IU in search of first weekend series win

The baseball team competes with the Little 500 race for campus attention this weekend as the Hoosiers face Eastern Kentucky in a three-game series at Sembower Field.\nThe Hoosiers (19-21-1) are coming off a 5-1 loss to Miami (Ohio) Wednesday in Oxford, Ohio. IU has lost 11 of its last 15 games. And the Hoosiers have not won a weekend series this season.\nEastern Kentucky (13-22) knocked off IU in the Hoosiers' fifth game this season. The Colonels scored four runs in the last two innings of the game at the Winthrop Tournament. Eastern Kentucky was recently swept in a three-game series by Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State.\nJunior lefthander Brad Edwards and senior righthander Nick Otte will pitch in the Saturday doubleheader. Edwards (1-4, 6.84 ERA) went a season-high 7.1 innings in a no-decision against Northwestern last weekend. Otte (6-3, 4.78 ERA) pitched a complete game, but lost in the bottom of the seventh against the Wildcats.\nSophomore righthander Jacob Cary (0-2, 4.20 ERA) and junior lefthander Matt Rice (1-3, 4.84 ERA) are expected to pitch in Sunday's game.\n"Our starting pitchers have been doing a good job because they have become more consistent," coach Bob Morgan said. "They have been giving us a good five or six innings every time they have gone out to the mound, so that's been promising. We need the bullpen guys to come out and some of those tight games and shut it down a little bit more."\nJosh Anderson is leading Eastern Kentucky in hitting at .339 and has 19 RBIs. Kiley Vaughn has nine home runs and 23 RBI to lead the team in those categories. The Colonels' top pitcher is Dan Bachman, who is 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA in eight games. He has struck out 29 batters in 36 innings.\nIU holds a 6-4-1 series record against the Colonels. Eastern Kentucky has won three consecutive against the Hoosiers. IU hasn't defeated Eastern Kentucky since a 7-5 decision March 30, 1961.