In a critical weekend series against first-place Michigan State, the Hoosiers had no room for error.
The Hoosiers earned quality pitching for the most part, coupled with endless clutch hitting performances to take two of three from the Spartans and win the series.
“Every weekend we’re trying to win the series in the Big Ten,” sophomore outfielder Logan Sowers said in an interview with Big Ten Network. “We had some tough games early on in the year, but we’ve gotten a lot tougher as a team so I’m really proud of the way we came out here and competed.”
The stellar pitching matchup Friday was as advertised with IU senior starting pitcher Kyle Hart out-dueling Spartan ace Cam Vieaux. After three scoreless innings, Big Ten leading hitter Jordan Zimmerman tagged Hart on a solo home run to put the Spartans up one.
IU finally responded on offense in the sixth after stringing together three runs off just two hits in the inning.
With two runners on and no outs, freshman catcher Ryan Fineman smashed an RBI single to left to tie the game at one apiece. IU added runs on a sacrifice fly and another RBI single to put them up two.
Hart allowed two runs through seven innings before IU Coach Chris Lemonis turned the ball over to junior relief pitcher Thomas Belcher in the eighth. Belcher retired the final six batters of the game in order to seal the win.
Game two was just the second time all season the Hoosiers were shut out. Spartan starting pitcher Ethan Landon tossed 7.2 shutout innings while allowing just five hits in a 9-0 Spartan victory.
IU senior starting pitcher Caleb Baragar allowed a season-high four runs over 5.1 innings. Holding a 2-0 lead in the sixth, the Spartans sent 12 men to the plate and exploded for seven runs in the inning to ultimately defeat the Hoosiers 9-0.
Senior starting pitcher Evan Bell was searching for win No. 1 on the season when he took the hill in the rubber match Sunday. Allowing two runs in the first two innings, Bell settled down to toss four scoreless frames in a row and exit the game with a 3-2 lead.
Junior relief pitcher Jake Kelzer had worked two straight scoreless innings before returning to the mound in the ninth.
With two outs and a runner on first, Spartan third baseman Justin Hovis sliced a ball down the right field line just past the outstretched glove of Sowers to tie the game at three and go into extra innings.
Senior shortstop Brian Wilhite put IU back on top in the 10th off an RBI single, but Michigan State responded once again in the bottom half with an RBI double to tie the game 4-4.
“We’ve seen great pitching all weekend from Michigan State,” Lemonis said during Sunday’s game in an interview with the BTN announcers. “Just trying to get a good pitch to hit hard but it’s just a really well-played game.”
IU made sure to put the game away in the 11th as Pasteur walked and stole second followed by junior outfielder Craig Dedelow reaching base off an error.
Sowers then stepped to the plate and smoked a line shot down the left field line to score two. Junior Alex Krupa later added a two RBI double of his own to extend the lead to 8-4 as Belcher got the Spartans to go down in order to close the game.
“I’ve been getting sliders all game today, and that’s what I was sitting on,” Sowers said. “That’s what I was sitting on, put a good swing on it and drove a couple runs in.”
