IU Baseball vs Rutgers - April 26-28, 2024

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Rutgers (24-16) (3-9) will be in town for a weekend series.

• Friday - 6:00 televised on BTN+
• Saturday - 2:00 televised on BTN+
• Sunday - 11:00 am televised on BTN

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[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

[Home Jersey 7,580]

Back in the day, I remember going to the relatively newly named Bart Kaufman field with my then-girlfriend for a game vs. Rutgers where my very good childhood friend was playing catcher for RU (he later transferred to Villanova... good for him getting out of there!).

He ran over to me from their dugout before the game. Couldn't chat for long but we wound up sitting with his parents who made the trip for the series. He had hardly been playing all year with back issues, but got a chance to play that day. First pitch he saw, he hit a 2-RBI double and pointed at us (his parents, obviously) in the crowd. You would have thought he hit a walk off in the World Series the way I was cheering, which I was playfully teased about for years lol. In the end, Indiana got the win though. So it was a perfect ballgame in this Hoosier fan's book. 

Before he left town I got a chance to show him around campus and he was in a relative state of shock and awe (coming from Rutgers... you understand if you've ever had the misfortune of being boots on the ground there).

To this day he admits he's never seen a nicer campus / college town. And he's a Jersey guy too... not sugarcoating nothin!

If you've read this far... thanks for obliging my stroll down memory lane. I'll shut up now. 

Let's go Hoosiers!

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

I spent 2-weeks in July in 3 consecutive summers which is why I fondly refer to Rutgers as the armpit of the nation, the cesspool of the world.  

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Hoosiers win the weekend opener 8-3.              

We took a quick 3-0 lead on a 3-run HR by Brenczewski in the 1st inning and added another in the 5th when Oliver scored on a wild pitch.  We added 2 more in the 7th on a Sefcik HR and another 2 runs on a Mitchell HR that made it an 8-3 IU lead and the final score.

We only had 7 total hits but 3 were HR that scored 7 of our 8 runs.  Brenczewski our only batter with at least 2 hits and he was our RBI leader with 3.  

Keyster started and pitched 3 solid innings but fell apart to open the 4th.  Walked a batter, hit a batter, double, single and it was a 3-2 IU lead.  Tonghini came on and pitched 3 solid innings of 1-hit ball striking out 6 and walking none.  Risedorph pitched the final 3 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits.

[Aaron 4,293]

Not surprised IU got to Sinibaldi pretty hard last night as Rutgers ace and starting pitcher who is probably the best in the Big Ten.

It has happened a fair bit in the Mercer era where they are able to torch some of the best pitchers they face and then struggle against guys who are not great. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

12-6 Hoosiers win.  Bothwell started and went 4 innings giving up 6 runs on 7 hits.  Buhr relieved in the 5th after Bothwell walked the leadoff batter and hit the next batter to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Buhr pitched the rest of the way and after Rutgers scored 2 more in the 5th (charged to Bothwell) he shut them down the rest of the way.  For his 5 innings he gave up 4 hits, struck out 4 and didn't walk a batter.  

We pounded out 16 hits led by Devin Taylor who went 3-5 that included 2 HR and a double resulting in 4 RBI.  Mitchell went 3-3 with 2 RBI and Cerny, Brenczewski  and Sefcik had 2 hits each.  Mitchell and Mathison each 2 RBI.

Go for the weekend sweep tomorrow.

 

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Reminder today's game got underway at 11:00 and is televised on BTN.

[maharkn 1,735]

No lead is safe

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[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

9-5 Hoosier lead after 3 complete.

Gonna be a home run derby day as the teams have already combined to hit 6 out of the park.  

Rybarcayk started but only lasted 2.1 innings giving up a run in the 2nd and 4 in the 3rd coming on 3 Rutgers HR.  Decker-Petty relieved and will start the 3rd on the mound.

We scored all of our 9 runs in the 3rd that included a Mathison 2-run HR, a Cerny grand slam and a Sefcik 2-run HR.  For Mathison it was his 40th career HR.

 

[LamarCheeks 18,911]

This is like watching batting practice. 

Bombs away for the Hoosiers -- 8 HRs and 18 runs so far. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

We now lead 18-6 after 6 complete and have really broken it open scoring 8 more runs in the 6th.  

Decker-Petty stays on the mound and has not allowed a hit since taking over in the 3rd.

Rutgers pitching staff has really been bad as we've gotten 12 hits, they've walked 7, hit 4 and thrown 5 wild pitches.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

18-6 is the final score in a run-shortened game and it's a weekend sweep.  Our season record is now 25-18-1 and we move to 10-5 in conference play.

No mid-week game this week and next weekend we're in West Laffy.

Edited April 28 by Class of '66 Old Fart
Corrected Conference Record

[Certified Sunshine Pumper 9,167]

12 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

18-6 is the final score in a run-shortened game and it's a weekend sweep.  Our season record is now 25-18-1 and we move to 9-5 in conference play.

No mid-week game this week and next weekend we're in West Laffy.

10-5 in conference play 

[Aaron 4,293]

Still tons of work to do for a postseason appearance but team playing much better now.

A brutal close to the season with the top three teams in the league is next as well as tough midweeks vs. Louisville and Cincinnati. Likely need to go 9-2 for a chance at NCAA Tournament (sweep home games, win at Louisville, take series at Purdue and Nebraska is most obvious) which will be extremely tough. 

Huge opportunity though to save the season if they perform as they have lately. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,744]

Bullpen has struggled but this weekend it really came through.

A combined 15.2 IP, 9 hits, 2 R/1 ER, 13K/0BB