Blown leads have defined Indiana baseball season. The issue surfaced again over the past weekend, as the Hoosiers suffered a sweep against Purdue at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.
It was the first time the Boilermakers had swept the Hoosiers since 2011.
Indiana led in the sixth inning of each game against the Boilermakers but failed to hold on each time. The collapses extended the Hoosiers’ losing streak to five games and dropped them to 21-30 overall and 7-20 in Big Ten play.
The series opener Friday unraveled quickly.
Indiana built an 8-0 lead through four innings after scoring six runs in the fourth. Graduate student left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck struck out eight across six innings and allowed two earned runs, putting the Hoosiers in position for a comfortable win.
Instead, Indiana’s bullpen surrendered nine earned runs over the final two innings. Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Yarberry allowed four earned runs while recording four outs, and graduate right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold gave up five earned runs during Purdue’s seven-run eighth inning as the Boilermakers rallied late to secure the win.
The pattern continued Saturday. Indiana carried a 4-0 lead into the ninth inning behind starting pitcher sophomore left-hander Brayton Thomas, who threw 5.1 scoreless innings.
However, Purdue answered with five unanswered runs in the ninth inning, capped by a walk-off three-run double. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Reagan Rivera allowed four earned runs in three innings, while senior left-handed pitcher Anthony Gubitosi was charged with the loss after allowing the winning run.
Sunday followed a similar script.
Indiana scored five runs in the sixth inning to take a 7-6 lead before Purdue answered with five runs over the next two innings. Graduate right-handed pitcher Michael Sarhatt allowed three earned runs while recording just two outs, and graduate right-handed pitcher Kaden Jacobi suffered his second loss of the season.
The weekend marked the latest chapter in a season-long trend. Indiana has now blown 11 leads after the sixth inning this year, with many of the losses following nearly identical patterns.
The issue first occurred during Indiana’s opening weekend against then-No. 11 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Feb. 14.
The Hoosiers led 3-1 entering the ninth inning before a throwing error by senior infielder Aiden Stewart helped the Tar Heels tie the game. North Carolina eventually won on a walk-off home run in the 11th inning.
Six days later, against then-No. 2 Louisiana State University, Indiana carried a 5-4 lead into the eighth inning before allowing nine runs in the frame during a 14-7 loss. Yarberry and redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Pete Haas combined to surrender eight earned runs while recording only one out.
Indiana let another late lead slip away later that weekend against the University of Notre Dame on Feb. 22. The Hoosiers led 8-3 in the seventh inning before surrendering five runs to send the contest into extra innings. The Fighting Irish snagged the win with a walk-off single in the 11th.
The collapses continued both into conference play and throughout midweek affairs.
On March 15 at Oregon, Indiana entered the sixth inning with a 6-1 advantage before the Ducks rallied to win in walk-off fashion after scoring six runs over the final four frames.
Against Indiana State University on March 24, the Hoosiers surrendered three runs in the eighth inning during a 5-4 loss. A week later, Indiana blew a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning against the University of Evansville before losing in the 11th inning.
Indiana dropped another late lead against Rutgers on April 4 when the Scarlet Knights scored six runs over the final two innings of a 9-6 win. On April 12, Maryland erased a 6-4 deficit with a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning to clinch the series.
The same late-game issues resurfaced against Purdue in the penultimate series of the regular season, leaving Indiana with no margin for error left entering the final weekend.
Indiana was eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament and are tied for last place in the Big Ten standings with Maryland and Northwestern entering the final series of the regular season. The Hoosiers return Thursday to face Illinois at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington.
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.
