Indiana baseball defeated Abilene Christian University 13-3 on Friday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, improving the Cream and Crimson to 17-21 overall.
Graduate left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck opened the contest. In his 10th start of the season, the southpaw pitched 4.1 innings but struggled with command. Neubeck walked four hitters but limited the damage to only two earned runs and picked up six strikeouts on 95 pitches and 56 strikes.
Sophomore catcher/outfielder Hogan Denny returned after missing the past three contests following a collision with the outfield wall at Maryland on April 11. He broke in early momentum for the Hoosiers, batting leadoff and hitting a deep fly ball that sailed over the left field wall for his eighth inning.
Indiana added another run in the opening frame. Sophomore infielder Cooper Malamazian walked and stole second before sophomore outfielder Cole Decker drove him in with a bloop single into left-field.
However, Abilene Christian responded with one run in back-to-back innings to tie the game at two runs apiece.
Graduate student outfielder/left-handed pitcher Gavin Brzozowski drove in his 15th RBI of the year with a double into right-center field with one out in the top of the second inning.
In the top of third, senior infielder JT Thompson drove in fellow senior infielder Grant Watkins with two outs. Thompson held a .777 OPS through 110 at-bats heading into the contest.
Then, Indiana’s offense proceeded to break the game open. The Hoosiers plated six runs in the bottom of the third inning to push their lead to 8-2.
Redshirt freshman catcher Brayden Ricketts and Denny hit back-to-back long balls to start the frame. Sophomore left-handed pitcher/outfielder Caleb Koskie extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a single, allowing sophomore infielder Jake Hanley to advance to third base. Hanley then scored on a wild pitch.
The final three runs of the inning came on RBI singles by Decker, and infielders sophomore Will Moore and freshman Landen Fry.
Abilene Christian starting pitcher junior right-hander Aidan Coleman departed the game after pitching 2.2 innings. He allowed eight hits and eight earned runs, raising his ERA to 4.68 in 49.1 innings pitched.
The Hoosiers scored three more runs in the fourth inning. Abilene Christian senior right-hander David Jeon gave up three earned runs in the one inning. He threw 41 pitches and hit three Indiana batters.
Indiana added its 12th run of the game in the bottom of the fifth after Decker hit an RBI single to collect his third RBI of the game. The Hoosiers walked off the Wildcats on a wild pitch in the seventh inning to plate their 13th run.
Ultimately, everyone in the Indiana starting lineup recorded a hit. Malamazian collected his 100th career hit with a single in the bottom of the seventh. The Hoosiers tallied 13 hits over 41 total batters.
Indiana will look to win its fourth straight contest Saturday when it faces Abilene Christian again after winning their third consecutive contest and picking up their 11th win in non-conference play this season Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 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.
