The IU baseball team, perhaps the hottest Big Ten squad coming into the conference tournament, is one loss away from crashing right back out. The league's second-best offense couldn't convert seven hits into more than one run, losing today to Penn State 6-1.
Eric Arnett got the start for the Hoosiers, giving up nine hits and six runs, five earned. Arnett kept the score close, surrendering just one run in the first four innings before Penn State broke open the lead in the fifth with four runs.
The Hoosiers could muster only one run - at the top of the next inning - which Penn State countered half an inning later. Arnett left after 5 2/3 innings, and Anthony Agnew came in to close out the loss.
Defeat drops the Hoosiers into the losers' bracket of the Big Ten Tournament, where they will face Ohio State tomorrow at 12:05 p.m. Lose and they go home, win they face the lowest-seeded loser from the winners bracket second round.
IU coach Tracy Smith said he was sticking with his regular rotation for the tournament, so I would expect Bashore to take the hill tomorrow at noon.
On a related note, I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I'm marshalling things for a move to D.C. in the next couple of days, and everything is hectic right now.
Still, I promise I'll be in this space with up-to-the-minute coverage, include an online-only wrap of whatever shakes down tomorrow. Until then, take it easy, be safe and stay classy.
