Indiana baseball’s conference postseason play came to an end Sunday morning in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers fell 14-2 to Rutgers after seven innings in what was likely their last game of the season, as they are not projected to make the NCAA Tournament. Indiana finished with a 27-32 record overall and 10-14 record against Big Ten opponents.
Indiana junior pitcher John-Biagio Modugno got the start on the mound against Rutgers but gave up four runs in the first inning. He did not go on to pitch past that point. Three of the four Indiana pitchers gave up a combined 15 hits.
Still, Indiana’s pitchers recorded their 600th strikeout of the season, making the Hoosiers the second Big Ten team to accomplish this milestone.
As Indiana struggled on the mound, Rutgers pitching thrived. The Scarlet Knights completely shut down the Hoosiers, who earned two hits, two earned runs and ten strikeouts.
One of Indiana’s hits came from freshman Carter Mathison, who extended his freshman home run record to 19.
Due to the late start — around midnight CST — and a rain delay, the game was eventually called off at 3:10 a.m. CST in the seventh inning after Rutgers held a 12 run lead. A Big Ten Tournament championship would have guaranteed them to advance to the NCAA Tournament, but the Hoosiers’ chances are bleak after coming up short.
