For the first time since Big Ten play began, Indiana won the second contest of a three-game series, as they claimed a 3-0 win against the Georgia Southern University Eagles Saturday at Sembower Field.
Freshman starter Kyle Hart worked with a lead for only the second time since then, and he posted the Hoosiers first complete game shutout since senior Drew Leininger did it against Central Michigan in 2010.
Scoring in the first inning for the second game of the series, the Hoosiers staked Hart to a 1-0 lead.
Hart, who surrendered only five hits, said the change of his approach was minimal.
"I generally try to keep a mindset of pitch the same with a lead or without a lead, but it definitely made me more comfortable," he said. "It made the hitters more uncomfortable. When you try to hit your way to a win, it makes you press a little bit. They were swinging at some pitches they probably wouldn't have on a regular basis. It was a real benefit for me to have."
The Hoosiers tacked on two runs in the fifth, when freshman catcher Kyle Schwarber came to the plate with the bases loaded. The one time prior he came to the dish with three ducks on the pond, he hit a grand slam against East Tennessee State on March 3.
Today, he delivered a two-run single up the middle against Eagles' starter Justin Hess, who took his second loss.
Hart, his counterpart, threw 100 pitches in the game, despite striking out a career-high nine batters, deflected credit to his teammates for helping him earn his second career win.
"It feels good," he said. "It feels good that finally we put it together: Played great defense and scored a few runs. I know what I can do. If our team can do that, and I can do something like that every time out, we're going to have a lot of success."
IU Coach Tracy Smith said the win as good as winning against a Big Ten foe.
"Kyle Hart being confident and good," he said. "Guys understanding that we can win on Saturday. That's a good baseball team over there. It feels like a conference win for us. It was very pleased to see Hart pitching ahead of the opposition.
"That kid's been throwing well, but has been like our hard-luck pitcher this year. He throws well, but (it) seems like we don't give him a lot of support. Three runs is not a lot of support, but at least he had the lead. I think he really grew up today, really looked comfortable out there."
He added there was no question that Hart would not have the opportunity to finish what he started.
Junior shortstop Michael Basil said it is significant for the Hoosiers to win their first Saturday game since Big Ten play began.
"That's big, because we've been struggling on Saturdays all year," he said. "We've still got to come out tomorrow and try to get the sweep. But it's definitely big for us, especially for the momentum after the weekend we had last weekend to get going again."
The Hoosiers have a chance to complete their first series sweep of the season tomorrow at noon. They'll have an opportunity to do so with a rested bullpen.
"(It's) much needed," Smith said. "We've struggled a little bit in that game three slot. We got everybody fresh, and we feel confident about tomorrow."
Worth noting:
Senior Chad Martin will get the start tomorrow, Smith said.
Smith also said he'd like his team to get Hart a little bit more support. "I thought he handled it beautifully today."
The following two paragraphs are Hart's thoughts on being the first pitcher since Leininger to record a complete game shutout:
"This season, I haven't been too high on individual accomplishments," he said. "Everything I do is for the team. If it happens to benefit me, that's great. As a freshman, you're trying to contribute any way you can. You're not really looking at your stats.
"It's big for my development, but also having the team get some confidence in me on Saturday. That's probably the biggest thing it did for us."
Freshman first baseman Sam Travis made a great scoop of a low throw by to help Hart escape the top of the second with two runners in scoring position.
