Indiana Baseball Drops Final Game of the Weekend 9-5 Against No. 13 Ole Miss
GREENVILLE, N.C. — The win streak ended at six as Indiana dropped the final game of the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C., 9-5 against No. 13 Ole Miss.
The two sides got off to opposite starts as the Rebels were hot to start the game while the Hoosiers sputtered out of the gate.
Ole Miss got themselves into the run column quickly with a two-run home run from junior Tyler Keened in the first inning.
Indiana struggled to find its rhythm at the plate early as it took until the fourth inning for the team to get its first hits, before heating up with a pair of solo home runs by sophomore Grant Richardson and senior Jordan Fucci to tie the game.
Ole Miss’ offense relied heavily on the long ball throughout the game as the team launched two more two-run home runs in the game, one from freshman catcher Hayden Dunhurst in the fourth followed by sophomore Kevin Graham in the seventh.
The Hoosiers clawed their way back in the sixth inning, tying the game at 5-5. Junior Elijah Dunham and Richardson continued their terrific weekend with singles up the middle before senior Collin Hopkins was hit by a pitch loading the bases. Freshman Hunter Jessee drew a four-pitch walk in the next at-bat scoring Richardson before junior Cooper Trinkle ripped a two-RBI double just inside the left field line.
It wouldn’t take long for the Rebels to answer in the seventh inning as they scored four runs in the inning, breaking the game open.
Throughout Indiana’s six-game win streak, the Hoosiers received strong pitching from both its starters and the bullpen, but against Ole Miss, both struggled at points throughout the game.
Sophomore Braydon Tucker had been the Hoosiers' most reliable starter after earning the win against then-No. 11 LSU and Siena last weekend but struggled against a talented Rebels lineup. Tucker only lasted four innings while giving up five earned runs on six hits in the no-decision.
Freshman David Platt continued to impress by keeping Indiana in the game, throwing two shutout innings of relief and allowing only one run while striking out three batters.
Sophomore McCade Brown struggled in his only appearance of the weekend allowing four earned runs in just one inning of work while being given the loss.
“On the mound, our stuff has been good,” IU head coach Jeff Mercer said. “We just have to be able to put guys away.”
The Hoosiers will get a chance to bounce back on Wednesday, March 4, when they face in-state rival Purdue in a non-conference matchup at Bart Kaufman Field for their first home game of the season.
“I’m really pleased with where we are at,” Mercer said. “I look at our at-bats and the way we pitched the ball and both of them were really good. I look at our toughness and our ability to go out and stick to a plan and our ability to compete at a really high level and I’m really pleased.”
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