Hoosiers earn 22 straight opening wins

After using five pitchers in eight innings, IU head coach Bob Morgan decided to turn to his right fielder. \nSenior Joe Kemp struck out the first batter, then walked the second and sealed the victory with back-to-back strikeouts to give the Hoosiers a 5-0 win against the DePauw Tigers.\nStill, Morgan remained humble about the win. \n"First I have to give DePauw a lot of credit," he said. "The game went pretty fast and it was very well played. We were finally able to start taking the ball the other way and score some runs."\nAfter five innings of scoreless baseball, the Hoosiers' offense exploded in the sixth inning, scoring three runs. Junior second baseman Jay Brant led off with a single and later scored on another single by Kemp. Junior left fielder Zach Boswell also got involved in the hit brigade, as did senior third baseman Corby Heckman -- each drove in a run.\nThe Hoosiers increased their lead in the seventh inning when junior center fielder Reggie Watson led off with a single and advanced to third on a hit-and-run by Brant. Junior first baseman Ryan Parker then doubled to drive in two more runs and increase the Hoosiers' lead to 5-0.\nParker headed the IU charge going three for three in the game, including two doubles, a triple and two runs batted in.\n"I was really fortune to get some good swings today," Parker said. "It was the first time we were able to get outside and play, which really helped."\nDePauw starter P.J. Mitchell surrendered only three hits in the first five innings of play before being pulled in the sixth inning. Mitchell was credited with the first three Hoosier runs.\nAmong the six pitchers featured in the game, IU debuted Australian native Joe Trucchio in the third inning. Sophomore Trucchio struck out two batters and allowed one hit in one inning.\nThe victory extended Morgan's streak of 22 straight home-opening wins and marked the 100th victory for IU against the Tigers. Morgan is currently 11th on the NCAA Division I list for career victories. \n"It was great to be able to get a shutout," Morgan said. "I was very pleased with the pitching, overall win, and we played some great defense, which is always good to see. It's a good start to our season."\nKemp also went one for four on the day with a run batted in on his closing debut in the 2005 season. As a freshman, Kemp pitched 15 and 2/3 innings and earned one victory as a sophomore. Though he has not pitched in more than a year and a half, Kemp will act as the team's closer this season. \nThe Hoosiers will be back on the field as part of the Services Academy Classic Friday through Sunday in Millington, Tenn. IU will face Indiana State at 1 p.m. Friday. They will then face Memphis at 4 p.m. Saturday and Navy at 9 a.m. Sunday.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Andrew Shaffer at asshaffe@indiana.edu and Staff Writer Matt Mattucci at mmattucc@indiana.edu.