight. The first pitch is scheduled for 10 p.m.

IU (39-13) is the No. 1 seed in the double elimination conference tournament for the second consecutive year. The Hoosiers rode ace Joey DeNato’s performance in their takedown of Iowa.

DeNato threw another gem. His line included eight innings pitched, seven hits, two runs, one earned run, no walks and a season-high nine strikeouts on 106 pitches.
DeNato, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, improves to 12-1 on the season.

On the Big Ten Network postgame show, IU Coach Tracy Smith said going into the game, “Our plan with Joey was, let’s probably use him one time (in the Big Ten tournament).”

This means in all likelihood, Smith will not opt to use DeNato in a potential Big Ten tournament championship game May 25, if the Hoosiers advance that far.

During the game, DeNato etched his name into the Hoosier record book once again.

He already picked up the record for most career innings pitched earlier this season, but during the Iowa game, DeNato passed former IU pitcher Eric Arnett for most innings pitched during a single season for any IU pitcher.

Despite having two errors of his own early in the game, DeNato was able to keep the Hawkeyes scoreless in the final four innings he tossed.

On the offensive end, leadoff hitter and second baseman Casey Rodrigue was able to pace the Hoosiers’ offensive attack.

Rodrigue went 3-for-3, recording a single, a double, a triple and a walk. The LSU-Eunice transfer also added two RBI.

Shortstop Nick Ramos continued his hot play. He went 2-for-4 on the day, and in his past five games, the Tampa Bay, Fla., native is hitting .412, or 7-for-17, in the stretch.

As the Hoosiers look ahead to the round two matchup, they will face either Michigan or Minnesota.

IU beat both Michigan and Minnesota in three-game series in the regular season. The Hoosiers took 2-of-3 from the Gophers and from the Wolverines at Bart Kaufman Field.

If the Hoosiers win tonight’s game, they will not play until 2 p.m. Saturday.

If the Hoosiers lose tonight’s game, they will play at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Both of the potential games will be aired on BTN.