It was a pitching duel Tuesday at Bart Kaufman Field that saw No. 24 IU knock off No. 7 Louisville 3-0 in IU Coach Chris Lemonis’ first meeting against his ?former team.
The game ended in dramatic fashion as Halstead recorded back-to-back strikeouts to bring IU’s total to 12 — the number needed for all fans to receive a free combo meal at Chick-fil-A.
“He’s gotta feed the people,” Effross said. “They were already getting sandwiches, but they were probably getting hungrier. He’s just money at the end of the game, so I knew he was going to get that strikeout.”
Effross pitched four innings in just his second start after missing two because of soreness. Lemonis said he planned to limit him to four innings. He allowed no runs on two hits while striking out five.
“I thought he was great,” Lemonis said. “We knew he was only throwing four innings at the most, but I was tempted and wondering, ‘Should we throw him back out there?’ But we’re trying to keep him ready for Big Ten play.”
IU (16-5) did not commit an error after having eight in its last game against Penn State. Freshman Isaiah Pasteur, who had three, played a clean game and was responsible for each of IU’s runs. He went 2-for-2 with two home runs, a walk and three RBIs.
“It’s good to bounce back after a tough loss,” Pasteur said. “I just did what I could to help the team win. (The win) gives us a lot of confidence, obviously we have to move on to the next game, to the next series. We just need to keep it moving.”
Freshman Austin Foote and senior Luke Harrison bridged the gap between Effross and Halstead. Foote went 2.1 innings and struck out four, and Harrison threw 1.2 innings.
“It’s been us all year long,” Lemonis said. “When we pitch like that we can beat anybody, and we showed it today.”
Effross said he feels great and would be able to pitch this weekend at Iowa should the coaches call on him. He said his slider was what enabled him to pitch so effectively against the ?Cardinals (18-7).
“That was a good pitch for me today,” Effross said. “I was happy with my performance. I’ve been working on it with Coach Bunn. I’ve just been developing that pitch into something I can use for strikeouts, and I was happy I was able to get some punch-outs with that pitch.”
The win against a top-10 team boosted the Hoosiers up five spots to No. 34 in ?the RPI.
“It’s huge for our guys — we’re building a résumé,” Lemonis said. “I keep saying it every time we beat a Louisville or a Cal State Fullerton or a Stanford. It just gives us ammunition for the end of the year. It’s hard playing all those guys on the field that you recruited and coached, but I’d rather win than lose.”
