The Hoosiers and Bulldogs met for the first time this season in Florida when IU scratched out a 2-1 victory from a misplayed fly ball to left field to walk off a winner in the ninth.
On Wednesday, when Butler visited IU, the offense was on full display.
With the wind howling out to left field during the entire game, IU launched five balls into the jet stream and out of the park to power its way past the Bulldogs, 27-1 in its best offensive output on the season. The Hoosiers are now 10-9 on the season.
“It was one of those nights where everything fell in for us,” IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. “We were able to play a lot of guys, the guys that came off the bench hit well, so it was nice to see.”
After a four run second inning, junior first baseman Austin Cangelosi started the home run parade with his first one of the game to put the Hoosiers up 6-0. Before the Bulldogs could escape the inning, they were buried in a 9-0 hole.
Freshman designated hitter Scotty Bradley powered a two-run shot in the fourth inning, his first career home run, to put the Hoosiers up double digits for the first time in the game.
Senior shortstop Brian Wilhite extended his hitting streak to seven games in the second inning when a RBI single was just the beginning of the offensive outbreak. He knocked out two Hoosier home runs in the game, including a grand slam in the sixth inning to put IU up 16 runs and finish the day with six RBIs.
“Just seeing the ball better and settling in a little bit is big time,” Wilhite said. “The game is just crazy like that, so I’m glad I’m on an upswing right now and I’m trying to ride it out as long as I can.”
As the nine-hole hitter for the Hoosiers, Wilhite now leads the team with 20 RBIs and four home runs.
In the seventh, the Hoosiers sent 14 batters to the plate to come away with 11 runs capped off by a 3 run home run from Cangelosi, his second of the day, landing in the Hoosier bullpen to push the 27th run across the plate.
Lost in all of the offensive madness was the strong start IU gained from freshman starting pitcher Jonathan Stiever. Lemonis had expressed his concern in trying to find a mid-week starter entering into the game, but Stiever was able to be effective against the Bulldogs.
Tossing four shutout innings, the freshman allowed just one hit in the game. Lemonis said he did a good job attacking the zone with fastballs while mixing in a good slider.
“I wasn’t too nervous or anything,” Stiever said. “I had a game plan going in for what I wanted to do and I was able to execute that for the most part.”
The 27 runs scored by the Hoosiers were the most plated in 12 years when they tagged Chicago State with 29 back in March 2004.
“Once we get going and everyone kind of settles in, it releases a little tension once we get a few runs on the board,” Wilhite said. “It’s been like that all year, once we get out to an early lead we’re able to really just relax up at the plate.”
