Hoosiers drop 3 crucial games over weekend at Iowa

It was a weekend that the Hoosiers had hoped to use to climb back into contention for the Big Ten Tournament, but by the time it was over, IU was even further away from its goal.\nThe Hoosiers lost three games over the weekend to Iowa, with the fourth game in Iowa City being rained out on Sunday.\nThe Hoosiers and Hawkeyes started out their series Friday night with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss for IU. The Hoosiers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning after sophomore Andrew Means scored on a passed ball. The lead would not last long, as Justin Brauer would score for Iowa from second base, with one out in the bottom of the inning on an IU throwing error.\nIn the bottom of the ninth inning with the game still tied, the Hoosiers were able to get the first two Iowa batters out. But after the next two batters hit singles into the outfield, Matt Wooldrik hit a walk-off single to score pinch runner Kody McManis.\n“It’s tough,” IU coach Tracy Smith said about the game. “We’re still trying to get over the hump of winning those games and closing games out and you got a team that hasn’t done that yet. It adds to the self doubt. But we got to overcome that.”\nIU didn’t fare much better in Saturday’s doubleheader as the Hoosiers resorted to the bullpen after getting two innings out of their starters in both games.\n“It is a big setback,” Smith said. “Our rotation was messed up a little bit anyways, but these are teachable moments – as you’re building a program – about how to react and how we control our emotions, and that had more to do with the starters not continuing on.” \nIn the first game, sophomore Tyler Tufts allowed four runs on seven hits in the first two innings during a 10-2 loss. The second game was more of the same for IU, as freshman Jarrett Casey allowed 5 runs in two innings plus some change in a 9-0 Hoosier loss.\nIn the three losses the Hoosiers scored a total of four runs, but in the first two games it wasn’t a result of the lack of hits. In Friday’s game, IU produced eight hits and in the first game Saturday, they were able to get nine hits. But despite the combined 17 hits, the Hoosiers only scored two runs in each of the games.\n“We’ve been struggling all year scoring runs,” Smith said. “It just hasn’t happened. Anytime you have that guys try harder, they press more and want to hit five-run home runs. When you do that you struggle more. That’s the crazy part about this game.”\nThe game Sunday was rained out in the middle of the first inning. The two teams will try to finish up the series Monday.\nWith the three weekend losses, the Hoosiers dropped to 6-17 on the Big Ten season and remain in 10th place in the conference. They are 4.5 games behind sixth place Illinois who has a 10-12 Big Ten record. To make the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers will need to finish sixth or better.\n“You can’t let that affect you,” Smith said. “As an athlete and a competitor, everytime you have the privilege to wear an Indiana uniform, you got to go out and compete until that last out is made.”