Indiana baseball took a significant blow to its pitching depth earlier this week when the Hoosiers announced that senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Bergman would miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury. That challenge surfaced Friday night.
Indiana’s response came in an 8–6 win over Minnesota on Friday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, powered by production from the top of its lineup. The Hoosiers’ first five hitters combined to go 10 for 21, led by sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley, who surpassed 100 career hits with four hits and two RBIs.
Graduate student right-hander Reagan Rivera struggled to find the zone in the opening inning, walking three batters as Minnesota capitalized with four runs. Rivera managed to escape the inning, but Indiana faced an early 4-0 deficit.
Indiana answered in the bottom of the first when sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian delivered a two-out triple to right field, scoring both sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny and Hanley to cut the deficit in half. The triple marked Indiana’s first of the season. Malamazian would later finish a home run shy of the cycle.
The Hoosiers continued to battle back.
After Minnesota extended its lead to 6-2 in the second inning on a two-run home run, Indiana chipped away again in the third. Denny drove in a run with a double to right-center field, and Hanley followed with an RBI single. Malamazian added another RBI single later in the inning, capping a three-run frame that brought Indiana within one.
The offense broke through again in the fifth, adding three runs once more. This time taking the lead, one they would not relinquish.
Hanley launched a solo home run to center field to tie the game before Indiana took control. After sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie reached base and Malamazian doubled, a wild pitch allowed Koskie to score. Freshman infielder Davian Carrera, pinch hitting, added another run with an RBI groundout to give Indiana an 8-6 lead.
Indiana’s bullpen took over following a tough start from Rivera, answering the call in a dominant performance.
Freshman right-hander Ivan Mastalski stabilized the game after Rivera’s early exit, allowing two runs over two innings. Graduate student right-handed pitchers Michael Sarhatt and Kaden Jacobi followed with scoreless outings to bridge the middle innings.
Graduate student right-hander Gavin Seebold delivered a dominant performance out of the bullpen, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six. Seebold retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, including a perfect ninth inning with three strikeouts to seal the victory.
Seebold’s dominant appearance lowered his season ERA to 0.83 and provided the depth Indiana needed following Bergman’s injury and Rivera’s early struggles.
With the win, Indiana secured a much-needed victory in the opening game of the weekend series.
Indiana will look to grab a series win with another victory over Minnesota at 2 p.m. Saturday in Bloomington.
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.
