Those both changed in the 14th inning Wednesday when Evansville catcher Travis Tokarek singled to center field to score Eric McKibban from second base, who reached base after senior first baseman Scott Donley ?dropped a throw.
IU managed to load the bases in the bottom of the 14th after a walk and two infield singles. But freshman pinch hitter Christopher Lowe swung and missed on a fastball at the letters to end the game. IU (21-13) would lose 2-1 against Evansville (18-15).
“We’re not competing right now,” IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. “There’s just very little we can do offensively. We put on bunts and don’t get the bunt down, we put on a steal, we get picked off, we put on the hit and run, we don’t swing.”
IU’s bullpen held Evansville scoreless for nine innings, and even then, the run that scored in the 14th was ?unearned.
The pitching wasn’t at fault for IU, as it has been on occasion in the Hoosiers’ recent struggles.
“I thought we were pretty good on the mound tonight,” Lemonis said. “They’ve got a couple good hitters so I thought we competed well there for the most part.”
IU scored its only run in the first inning Wednesday, when Donley doubled to left center field to score senior Brad Hartong from ?second base.
Hartong nearly added three more runs in the bottom of the second. With two runners on and two outs, Hartong hit a 3-2 fastball deep to left center field.
But it looked as if the wind knocked the ball down, as Evansville left fielder Josh Jyawook caught the ball for the final out of the second inning with his back pressed against the outfield fence.
IU managed to put only three more runners in scoring position the rest of the game, two of which came in the 14th. The other came when senior outfielder Will Nolden reached second base in the bottom of the 12th with two outs. Freshman Demetrius Webb watched a slider spin by for strike three to end that chance, however.
“We’ve just got to get tougher,” Nolden said. “Right now we’ve got guys going up there with the wrong mindset and trying to do too much up there.”
Nolden said that ever since Big Ten play has started, the Hoosiers have been inconsistent. One night, the pitching will fail them. The next, the defense will the let the Hoosiers down, he said. Tuesday, and for the past week or so, it’s been the offense that’s failing.
“Lately it’s been our offense and our offense has been abysmal, and it’s pretty embarrassing and we’ve got to take control of it,” ?he said.
Lemonis said the Hoosiers need leadership in the batter’s box. He said the Hoosiers aren’t competing once the pitchers are standing 60 feet and six inches away. And if you’re not competing then, he said, there’s no way you’ll have success.
Nolden said the ?Hoosiers need to grow up at the plate. Right now, everyone is ?inconsistent.
And until that happens, Nolden said, he sees no end to the Hoosiers’ recent ?struggles.
“At the end of the day, we just have to grow up throughout the batting order,” Nolden said. “There’s guys that have been here for four years who are still immature at the plate and then you’ve got freshman who are immature, as well. We’ve all got to grow up.”
