Indiana baseball snapped a six-game losing streak Friday night with an 11-0 run-rule win at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. The Cream and Crimson now sit at 11-18 overall and 4-9 in the Big Ten.
Graduate student left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck was named the starting pitcher, marking his eighth appearance this year. The southpaw’s last Friday start came March 6, when he threw a career-high nine strikeouts in an 4-2 win over Washington.
Neubeck went six innings Friday, allowing three hits and striking out eight batters on 80 total pitches thrown.
The Hoosiers’ offense broke through first in the bottom of the third inning with two runs.
Sophomore catcher/outfielder Hogan Denny walked before sophomore infielder Jake Hanley hit a towering fly ball over the right-center field wall. The first basemen’s hit was his seventh home run and 29th RBI of the season.
Indiana added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-out rally.
The Hoosiers put runners on first and second base before sophomore infielder Will Moore rocketed a three-run, opposite field home run to left field. Hanley collected his third RBI of the game, roping a double into the outfield two batters later.
Ultimately, Hanley finished Friday’s game 2 for 3 with three RBIs and one walk at the plate.
Rutgers starting pitcher Zack Konstantinovsky started strong but ended his outing by getting shelled. The redshirt sophomore ended his outing by only pitching four innings and allowing six earned runs on eight hits. His season ERA moved from 4.60 to 5.11 after his eighth start of the year.
The Scarlet Knights’ pitching staff continued to struggle, particularly in the sixth inning when they allowed five runs.
Freshman left-handed Finn Haines and right-handed redshirt sophomore Jack Kirchner allowed a combined five earned runs in 0.1 innings pitched.
Denny plated a couple runs for the Hoosiers with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning that sailed above the scoreboard in left field. It was his sixth home run of the season. He batted 3 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs scored Friday.
Then a bases-loaded hit by pitch and wild pitch scored two more runs, setting the table for an RBI single by sophomore outfielder Cole Decker to plate Indiana’s 11th run of the night.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel secured the win for Indiana by securing the final three outs in the seventh inning. The Hoosiers run-ruled the Scarlet Knights, only using two pitchers.
Indiana’s next contest is scheduled for Saturday. First pitch will be at 6 p.m. However, there is a 70-100% chance of rain in the forecast, according to National Weather Service.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect a time change for Saturday’s game.
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.
