Weekend split keeps IU on pace

The third place IU baseball team kept pace with second place Ohio State this weekend by earning a series split on the road in Columbus, Ohio. IU (25-11, 9-7 Big Ten) dropped the first two games of the series but rebounded with two wins in games three and four to salvage a split from the Buckeyes (22-12, 10-6).\nIn what was being billed as a top match up between two of the Big Ten's top pitchers, OSU sophomore Scott Lewis outperformed his counterpart, IU senior Jacob Cary in the series opener.\nLewis struck out 16 Hoosier hitters through 7.1 innings pitched while surrendering three runs. Cary (7-1) entered the weekend undefeated and left bruised and battered as OSU pounded Cary for 11 hits and nine earned runs.\nThe Buckeyes didn't waste any time heating up the bats as OSU pounced for three runs in the bottom of the fist. Following a pair of doubles leading to a run, sophomore Paul Farinacci's two-run homer widened OSU's lead to 3-0.\nAnd after the first frame, the floodgates were open. OSU added a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, a single run in the fifth, and then ended their scoring day with three runs again in the sixth.\nMuch of OSU's success offensively came from extra base hits as the Buckeyes compiled seven extra baggers including three home runs while IU couldn't muster a multiple bagger.\nIU drew closer with three runs in the eighth, but it was too little too late for IU in a 9-3 final.\nPerhaps the best game of the series was the first of Saturday's doubleheader. Just like the first game, IU found itself in a whole as junior Adam Pegg surrendered eight runs on 11 hits in only 1.2 innings. The big Buckeye blow came in the second innings as OSU picked IU apart with five singles, a homer and a double accounting for six Buckeye runs.\nIU got on the board with two runs in the third but then got back in the game with four runs in the fourth with the big blow coming from junior Kevin Mahar's three-run blast to make the score 8-6.\nIU tied the game in the fifth, and then both teams added one and three runs respectively in the next two innings to send the seven-inning game into extra innings tied at 12.\nIU couldn't score in its half of the eighth, but sophomore Drew Anderson's single scored freshman Wes Schirtzinger to win the game for OSU 13-12.\nThe third game of the series was an entirely different story from game one's nail biter. IU scored 13 runs on 16 hits and received an excellent outing from freshman Josh Lewis who improved to 2-0 with his second complete game of the season.\nIU broke the game open in the fifth inning. With IU leading 2-0, the Hoosiers used five hits and two Buckeye errors to score six runs and enjoy their first comfortable lead of the series. \nIU added four runs in the sixth and a single run in the seventh to close out the game 13-2. Senior Vasili Spanos and junior Ryan Donley were big contributors for IU. Spanos went 2-5, but had four runs batted in and scored two runs. Donley countered going 3-4 with three RBI.\nFor the second game in a row IU jumped on top of OSU in game four. Two OSU errors led to two Hoosier runs to open the game. OSU added one run in both of the next two innings to even the score until Donley struck again with a solo homer in the fourth. \nThe fifth inning was Spanos' turn as the senior's two-run homer stretched IU's lead to 5-2. IU added a run in the sixth and OSU drew closer with a run in the ninth but fell 6-3.\nA big reason for IU's success was the pitching of junior Chris Behrens. Behrens (3-2) had his second straight quality start after a rough beginning to the Big Ten season. The 6-6, 210 pound hurler went the distance scattering five hits and three runs for the victory.\nThe Hoosiers return to Ohio for their sixth straight game in the Buckeye state Wednesday at Miami of Ohio.