Indiana Baseball Defeats Ohio State 14-7, Advances to Big Ten Tournament Semifinals

It was a big day for Indiana hitters, as they combined for 14 hits in a 14-7 win over Ohio State on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana pitchers Connor Foley, Aydan Decker-Petty and Brayden Risedorph held the Buckeyes to six hits.

Jack Ankony | May 23, 2024

Indiana pitcher Aydan Decker-Petty tossed three innings and allowed one run in a 14-7 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. / Indiana Athletics

Indiana baseball found its grove at the plate in a 14-7 win over Ohio State on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.

The Hoosiers totaled 14 hits and took advantage of four Ohio State errors. On the mound, Connor Foley, Aydan Decker-Petty and Brayden Risedorph held the Buckeyes to six hits while striking out 13.

With this win, Indiana gets a valuable day off on Friday before playing in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. Coach Jeff Mercer and the Hoosiers will face the winner of Friday's game between Nebraska and Ohio State.

Indiana entered the Big Ten Tournament with a rested pitching staff after wrapping up a series win over Michigan on May 17, and its tournament wins over Purdue and Ohio State have been crucial to keeping the pitchers' arms fresh.

Indiana jumped out to an early lead in the second inning through patience at the plate. Ohio State starting pitcher Gavin DeVooght hit two batters and walked a third to load the bases with no outs, and the Hoosiers made him pay.

Indiana second baseman Jasen Oliver drove in the game's first run on a sacrifice fly, and designated hitter Andrew Wiggins cleared the bases with a two-RBI double. After a single from catcher Jake Stadler, left fielder Devin Taylor and third baseman Josh Pyne hit back-to-back doubles to give Indiana a 5-0 lead in the second inning.

T2 | The freshmen came to play 😤@adub2113 | #IUBase pic.twitter.com/3uEDrDvYKx
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) May 23, 2024

That knocked DeVooght out of the game after allowing four hits and five earned runs in 1.2 innings. Indiana starting pitcher Connor Foley retired the first six Buckeyes, but he ran into some trouble in the third inning.

Before getting an out, Foley walked two batters and hit another. He struck out the next batter, but Ohio State scored two runs on a throwing error by Foley. Henry Kaczmar hit a ground ball back to Foley, who fell to the ground but knocked down the ball. He tried to throw the runner out at home while on the ground, but his throw went wide and allowed two runners to score.

A groundout was enough to score another Ohio State run, and Foley was called for a balk, sending home the Buckeyes' fourth run of the inning. Despite a quick start, Indiana's lead was down to 5-4 after three innings.

Ohio State's Ryan Miller tied the game at five runs apiece in the fourth inning, finding a gap in right centerfield. Foley finished the inning, but his day would be done after four innings. He allowed three hits, four unearned runs, one earned run, three walks and five strikeouts across 79 pitches.

The game wouldn't be tied for long, though, as Indiana again made Ohio State pay for its mistakes. First baseman Brock Tibbitts and Oliver both reached on fielding errors by Ohio State second baseman Joseph Mershon, and Wiggins put the Hoosiers ahead by reaching on a fielder's choice. Stadler grounded out in the next at-bat, but it was enough to bring in a run and put the Hoosiers ahead 7-5 in the fifth.

Tibbitts gave Indiana a bit of breathing room in the sixth with a double to right center field, scoring right fielder Nick Mitchell. Meanwhile, Aydan Decker-Petty was first out of the Indiana bullpen, and he gave the Hoosiers valuable length.

T6 | Doubles a plenty in Omaha for the Hoosiers ✌️@brocktibbitts | #IUBase pic.twitter.com/fQQr3Q1Kvi
— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase) May 23, 2024

Decker-Petty held the Buckeyes scoreless in the fifth and sixth, but he struggled with command in the seventh. Ohio State loaded the bases with three walks, but Decker-Petty escaped the jam with a strikeout. He finished with three innings pitched, zero hits, one earned run, six walks and four strikeouts.

Taylor added more even more insurance in the eighth inning with a deep blast over the right field fence, extending Indiana's lead to 9-5. He's now tied with Illinois' Ryan Moerman for the Big Ten lead in home runs at 18. And just for good measure, shortstop Tyler Cerny, center fielder Carter Mathison and Oliver drove in three more runs in the eighth to blow the game open.

Risedorph replaced Decker-Petty after a walk in the eighth inning, and Ohio State threatened a comeback. The Buckeyes loaded the bases with two more walks, then scored two runs on a single from Kaczmar and a groundout from Isaac Cadena to make it a 12-7 game. Risedorph allowed two more baserunners and loaded the bases for a second time, but he escaped the jam with a strikeout.

Ohio State's four error of the game let in another Indiana run, and Mathison extended the lead with an RBI single, making it a 14-7 game.

Aydan Decker-Petty is making a difference on the mound for the ⚪️ and 🔴.#B1GBaseball x @indianabase pic.twitter.com/OPCPmTFu6c
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 23, 2024

Risedorph walked two batters and gave up a single in the ninth, but he struck out three batters to secure the Indiana victory. He finished with two innings pitched, three hits, one earned run, four walks and four strikeouts.

The Hoosiers entered the Big Ten Tournament squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but now they're making a push for their second consecutive tournament appearance.

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