Senior starting pitcher Kyle Hart firmly believes if he would have thrown a fastball away to Illinois first baseman Pat McInerney in the top of the fourth inning, IU would have 30 wins.
Instead, the senior ace decided to work inside to McInerney, who belted a solo home run to right center, marking the only blemish of the day for Hart.
“That kid is as strong as an ox, and to be honest I had gone away, away, away and I thought I’d show him something in to set something else up away,” Hart said. “I watched video on him and I knew that he was one of the two guys that could beat me.”
That home run helped the Illini reach extra innings against the Hoosiers. Illinois eventually won 2-1 in 11 innings.
Although Hart put the pressure on himself after the game, that was the only run he allowed. He scattered four hits over eight innings of work while racking up nine strike outs in his final home start as a Hoosier.
Opposing Hart on the mound for Illinois was junior right-handed pitcher and potential first round draft pick Cody Sedlock. With multiple scouts in attendance from major league clubs, Sedlock didn’t disappoint.
The junior showcased an un-hittable sweeping slider that caught the Hoosiers off guard all game as Sedlock tallied 12 punch-outs against the Hoosiers on Friday night. IU was able to get one run against Sedlock however, coming in the fourth in response to McInerney’s solo shot.
Freshman catcher Ryan Fineman led the inning off with a lead off double to ignite the Hoosier rally. A ground out from junior first baseman Austin Cangelosi would shift Fineman to third base and sophomore designated hitter Laren Eustace walked to put runners on the corner with one out.
That set up freshman third baseman Luke Miller for a prime opportunity to break through against the Illini ace. Miller chopped a grounder down the third base line and as Illinois third baseman Trent Hammond was charging in on the ball, Fineman was racing to the plate. Hammond couldn’t field the ball cleanly however and Fineman scored to give the Hoosiers they’re only run of the game.
Sedlock settled down after the fourth, striking out 10 batters in his final 5.1 innings pitched as him and Hart matched zeros on the scoreboard. Sedlock lasted 9.1 innings on the hill with the game was deadlocked at one through nine innings.
“The strike outs killed us, we knew coming in that he was one of the better pitchers in the country,” IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. “Just being able to put balls in play and make things happen instead of punching out, that was the hard part.”
Junior relief pitcher Thomas Belcher replaced Hart on the mound in the ninth and was cruising until a lead off walk in the 11th inning. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner over to second base and Illinois second baseman Michael Hurwitz shot an RBI single down the left field line to give the Illini a 2-1 advantage.
IU wouldn’t go down quietly, a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt had the Hoosiers in business with one out and runners on the corners in the bottom of the 11th. Miller walked to load the bases with two outs leaving the fate of the game to senior shortstop Brian Wilhite.
Wilhite put good contact on the ball sending a promising line drive to center field. The ball hung a little too high finding the center fielders glove to end the game.
“It was just a great college baseball game,” Lemonis said. “Just two great college pitchers in a great environment and it was just a great college game.”
