Entering the season, IU Coach Chris Lemonis emphasized pitching and defense.
On Friday, IU (3-3) made five errors in a 5-2 loss against Presbyterian (6-2), and Saturday senior closer Ryan Halstead blew the save in the 11th inning against Furman (3-4) before allowing a walk-off RBI single in the 12th.
IU won 7-6 Sunday against Xavier on a walk-off of its own, but only after the bullpen surrendered a 6-2 lead.
“If you’re not mentally focused and ready to play then the game will punish you,” Lemonis said. “That was really just a poor effort on the weekend showing up and getting ready to go.”
Nearly every time IU made an error, its opponent scored a run. Friday, Presbyterian capitalized off three IU errors in the third inning to score three runs and take the lead. .
Both times IU made an error Sunday, Xavier scored. In the fifth inning, an error by junior shortstop Nick Ramos allowed former Hoosier Tim O’Connor to score. It was Ramos’ third error of the season, the most of any Hoosier.
While only two of IU’s eight errors were made by ?outfielders, Lemonis said one of his team’s biggest issues has been outfield defense.
An outfielder can still make mistakes and not make an error. Saturday night, with a runner in scoring position and two outs in the third inning, Furman hit a high fly ball to deep-left center field.
Senior centerfielder Will Nolden broke in. By the time he changed directions it was too late, as the ball landed out of his reach giving Furman a free run.
Nolden was removed in the fifth inning of that game and did not play against Xavier. Lemonis attributed his substitution to trying to get the best matchups on the field.
“It obviously bothers us a little bit, but we’re a tough enough team to bounce back from it,” sophomore Craig Dedelow said of IU’s defense.
IU also struggled with its bullpen pitching, specifically the bullpen’s ability to keep the leadoff runner off base.
IU allowed its opponent to score in 11 innings this weekend. In eight of those innings the leadoff batter reached base.
“We’ve got to do a better job attacking and getting the leadoff hitter out,” Lemonis said.
Oftentimes when a team gets its first batter of the ?inning on base against a bullpen pitcher, they try and get him in by any means possible.
This is because late in the game one run could be all a team needs to win. Four times when an opponent scored against IU, its leadoff batter had an extra base hit.
If a team hits a leadoff double, it can move him to third with a sacrifice bunt and then hit a deep fly ball to score him from third. One bad pitch and you’ve given up a run.
When Halstead entered the game in the 11th inning Saturday, the leadoff batter doubled to left center, later scoring to tie the game.
In the 12th inning, Halstead retired the leadoff hitter, but the second batter doubled to right center., later scoring to win the game.
Both runs came from a two-out RBI single. That meant he had recovered from the early doubles. He just couldn’t get the final out.
“I just don’t think he’s making good enough pitches when he has to,” Lemonis said. “I think the big part is that he’s giving up to many big hits in big situations.”
