Senior center fielder Justin Cureton led off three different innings, and he scored in the first and fifth as the No. 16 Hoosiers (25-3, 8-0) won 7-3 Saturday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field and seized the longest winning streak of the Division I college baseball season at 18 games.
IU Coach Tracy Smith said the streak means nothing, and that the guys aren't talking about it.
"It means we've played pretty consistent baseball, and we've been pretty lucky," Smith said. "You gotta have a combination because I always say this, 'You can do everything right in this sport and still have a negative result."
The Hoosiers scored in the first inning for the 17th game this season, as Scott Donley delivered a run-scoring single through the left side to collect his Big Ten-leading 37th RBI. IU has outscored opponents in the opening inning by a margin of 30-4.
Sophomore starter Kyle Hart said he would take the Hoosiers' offense over any other team's.
Hart stranded five runners through four frames. In the fifth, Illini shortstop Thomas Lindauer hit the first home run by an opponent at Bart Kaufman Field, as his shot to left fell a few feet short of clearing the Hoosiers' bullpen.
IU avenged the home run with four runs in the bottom of the inning, and chased Illinois starter John Kravetz in the process. The Illini right-hander walked Cureton, the lead-off hitter, on four pitches. On a 1-1 offering, sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber doubled down the right field line. Cureton scored because right fielder Jordan Parr booted the ball away, and the Middletown, Ohio, native advanced to third. Sophomore first baseman Sam Travis hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Schwarber, sliding headfirst to the right side of the plate, scored the Hoosiers' fourth run, ultimately the game-winning tally.
He limped slightly walking back to the dugout, and did not return. Clark replaced Schwarber behind the dish to begin the sixth, and freshman Nick Ramos took Clark's spot at second. Smith said they erred on the side of caution and that it's too early to decide Schwarber's status.
When Cureton gets on base, Smith said, the Indianapolis native is a threat.
"He kind of makes us go offensively," Smith said. "Even though his batting average is what it is, he's still one of the conference leaders in scoring runs. He's a key to our offense. Anytime he's on base, good things are probably going to happen."
Hart, meanwhile, picked up his fifth win against zero defeats. He threw 117 pitches, allowing the lone earned run on eight hits, walking a pair and striking out three. Smith said Friday night appearances by junior relief pitcher Ryan Halstead and freshman relief pitcher Scott Effross contributed to the length of Hart's outing. But the Cincinnati native was competing, and Smith said if his pitcher was competitive and aggressive, the eighth-year coach would give him the benefit.
"There really was no doubt in my mind, we were just going to stay with him right there," Smith said.
Hart escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, as Illini right fielder Jordan Parr reached on a fielder's choice grounder to Ramos, who beat center fielder Justin Parr to second base.
"I felt my best all game in that last inning," Hart said. "It didn't go well for me, and they had that hit, but I felt good all game, especially those last two innings"
