IU wins series against Penn State
Apr 19, 2009 11:09 pmWith 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.
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.
A tough three-game road trip begins Friday for the IU baseball team, as the Hoosiers face conference-leading Illinois at 7:05 p.m. in Champaign, Ill.
After his team’s 3-2 win against Minnesota last Saturday, junior
catcher Josh Phegley said his biggest concern was a lack of early
scoring in games.
His teammates responded against Cincinnati on Wednesday night, as the
Hoosiers scored five runs in the first inning en route to a 16-4
victory. The win was IU’s third in a row and brings their season record
to 10-15.
IU’s 11-4 Tuesday victory against Chicago State, which was called after the fifth inning began, saw the re-emergence of IU’s one-time ace. Bashore (1-3) gained his first win of the season. He was backed by an offense that put up two home runs and scored 11 earned runs.
Coming off a 3-2 win against No. 25 Minnesota on Saturday, the IU baseball team will look to build on its momentum against Chicago State at 3 p.m. today on Sembower Field.
Eric Arnett lunged from a soggy mound, sending every inch of his slender, 6-foot-5 frame flailing toward the wet grass in his last heave of Saturday’s 3-2 win against No. 25 Minnesota.
Behind 10 strikeouts from junior pitcher Eric Arnett, the Hoosiers evened their Big Ten opening series with Minnesota with a 3-2 win Saturday at Sembower Field.
IU and Minnesota went play for play through three innings, as each pitcher retired almost every batter they faced. That changed in the fourth inning of the Hoosiers’ 12-5 loss.