With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning, Indiana baseball’s bullpen was one pitch away from letting Ball State University back into the game.
Instead, graduate student right-handed pitcher Michael Sarhatt shut the door, striking out Ball State senior infielder/outfielder Gavin Balius in four pitches. He then did the same to sophomore infielder Brayden Huebner — who had homered in the first inning — on five pitches.
Sarhatt pumped his fist as he escaped the jam unscathed. He returned for the ninth to secure his first save of the season, capping off 8.1 dominant innings from Indiana’s relief pitching in a 6-4 win Tuesday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington.
Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said after the game that Sarhatt being able to evade multiple baserunners being on in the eighth and ninth innings was especially important for the Hoosiers, who have struggled in those situations.
“Big Mike (Sarhatt) came into a really tough spot; a spot that we haven’t always executed in this season,” Mercer said postgame. “He was able to execute and do a tremendous job.”
Indiana entered the contest having blown leads in its last two midweek games — a 5-4 loss to Indiana State University on March 24 and an 11-inning defeat at the University of Evansville on March 31.
At first, Tuesday’s game felt like a continuation of the last two midweek games.
Indiana fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning. Graduate student left-hander Conner Linn gave up a solo home run on the first batter and second pitch of the game before allowing three RBI singles.
Linn was pulled from the game with two outs and runners on first and third base. Mercer turned to freshman right-hander Ivan Mastalski, who underperformed in his last time out, allowing three earned runs in one inning pitched in the 9-6 loss to Rutgers April 4.
Tuesday night was different for Mastalski.
The Saint John, Indiana, native escaped the jam by inducing a bunt groundout on the first pitch he threw, turning the ball over to the Hoosiers offense. Indiana then responded in the bottom half of the frame by putting up four runs to tie the Cardinals.
Mastalski ultimately kept Ball State’s offense, which had scored 10 or more runs in 30 contests prior to Tuesday’s game, quiet. He pitched 3.1 innings, striking out two Cardinals batters and allowing three hits on 46 pitches and 29 strikes thrown.
Mercer said postgame that Mastalski’s performance was a “tremendous response” after his outing against Rutgers.
The Hoosiers then gave the ball to graduate student right-hander Kaden Jacobi. The O’Fallon, Missouri, native pitched two innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out two batters, not allowing a base hit in his 11th appearance of the season.
Jacobi said postgame that it was "awesome” to see Sarhatt work his way out of the bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning, a testament to how much he, and the rest of the bullpen, has grown over the course of the season.
“His whole thing was his second time up, it hasn't always been the best,” Jacobi said Tuesday. “Seeing him in the last inning closing that thing out was huge. And him getting out of the bases loaded jam, it saved the game.”
Freshman right-hander Kellen English worked the seventh inning, striking out one hitter. He received the win after the Hoosiers scored two runs in the seventh inning to improve his pitching record to 1-1.
Postgame, Mercer lauded the pitchers’ response after the first inning.
“Just because it didn't go my way to start doesn’t mean I can’t finish in a positive way,” he said. “And we haven’t always done that; the last week or so we’ve done more and more of that.”
Indiana’s bullpen struggled earlier in the year. But as the season has progressed and the schedule has eased, the Cream and Crimson’s relievers have begun to click.
“We went out and recruited several graduate transfers on the mound to give us depth...” Mercer said. “We have taken the lead in the middle innings in 80-90% of our games; those transfer pitchers on the mound have been tremendous. They’ve added seasoning to our group, and they fit our culture.”
And if the bullpen’s recent consistency proves to be real, it could be the missing piece the Hoosiers need down the stretch of the regular season.
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.
