IU Baseball @ Ohio State - 4/2 - 4/4/21

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,775]

All 4-games will be televised on BTN+

Friday - 4:05

Saturday:  1:05 and 4:05

Sunday: 2:05

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Live Stats

SETTING THE SCENE
• The Indiana Hoosiers will head east to face Ohio State in a four-game, Big Ten series in Columbus starting on Friday at Bill Davis Stadium.
 
• Indiana has won 11 of its last 12 games and currently sits atop the Big Ten standings with a record of 11-2. Last weekend, the Hoosiers took two of three on the road at Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.
 
• Jeff Mercer is in his third season at the helm of the Indiana baseball program. He led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten regular season title in 2019, earning him Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
 
INSIDE #IUBASE
• The Indiana pitching staff has been electric this season, posting a team ERA of 2.55 with 153 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched. IU has allowed just 34 earned runs on 68 hits and has limited opponents to a batting average of .162.
 
• The Hoosiers are ranked second in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (5.10) and WHIP (1.04), fifth in team ERA (2.55) and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.5).
 
• INF/OF Drew Ashley has reached base in 39-straight games dating back to the 2019 season.
 
• INF Cole Barr (.400) and INF/OF Drew Ashley (.396) are currently ranked No. 4 and No. 6 in the Big Ten in batting average, while INF Paul Toetz ranks second in the league with seven doubles.
 
• Indiana is ranked No. 6 in the nation by Perfect Game and No. 27 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. IU is receiving votes in both the NCBWA and USA Today Coaches polls. IU is ranked No. 88 in the NCAA RPI poll.
 
• Since the start of the 2008 season, Indiana leads the Big Ten in wins (440) and conference wins (188). The Hoosiers have made seven NCAA Regionals over that span, the most out of any current Big Ten team.
 
•RHP McCade Brown was named the D1Baseball/AstroTurf Player of the Week, the Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a school-record performance against Penn State on Mar. 13.
 
• The sophomore hurler matched the Indiana school record with a career-high 16 strikeouts in seven, no-hit innings. He also broke the IU record for most strikeouts in a Big Ten game, eclipsing the previous record of 13.
 
• LHP Tommy Sommer was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 9. Sommer was outstanding for the Hoosiers this past weekend, helping the team defeat Minnesota, 5-2, on Mar. 5. The Carmel, Ind. native tossed eight shutout innings to earn the win, allowing just two hits, while matching his career-high with 10 strikeouts.
 
• Indiana OF Grant Richardson was named a First-Team Preseason All-American by both Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. He was also named Third-Team Preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
 
• Before the season, Indiana was tabbed to win the Big Ten in 2021 by Perfect Game. OF Grant Richardson was named the Player of the Year and to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. He was joined on the preseason All-Big Ten team by RHP Gabe Bierman and RHP Connor Manous.
 
• RHP Gabe Bierman, OF Grant Richardson and LHP Tommy Sommer were all named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List. IU was picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind Michigan in a preseason poll conducted of the league's coaches.
 
• After leading the Hoosiers to the 2019 Big Ten regular season championship, Jeff Mercer was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Mercer became the first Big Ten head coach since 1982 (John Anderson, Minnesota) to win a regular season conference title in his first season as the skipper.  He was just the second coach in IU history – in any sport, men's or women's – to win an outright Big Ten championship in his (or her) first year.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,775]

[Aaron 4,293]

Sommer again is totally wild but minimizes the damage. Gave up two walks and what would of been a bases clearing double, but a Richardson terrific catch in CF keeps it to a sac fly and IU trails 1-0 after 1. 

All of our starters have really struggled with command early and then eventually get it under control but one of these days it is going to cost us big and needs to be corrected. 

[Aaron 4,293]

Sommer again wild with his command and gives up another run on an RBI single. 

I give OSU credit. First off this ump has a really really tight strike zone, but more than anything OSU is being incredibly patient and not swinging at anything and forcing Sommer to throw balls right over the plate. 

Hoosiers have made a living this year on batters chasing, but as we have gone on teams are adjusting and forcing IU to throw strikes which is leading to wildness and being hit a bit harder. 

2-0 after 2. 

[Aaron 4,293]

This is by far our worst game of the year so far. Got 2 on no outs in 3rd but then got struck out twice sandwiched between a lazy fly ball.

The simple formula so far is OSU is being incredibly patient with Sommer's pitches and we are being in incredibly impatient or mistiming pitches. Just a good old fashion beat down we are taking so far. 2-0 to bottom 3.

[Aaron 4,293]

Still have our heads in space as Cole Barr drops the easiest pop up ever for an infield single. Fortunately, OSU grounded into a double play after than had a fly out to keep the score just 2-0 after 3. Should be down way more as we have done everything wrong.

Hopefully we can make the Buckeyes pay for not taking full advantage of our horrific play, but that will require us to pick up our own performance. 

[Aaron 4,293]

Finally show signs of life. Barr hit a single, went to second on a groundout and scored on Fucci's line drive RBI double into the LF corner. 2-1 runner at 2nd, 1 out, Top 4. 

[Hoosierfan1901 6,301]

1 minute ago, Aaron said:

Finally show signs of life. Barr hit a single, went to second on a groundout and scored on Fucci's line drive RBI double into the LF corner. 2-1 runner at 2nd, 1 out, Top 4. 

Pretty good game so far

[Aaron 4,293]

Just now, Hooserfan1901 said:

Pretty good game so far

Not really. IU forgot to show up for three innings and OSU did not take full advantage. Now we have a game as it looks like IU finally woke up.

[Aaron 4,293]

Half inning ends on extremely unlucky play. Vecrumba hit a hard line drive right on the button that went right into shift and lead to double play with runner leaning at second. Nothing IU did wrong there. Really just bad luck.

2-1 to Bottom 4 and assuming IU has finally arrived, we should have a good one to finish out. 

[Hoosierfan1901 6,301]

1 minute ago, Aaron said:

Not really. IU forgot to show up for three innings and OSU did not take full advantage. Now we have a game as it looks like IU finally woke up.

The first 2 innings part was bad, but now it’s starting to become a good game

[Aaron 4,293]

Sommer got it together as well that inning with two strikeouts and a groundout. 2-1 after 4. We have a good one going now after the no show the first couple innings.

[Aaron 4,293]

4 minutes ago, Hooserfan1901 said:

The first 2 innings part was bad, but now it’s starting to become a good game

The bottom of the third and dropping the easiest fly ball ever is sign of not fully being engaged. Since fourth inning we have had a good battle.

[Aaron 4,293]

Buckeyes restores their 2 run lead with a leadoff double and an RBI single. 3-1 OSU after 5.

That might be it for Sommer who labored in five innings today. Ultimately, saved himself from a disastrous start and soldiered through, but have to be better on a Friday to give your team best chance to win against the other teams top starter. 

Hoosiers have four innings to rally.  

[Aaron 4,293]

Cole Barr mashes a ball to straight away CF for a HR and the OSU lead is down to 3-2 in the Top of the 6th. 

[Aaron 4,293]

Fucci just missed a go ahead HR in the eighth by half an inch on a flyout to the wall. That probably does it as OSU has a killer closer.

Until we find a true ace, you are not going to win these low scoring Friday games. Since Kyle Hart, we have had real trouble on Friday's and games like this are example A. Sommer, like Bierman in the opener was not bad, but you have to be perfect to win these Friday Night pitchers duels. To often in the opening game, we lose a one run game that is low scoring because we get a good, but not great start.

To win constantly on Friday you have to have a near perfect game (I am talking at least 7 innings and 2 runs or less) pitching and since Hart we don't have that constantly. 

[Aaron 4,293]

IU falls 3-2 in a low scoring game.

Again, for the second time this year, we lost because we don't have a true ace. Are we are really good team? Absolutely. With that said, until we find that true lockdown Friday guy we have lacked since Kyle Hart, and not force Saturday guys (yes Sommer, Bierman, Stiever and Milto are all Saturday guys ideally) into that role, we are going to suffer to many low scoring Friday night losses.

Was the offense good? No. But on Friday this is exactly what I expect. OSU has a true ace and a really good bullpen which doubles the issue in this opener. On Friday you have to make 1-2 runs from your offense enough, and until we get that true shutdown ace it will not be sufficient and we will lose a lot of these. As soon as we fell behind 2-0 after 2 on a Friday that is to much to overcome. Will it be Saturday and Sunday? Probably not. But on Friday an early 2-0 hole is almost impossible to come back from.

OSU was extremely patient early and forced Sommer to throw pitches over the plate he would prefer not to. To his credit Sommer rebounded and labored through, but you cannot put your team in an early deficit Friday and expect to win. We are a true Friday night starter away from being close to our 2013-2014 level but without it, we are merely a Big Ten Contender and will lose some more like this on Friday.     

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,775]

First game this afternoon will be limited to 7-innings and after 2, the Hoosiers already down 3-0.  A home run and 3 Hoosier errors and we're in an early hole.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,775]

That's it for game #1 as the Hoosiers go down meekly 6-0.  Only managed 4 hits off Jeff Lonsway and we struck out 17 times.  We also ended the day with 4 errors.  Our 3rd loss in a row and we really need to re-group.  Today's second game will start at 4:05.

Game #2 will start at 3:25.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Class of '66 Old Fart
Updated Game #2 Start Time

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,775]

Game #2 Lineup