The Hoosiers weren’t focused Tuesday night, making repeated mistakes offensively and defensively.
Sophomore outfielder Laren Eustace sensed it when his teammates warmed up before the game. IU Coach Chris Lemonis noticed it when IU allowed three unearned runs in the first five innings.
IU couldn’t recover from those early mistakes and eventually lost 5-0 against Cincinnati on Tuesday night at Bart Kaufman Field — the first time IU was shut out this season. Lemonis could only describe IU’s play one way.
“Just uninspired,” Lemonis said. “I don’t know if it’s too many games in too many days or what it is. But offensively our consistency and leadership is just poor at times.”
There were four separate innings in which IU had runners in scoring position with less than two outs. One time, a runner on second got doubled off after a fly out to center field. Twice a hitter struck out. Another time a baserunner got thrown out trying to steal second with one out and a runner on third.
There was also trouble defensively for the Hoosiers.
It started in the second inning for IU and its freshman starting pitcher Pauly Milto, who overthrew the first baseman, allowing a runner to reach and eventually score after an RBI single ricocheted off Milto and never left the infield.
An inning later, another Milto throwing error allowed a baserunner to reach and eventually score on an RBI single that went off the glove of sophomore third baseman Isaiah Pasteur.
Aside from the runners left on base, the Hoosiers struggled as a whole offensively. They only managed to piece together six hits Tuesday night. Eustace accounted for two of those hits and reached base his other two at-bats after a throwing error and being hit by a pitch.
Cincinnati starting pitcher AJ Olasz picked up his first win of the season after pitching five shutout innings, while striking out six batters and allowing three hits.
“We were swinging at pitches out of the zone, which is something we can’t do,” Eustace said. “We were doing a better job couple games ago at laying off those pitches, and we’re kind of reverting back to swinging at those pitches in the dirt.”
If the problem Tuesday night was too many games in too many days, it will only get worse for the Hoosiers. They play four more games over the next five days, starting Wednesday night at home against Evansville.
“We have to get a little tougher,” Lemonis said. “Everyone in college baseball has to do it but unfortunately our group struggles with it — being able to show up day in and day out.”
Lemonis said the lack of focus falls on him. It’s the coach’s job to make sure his players are ready to play every game, and they weren’t Tuesday.
He said he’s not sure what it’s going to take to adjust IU’s focus but it needs to happen soon. With the crowded schedule comes an immediate opportunity to correct Tuesday night’s loss, rather than sit around and dwell on what went wrong.
“We can run out tomorrow and play great,” Lemonis said. “I’m just disappointed with our effort tonight. Just the mental focus of showing up and playing the game.”
