Hello baseball fans,
I am the aforementioned co-writer, Ryan, and I just thought it would be a good idea to update how IU faired in their two games so far this weekend.
Unfortunately, anything good about the idea was stolen away by the results from Fresno. In their two games against the Fresno State Bulldogs, the Hoosiers have dropped the ball -- literally.
Their season tally for errors keeps rising and after adding six more in the last two games, stands at 18 in eight games.
Saturday's contest looked as if it might be a pitcher's dual with the Hoosiers sending their top pitcher, lefty sophomore Matt Bashore to the mound, facing Fresno State's junior sensation Tanner Scheppers. Scheppers was one of 75 players nationally to make the Golden Spikes Award Pre-Season Watchlist.
Through the first three and half innings, neither teams scratched across a run despite the Hoosiers threatening in the top of the second leaving three men on.
Fresno State drew first blood in their half of the fourth as Bulldog infielder Tommy Mendoca blasted a three-run homerun.
That would be all the Bulldogs needed as the Hoosiers would only score two runs in the game, seeing Bashore's record drop to 1-2 in a 6-2 final.
Despite gaining the loss, Bashore's effort was still one of the best IU has seen this season. He allowed only three earned runs in 7.0 innings pitched with six strikeouts. His season ERA stands at 2.08 through 17.1 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts and only one let up big fly.
The Hoosiers out hit the Bulldogs 9-to-6 in the loss, and, after drawing five walks, stranded 13 runners.
All three of the Hoosiers' errors came from freshman third baseman Ethan Rogers. Fortunately, only one of the errors led to a Bulldog run.
This afternoon's rematch started out promising for the Hoosiers as they scratched a run across in the first inning. But it was for naught, as IU was toppled for the second game in a row, 9-4.
Hoosier errors were big again as senior pitcher Doug Fleenor's two mistakes in the Fresno State half of the first gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
IU regained the lead in the fourth off of a sophomore infielder Michael Early two-run shot over the left field wall.
But in the same inning, Fresno State finished off the Hoosiers as their first four batters reached base, and a two-run single later in the same inning saw Fresno go ahead 6-3.
The last two games sort of sum up the negatives with IU's season thus far. Too many errors are leading to pitchers trying too hard and giving up runs. The reason for the errors is difficult to pinpoint, only because of how many reasons their could be.
The majority of the bobbles have come from an inexperienced Hoosier infield, with three sophomores accounting for 12 of the team's 18 total.
And even though IU coach Tracy Smith has denied it in all of the interviews Zach and I have done with him, their has to be a severe adjustment for the Hoosiers practicing indoors in Bloomington and then traveling to play outside.
IU will try and improve on the 3-5 record in the coming days as they stay in Fresno and participate in the Pepsi/Johnny Quik invitational.
Look for more posts. Hopefully, they will be a little more upbeat.
