With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the first inning of Sunday’s contest against Washington, Indiana baseball had an opportunity to break open early.
Indiana sophomore infielder Jake Hanley stepped up to the plate. However, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the first unanimous Freshman All-American in Indiana history popped out to Washington’s first baseman.
Sophomore infielder Cooper Malamazian responded with a two-run single into left-center field, but sophomore left-handed pitcher and outfielder Caleb Koskie immediately grounded into a double play at the shortstop to end the inning.
Instead of a big inning, Indiana managed just two runs after loading the bases with nobody out.
Although Indiana plated two runs in the first, it ultimately went just 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 runners on base. It ultimately lost 13-4 to Washington on Sunday at Bart Kaufman Stadium in Bloomington. The Cream and Crimson won the first game of the series before losing the next two to open Big Ten play.
In the third game, the Hoosiers also loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning while trailing 8-4. However, redshirt freshman catcher Brayden Ricketts grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer attributed the bases-loaded double plays to Indiana getting beat by fastballs early in the count.
“Early in the game, the first inning, we did a good job mounting a good offensive showing early...” Mercer said postgame Sunday. “We just got beat by fastballs early in at-bats. The game for us is dominating the fastballs, and we didn’t do that this weekend... the double-play ball killed.”
Comebacks have been rare for Indiana this season. The Hoosiers’ record moved to 0-6 after trailing past the sixth inning with the loss Sunday.
Indiana also scored a combined six runs in the first two games on Friday and Saturday.
Indiana’s lone win of the series came Friday in a 4–2 victory behind strong pitching.
Mercer said the hitting struggles came down to approach at the plate all weekend long.
Instead of using the entire field, Indiana’s hitters often tried to do too much in big moments leading to numerous ground balls and popouts throughout the series. Against Washington’s pitching staff, that approach led to weak contact and quick outs in situations where the Hoosiers needed productive at-bats.
“The righties are going to have to use the big part of the field. They’re going to have to hit it the other way,” Mercer said postgame Friday. “The moment kind of got too big and we didn’t string good at-bats together.”
Only five hits, two of them coming from sophomore infielder Will Moore, and two runs scored led to a 9-2 defeat Saturday.
Mercer continued to describe his disappointment about the offense’s inability to break through after Saturday’s loss.
“I talked to the guys in the clubhouse after the game to see their perspective. We had opportunities early. We didn’t capitalize in the first or second inning...” Mercer said postgame Saturday. “There was some immaturity, some youthfulness, from it which was frustrating to me.”
And Sunday, the bats didn’t show up when Indiana needed them the most. Missed chances early prevented Indiana from building the cushion it needed before Washington’s offense found its rhythm in the middle and later innings.
After the Hoosiers led the Huskies 4-2 heading into the fifth inning, Washington scored 11 unanswered runs — five coming in the ninth inning right after Ricketts’ inning-ending double-play in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Indiana returns to Bart Kaufman Stadium at 5 p.m. Tuesday against Wright State University, looking for more timely hitting after a weekend of missed opportunities.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
