Pitching forces Hoosiers to fight uphill battle in loss
Apr 29, 2009 12:14 amMatt Carr made it into the fifth inning before the seams ripped off a makeshift midweek pitching lineup.
Matt Carr made it into the fifth inning before the seams ripped off a makeshift midweek pitching lineup.
Visitors to the Indiana baseball locker room are greeted by a nearly bare casing – one in which only two teams are honored.
The more prominently placed of the two displays is the Hoosiers’ 1949
Co-Big Ten Champions, providing a window into IU’s past in more ways
than one.
Down 0-1 against Michigan, the IU baseball team seemed destined to relinquish a Big Ten series in Ann Arbor, Mich.
IU (18-20, 8-3) travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Friday for the beginning of a three-game series against the Wolverines (22-17, 5-7).
Not even two home runs by junior second baseman Tyler Rogers were enough for the Hoosiers on Wednesday as they fell 7-4 to Indiana State at Sembower Field.
The IU baseball team was unable to hold onto an 8-3 lead against Louisville on Tuesday, falling 10-8 to the Cardinals. The loss was the Hoosiers' second to Louisville in the month of April.
The Hoosiers will get another shot at the Cardinals at 4 p.m. today on Sembower Field at their most stable point in the season.
With team members’ fingers collectively waving a No. 1 in the air, the IU baseball team made its way down Fee Lane, halting traffic after a 2-1 series win against Penn State.
Jake Dunning stepped up to bat with the bases loaded, the tying and game-winning runs represented on first and second base. Dunning wasn’t able to convert and was struck out swinging to abruptly end IU’s 9-7 loss to Penn State.
The Hoosiers (16-17) are currently tied for first place in the Big Ten and look to continue their conference reign when they face Penn State at 3 p.m. Friday at Sembower Field. Freshman Blake Monar will pitch game 1, followed by juniors Eric Arnett and Matt Bashore on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
IU's 3 p.m. game today against Ball State has been canceled due to poor
field conditions at the Ball Diamond stadium in the Muncie. The game
will not be rescheduled.
IU looks to build on a four-game win streak at 3 p.m. today in Muncie when they take on Ball State (15-15). The Hoosiers (16-17) are currently tied for first place in the Big Ten with a 6-2 conference record.
With his team struggling through the season’s early stages, IU coach
Tracy Smith consistently pointed to pitching as one of his its most
glaring weaknesses.
IU’s weekend series sweep against Iowa, however, saw a markedly different result from the incline.
With eight returning players who batted at least .300 last season, the IU baseball team entered 2009 certain that hitting would be its biggest strength.
IU junior pitcher Eric Arnett went a full nine innings, giving up only two hits and one earned run en route to a 5-1 win against Iowa on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.
While IU and Iowa both have wins against top-tier teams, they also share puzzling losses to far more obscure competition.
Junior pitcher Chris Squires came out of the bullpen firing his
irregular delivery and emotions all over Sembower Field in IU’s 9-5 win
against Valparaiso.
A rough start early on for IU (12-17) resulted in a dominant 15-1 win for the Cardinals (21-9). IU coach Tracy Smith summed up the reason of his team’s loss in one word: “pitching.”
The Hoosiers will take Jim Patterson Stadium at 4 p.m. today in Louisville having won five of their last six games. IU and Louisville have faced off four times in the past two seasons, with the Cardinals walking away with three wins.
On a cold and rainy day last week, IU coach Tracy Smith paced back and
forth on the diamond as his players looked on, eagerly awaiting the
game-3 start of their first Big Ten series against Minnesota.
The opposing dugout was empty. The umpire’s hands fought the wind as he announced the cancelation of the March 29 game.