For the second consecutive game, the Hoosiers fell behind in the first inning courtesy of a Brock Lundquist two-run home run.
For the second consecutive game, IU fought back to win.
Led by senior second baseman Casey Rodrigue, IU responded with eight runs to beat Long Beach State 8-5 and take the series.
“When a team’s back is against the wall, it has to show its true colors,” Rodrigue said. “Maybe we like the pressure? Maybe we respond better to a pressure situation? That’s great because in the playoffs it’s magnified 100 times.”
Rodrigue did everything Sunday, IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and two RBIs.
“It’s whatever we need at that moment,” Lemonis said. “If we need him to walk, he walks. If we need a two-out hit he’s getting a two-out hit.”
In the third inning, IU just needed someone to get on base and extend the inning. The first two batters of the inning were retired on three combined pitches.
Then, Rodrigue fell in an 0-2 hole, and it looked as though the IU starting pitcher Caleb Baragar was going to have to trot back out to the mound following a short rest after allowing Long Beach State to take a 3-0 lead.
But then, Rodrigue got hit by a pitch, which sparked a two-run rally for the Hoosiers.
“Watching him right now, he’s one of the better leadoffs in the country,” Lemonis said.
Rodrigue partially credited his success at the plate Sunday to getting his foot down early in his swing. When a batter does this, he can square the ball up, making Rodrigue’s job of trying to drive the ball easier.
He also said he was trying to be more patient at the plate, wait for his pitch and not swing at what the pitcher wants him to swing at.
“Not being too over-aggressive really and just trying to get an inning going and get somebody on base,” Rodrigue said. “Because when you’re over-aggressive it’s a quick inning and more momentum goes to the other team.”
Keeping the inning alive has been crucial recently for the Hoosiers, because of their two-out hits. Five of the Hoosiers eight runs Sunday came with two outs. Had a batter not battled at the plate or simply swung at the first pitch to end the inning, IU would have scored three runs Sunday.
IU might have lost the series finale against Long Beach State if not for the two-out hitting.
“Two-out hits win championships,” Lemonis said. “Over the last two weeks we’ve probably scored most of our runs with two outs.”
This two-out situation is similar to what the Hoosiers have faced the past couple weeks. With their backs against the wall, with two outs in their season, the Hoosiers have battled and won.
Every at-bat for every game has increased importance and increased impact, Rodrigue said.
“Every at-bat is magnified because you need that much more intensity to out-duel the pitcher,” Rodrigue said. “You just have to come out on top, and the hitting showed up the last three days.”
IU also came closer to clinching a spot in the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, when Iowa beating Minnesota 7-1. Minnesota is the final team that can knock the Hoosiers out of the top eight in the standings and out of the
tournament.
But Rodrigue and the Hoosiers are not concerned. Instead, their focus lies on the next week and increasing their chances of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re fighting for our lives right now, we’re kind of like a wild card team,” Rodrigue said. “Every win helps getting to the postseason, and hopefully we can run the table and hopefully not have to win the tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament.”
