There's some information that didn't make the game story concerning IU's 13-8 loss against Indiana State that I wanted to make available to anyone who chooses to read this blog ...
First of all, no players were available for post-game comment. As you'll read in tomorrow's IDS, junior center fielder Justin Cureton batted first and sophomore pitcher Ryan Halstead started this contest. It was his first career start.
I was unable to get their comments on these changes.
To lead off the fifth, IU found themselves in a 7-4 deficit. Sophomore shortstop Dustin DeMuth was just a bit behind on three straight foul balls on offspeed pitches.
On the next pitch from Josh Negele, came a fastball, and DeMuth fouled it off down the third-base line. Next pitch, he doubles, thanks to an aggressive base-running decision by Roger Rodeheaver. (Maybe DeMuth decided to go for a double? I don't know.) He advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman second baseman Chad Clark.
ISU got the run back the next half-inning on a lead-off home run by 1B Jon Hedges.
Redshirt freshman right fielder Will Nolden also doubled in the eighth thanks to an aggressive base-running decision.
Who knows how the game would have changed if Clark makes two plays in the third and fourth innings, respectively. In the the third, with two down, catcher Jeremy Lucas lined a single to the right side. Clark, moving to his left, missed making the catch by no more than two inches. That two-run single ended Halstead's day.
In ISU's four-run fourth, with one out and a runner on third, he read the ball off the bat well, ranging to his right to field the ball behind the bag. Except - from my view - the ball bounced off the top of his glove and rolled into center field.
Worth noting
IU had fourteen hits on this day.
They committed two errors. However, they have 24 on the season.
ISU's DH Casey McCurdy and shortstop Tyler Wampler hit their first home run of the season in this game. McCurdy's was a solo shot, and Wampler's was a two-run homer. I highly doubt that either ball would have cleared the fence had the wind been a bit calmer.
Pitcher Jonny Hoffman took the loss in relief of Halstead. The junior surrendered seven runs - six earned - on five hits - and two walks - in 2.1 innings. He also struck out two.
Freshman left fielder Chris Sujka, in the eighth, swung at the first pitch and hooked a ball foul down the LF line. It was just a long strike.
Sujka laced a ball down the third base line in the ninth, but ISU 3B Ryan Walterhouse had to reach down a couple inches to make the catch, thus denying Sujka his fourth hit of the ball game.
