One week ago the Hoosier offense exploded for 27 runs in a convincing win against Butler at Bart Kaufman Field.
On Wednesday, IU found themselves on the opposite side of the spectrum.
A severe weather delay in the middle of the fifth inning halted the game.
Needing five innings to consider a game complete in college baseball, the Hoosiers trailed Evansville 15-0 entering the rain delay.
After waiting for two hours, a decision was finally made to end the game because Evansville needed to go home.
There will be no record of the game.
But while the game was being played, the Hoosiers looked overmatched throughout.
Before the first Hoosier even stepped up to the plate Wednesday, freshman starting pitcher Jonathan Stiever was pulled from the game after lasting just 0.2 innings while laboring through 37 pitches.
Stiever faced all nine Evansville hitters in the first before Lemonis made a switch and allowed five runs on four hits and two walks.
The first time these two teams met was two weeks ago at Evansville.
The Hoosiers trailed by four early in the game and were able to mount a five run rally in the seventh inning to come back, take the lead and ultimately defeat the Purple Aces in extra innings.
This time, the Evansville runs kept coming.
And the Hoosier deficit kept growing.
A pair of walks put two Purple Aces on base to begin the third inning while a two RBI double from junior outfielder Jeff Christen extended the Evansville lead even further.
The Aces grabbed another run from a RBI sac fly in the inning before junior second baseman Trey Hair capped off another five run inning with a two run home run against the wind, the ball soaring over the right field fence.
While the Hoosiers were struggling on the mound, their hitting wasn’t helping either.
IU had a premium chance to get some runs back in the first inning, putting two runners on base with two outs.
Freshman designated hitter Luke Miller, who was just 1 for his last 19, struck out to end the Hoosier threat.
IU didn’t pick up its first hit of the game until the fourth inning when a two out single by sophomore third baseman Isaiah Pasteur attempted to start a Hoosier rally.
Senior shortstop Brian Wilhite was hit by a pitch in the following plate appearance to put two on with two outs once again for IU, but a fly ball ended the inning leaving the Hoosiers scoreless.
Evansville added insult to injury in the fifth and plated five runs in an inning for the third time in the game as all nine batters stepped up to the plate.
The Purple Aces’ lengthy top half of the fifth prohibited the game from being deemed complete leaving the Hoosiers with three outs to go and a 15 run deficit.
