Indiana baseball gave up 15 runs in the final game of its weekend series against Illinois resulting in a 3-2 series loss at Illinois Field in Champaign, Illinois.
In the first game of the series Friday, junior outfielder Devin Taylor knocked in an RBI double as Indiana struck first to go up 1-0 in the third inning. However, the Hoosiers only scored one more run the rest of the game. Illinois tacked on four runs, which included three in the bottom of the third inning thanks to Illinois senior outfielder Vytas Valincius’ home run. The Fighting Illini took the first game of the series 4-2.
Indiana’s offense was more active in the second game of the series. The Hoosiers racked up runs and hits with 12 and 11, respectively. The pitching rotation was solid, as they held Illinois to only three runs throughout the game. Graduate student starting pitcher Ben Grable and redshirt senior reliever Cole Gilley combined to only give up three earned runs and struck out 11 Fighting Illini batters.
Freshman outfielder Hogan Denny had one of his best games of the season in the second game of the series. He went 3 for 4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, and three runs. Indiana’s offense was solid throughout the game, resulting in a 12-3 victory, as the Hoosiers tied the series at one game apiece.
However, the third and final game of the series is where Indiana fell apart. What could have gone wrong pitching-wise did go wrong for the Hoosiers, as Illinois brought home eight runs over the first two innings. The Fighting Illini then added two more runs across the third and fourth innings before a four-run fifth inning officially turned the game into a blowout.
Indiana managed to put up a single run in the top of the seventh inning when graduate student outfielder Tyler DeMartino hit a home run. After that, however, the run rule came into effect and Indiana lost the game 15-1.
The pitching rotation struggled in the series finale, as redshirt senior starter Gavin Seebold gave up five hits and eight earned runs. He lasted just over one inning before being pulled in favor of redshirt junior left-hander Grant Holderfield. Holderfield, who only gave up a run and struck out three batters, lasted just over an inning.
After Holderfield left the mound, junior right-hander Ayden Decker-Petty entered the game, but he could not stop the bleeding for Indiana, as he gave up five earned runs and six hits. The Indiana pitching staff faltered against the Illinois bats in the final game of the series, and it cost them a chance to steal a valuable series on the road against a conference opponent.
The Hoosiers’ offense was not much better. Following their 13-run explosion in the second game of the series, the bats went cold. The Hoosiers only put up a single run on the board and managed to register just four hits all game. They struggled against Illini starting pitcher Regan Hall, who silenced the Indiana offense over seven innings.
“I thought that, first of all, their guy was good,” Mercer said of Hall. “And it was a tough day to hit, and you got the wind blowing in your face, and the guy’s low 90s with good lift, and he’s throwing the ball in the top of the zone. So, you know, it’s going to be a tough day.”
Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer didn’t think his team was “flustered,” but acknowledged the Hoosiers were “frustrated” following the series loss.
The Hoosiers were coming off a successful week as they swept Michigan State in a three-game series and beat Ball State University 7-5 on April 8. But Indiana was unable to keep its momentum going.
Indiana will be back in action against Indiana State University at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington. The game will be streamed on Big Ten+.
