Nittany Lions end Hoosier season

The Hoosier baseball season came to a close Friday afternoon at the hands of the Penn State Nittany Lions. IU was beaten 8-4 by Penn State to end their season with a 34-22 record. The Nittany Lions moved on to win against Michigan in Saturday's first game before losing to Ohio State in the second game. \nFor the sixth-seeded Hoosiers, the Big Ten Tournament started with a 7-2 loss versus third-seed Michigan on Wednesday. IU was down 1-0 going into the fourth but rallied against the Wolverines behind sophomore third-team All-Big Ten second baseman Corby Heckman and senior first-team All-Big Ten Vasili Spanos for two runs and a 2-1 lead. But that was all the offense the Hoosiers could muster. \nMichigan then took the lead for good, aided by a two-run home run by junior Jake Fox and a solo shot by senior Mike Sokol. \nIndiana's loss set up a meeting with Northwestern, and Indiana kept their tournament hopes alive by whipping the Wildcats 8-1. Freshman pitcher Josh Lewis threw a complete game and IU coach Bob Morgan said he was impressed by the effort.\n"Lewis really pitched an outstanding game," Morgan said. "We felt good having him on the mound." Lewis also impressed the rest of the Big Ten, as he was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team. The IU offense gave Lewis a cushion by putting up five runs of support in their half of the fourth frame. The inning started with a single by Spanos, followed by a walk and a bunt single to load the bases. After a fielder's choice forced Spanos out at home and junior Cody Wargo struck out, freshman Reggie Watson knocked in two runs with a single through the left side. Senior right fielder Kenny Marrs followed Watson's hit with one of his own, a single that drove in a run. To cap the big inning, junior Seth Bynum then drove in two with a double to right, and the Hoosiers had all the runs they needed at 5-0. \nIndiana used an eighth-inning homer by junior Kevin Mahar for the final two runs, knocking in Spanos and completing the scoring at 8-1.\nIn Friday's game against Penn State, it took both offenses some time to get going. Indiana broke first with a run in the fifth. Watson again provided the clutch hit, this time a single through the middle allowing Mahar to score. The Nittany Lions then answered with a run of their own in the fifth inning on an RBI single by freshman Derrick Barr. \nIndiana starter, senior Jacob Cary, said that although he had some pain, he threw the ball well. \n"My shoulder had been hurting for the last couple weeks of the season, but I came out and felt good," Cary said. "It was nice end my year throwing the ball well." \nCary was chased in the bottom of the sixth when Penn State turned a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 lead on a sacrifice fly, two run-scoring singles and an RBI double. Freshman Troy Ragle then replaced Cary on the mound and got a strike out to end the inning. \nHowever, Indiana was not done. The Hoosiers answered Penn State's three-run inning with one of their own to tie the score at 4-4. Wargo led off the inning with a walk followed by a bunt single by Marrs. A double by Bynum knocked in a run, and Marrs then scored via a sacrifice fly by Heckman, and the final Hoosier run was scored on a single by freshman designated-hitter Ryan Parker. \nPenn State took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh by plating four runs, aided by two throwing errors by the Hoosiers. \n"The seventh inning was really the turning point in the game," Morgan said. "We threw the ball away a couple times. Jacob Cary gave us a chance, but the errors really hurt us."\nWhile Marrs said he was pleased with IU's overall game, he would have liked the season to end on a winning note. \n"The game was well-played, we just fell short," Marrs said. "We had four errors and they had none, and that was the difference in the game. It was tough for us seniors to go out on a losing note." \nCary said he was happy with the Hoosiers' season. \n"This was one of the best group of guys that I've played with," Cary said. "Every day was fun, and that made the season ending tougher than usual."\nAlthough the Hoosiers lost the game, they said they felt the season was not a loss. IU had to deal with a couple of key injuries early in the year. \n"(Injuries) really put us behind the eight ball," coach Bob Morgan said. "But the kids played hard and did a good job all year. I felt like we were an exciting team to watch"