Indiana baseball wrapped its midweek slate Tuesday with a 10-6 win against the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. With the victory, the Hoosiers finished midweek play with a 9-2 record this season.
Indiana jumped out to an eight-run advantage in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s contest. Louisville’s comeback bid was unsuccessful, despite scoring five runs over the final three innings.
The Cream and Crimson have found success consistently in just the midweek games, as they’ve won only three out of the 10 series they’ve played this year.
To start the season, the Hoosiers went undefeated in its first four midweek games.
After getting swept by then-No. 11 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the road in its first series of the year, the Hoosiers returned home to face Bradley University.
The Hoosiers defeated Bradley 15-3 on Feb. 17 led by their underclassmen. Sophomore catcher/outfielder Hogan Denny controlled the offense, as he went 2 for 3 with two home runs and four RBIs. Six Hoosier pitchers combined to pitch the full nine innings.
Eight days later, against Xavier University, the Hoosiers were led by sophomore infielder Jake Hanley in a 10-4 win. Hanley batted 3 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold covered the final two innings, not allowing a run.
Indiana handled Wright State University 12-4 on March 10 in its next midweek contest, the school where Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer served as manager before coming to Bloomington in 2018.
Against Wright State, Indiana sophomore infielder Will Moore and sophomore left-handed pitcher/outfielder Caleb Koskie paced the offense. Moore hit 4 for 4 from the leadoff spot, while Koskie pitched in with a 3 for 4 performance, including a three-run home run in the first inning and five RBIs.
Despite holding a three-game losing streak after being swept by Oregon on the road, Indiana went into Nashville, Tennessee, and beat Vanderbilt University 5-1 on March 17. Denny slugged two home runs and picked up four RBIs in a 4 for 5 game at the plate. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Conner Linn set the tone with 3.2 scoreless innings pitched as the starter.
Then, adversity set in. The Hoosiers lost two consecutive midweek games, both 5-4 and at home, to Indiana State University on March 24 and the University of Evansville on March 31. The Hoosiers’ bullpen gave up three or more total runs in the seventh inning or later in both contests.
However, Indiana bounced back.
The Hoosiers completed a four-run comeback against Ball State University at home April 7. Their bullpen covered the final 8.1 innings, holding the Cardinals scoreless.
The following week, Indiana got revenge from earlier in the season against both the Sycamores and the Purple Aces.
The Hoosiers slugged six home runs in a 17-12 win over Indiana State on April 14 in Terre Haute. Koskie went 4 for 5 with two home runs, five RBIs and two walks. Redshirt junior outfielder Ayden Crouse finished a double shy of the cycle after he batted 3 for 5 with a home run, a walk, two RBIs and four runs scored.
The next day, Indiana returned home and squeaked out an 8-6 win against Evansville. The Hoosiers led by five runs entering the ninth inning, but after giving up a three-run home run, Seebold came into the game. The Jeffersonville, Indiana, native struck out two batters and picked up the save to seal the victory.
In the final two midweek games, Indiana jumped ahead of both Ball State and Louisville, not relinquishing the lead it had from the beginning. The Hoosiers beat Ball State 20-10 on April 21.
Indiana’s 9-2 midweek record accounts for nearly half of its 20 wins this season, providing a consistent boost outside conference play. The Hoosiers hold an 11-23 record in weekend games this year.
Although the midweek slate ended Tuesday, Indiana still has three more Big Ten series left to play against Northwestern, Purdue and Illinois. In their next contest, the Hoosiers travel to Wrigley Field in Chicago to face Northwestern at 8 p.m. EST Friday, which begins a three-game series.
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.
