After falling behind early, Indiana baseball battled back for a 7-2 victory over Minnesota on Saturday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. The Hoosiers’ third consecutive win marks their longest streak of the season and improved them to 10-12 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. They are 5-2 at home this season.
Graduate student left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck received the ball as the starter for Indiana. The southpaw pitched six innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs. He struck out eight Golden Gophers and walked two.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel relieved Neubeck in the top of the seventh inning. He pitched 2.1 innings for the Hoosiers, holding Minnesota to one hit and no earned runs in his ninth appearance of the year.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Yarberry got the final two outs for the Hoosiers. He struck out two of three hitters on 14 pitches thrown in the top of the ninth inning.
Despite the loss, Minnesota drew first blood on the scoreboard. After a scoreless first three innings, the Golden Gophers earned their two runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Minnesota senior outfielder Michael Lippe roped a single through the right side of the infield, scoring senior infielder Davis Hamilton in the top of the fourth inning.
The second run for the Golden Gophers came on a solo home run by junior infielder Jack Spanier. The home run by the 6-foot infielder was only his second of the season.
Minnesota junior right-handed pitcher Isaac Morton held Indiana scoreless through the first four innings. However, the Hoosiers hit three home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to put them up for good.
Redshirt freshman catcher Brayden Ricketts started the rally by belting a solo home run over the left-field wall. Sophomore outfielder Cole Decker went back-to-back with another solo home run to the same part of the left field.
Indiana had runners on first and third base with two outs. Then sophomore infielder Jake Hanley stepped up to the plate. The Mason, Ohio, native swung on the first pitch of the at-bat, hitting a three-run home run to the exact same part of the ballpark as Ricketts and Decker.
Morton finished his day by giving up six earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. He picked up his first pitching loss of the year in his outing. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Adam Urban relieved the Golden Gophers’ starter in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out.
The Hoosiers added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings.
Freshman infielder Landen Fry’s single scored sophomore infielder Cooper Malamazian, who barely beat out the throw at home plate from Minnesota junior outfielder Ty Allen in the bottom of the sixth.
Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie tacked on Indiana’s final run of the afternoon. His RBI single was his 12th run driven in this season.
The Hoosiers held Minnesota scoreless over the final four innings Saturday.
Indiana’s final game of its weekend series against Minnesota is on Sunday afternoon in Bloomington. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
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.
