Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports baseball

IU bats stay cold in Bloomington as Hoosiers lose home opener

Sophomore Tony Butler tosses his helmet towards the dugout after grounding out to end IU’s first home game. The Hoosiers lost to Middle Tennessee State 5-3.

The bats fell flat in IU’s first game at Bart Kaufman Field this season, and the Hoosiers were unable to find a much-needed victory Friday afternoon against Middle Tennessee State.

MTSU scored four runs in the first four innings and wouldn’t even need the additional run it added in the seventh inning, as IU could only plate three runs in the 5-3 loss.

IU junior outfielder Logan Sowers misplayed a fly ball in the first inning to allow an immediate Blue Raider runner in scoring position, which MTSU plated with a sacrifice fly later in the inning.

A single and sacrifice fly in the second inning pushed the Blue Raiders’ lead to 3-0, and they never looked back, as they added another sacrifice fly run two innings later.

The Hoosiers answered the four quick runs with two of their own after loading the bases with no outs in the fourth inning.

Two singles by junior Luke Miller and senior Craig Dedelow and a hit-by-pitch for Sowers loaded the bases, then two quick outs left freshman catcher Jake Matheny as the last batter to salvage what was a potential big inning. The catcher singled to push two runs across.

IU tallied six hits and stranded eight runners in total, including three in the bottom of the eighth while trailing by three runs.

Sophomore pitcher Tim Herrin made his third start of the season for IU and earned the loss, as he allowed four runs, but just one earned, in 3.2 innings of work. Herrin allowed six hits and struck out two Blue Raiders.

In relief, senior pitcher Luke Stephenson was able to stop the bleeding with his most extensive outing of the season, after battling a blister on the middle finger of his right hand all year.

Stephenson pitched 2.2 innings, allowed two hits and retired the first seven batters he faced. Sophomore pitcher Pauly Milto finished out the final 2.2 innings with just one hit allowed.

The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 4-7-1 on the season, and they have now won just two of their last nine games. They will need to win the final two games of the series against MTSU to avoid losing just the third home series since Bart Kaufman Field opened in 2013.

The games on Saturday and Sunday are scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., respectively.

Taylor Lehman

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe