Hoosiers Complete Weekend Sweep With Easy 12-3 Win Over Siena
MOBILE, Ala. — After two weekend games that included a lot of late-inning dramatics, Indiana had an easy walk in the park on Sunday. The Hoosiers cruised past Siena 12-3 at Stanky Field to complete a three-game sweep on the road trip.
The Hoosiers (4-2) won their fourth straight game, and did it once again with exceptional starting pitching. Braydon Tucker (2-0) won his second straight start, pitching five shutout innings and allowing just three hits. For the weekend, starters Tommy Sommer, Gabe Bierman and Tucker pitched 16 2/3 innings without allowing a single earned run.
Catcher Collin Hopkins, who also had a two-run double Sunday, caught all three games this weekend and saw that great pitching first-hand.
"I think it's really great that they picked up where they left off from last year,'' Hopkins said of his starting pitchers. "That's really a testament to how much they're going to grow. The ceiling for them is nowhere near where we're at. They pitched well, but they can do even better.''
The Hoosiers scored a dozen runs against Siena (0-7) but could have had a lot more, leaving 13 runners on base. Indiana benefited from 14 walks and were hit by three pitches.
The gifts were plentiful. In the third inning, five Hoosiers walked — and they all scored. Hopkins drove in two, right fielder Hunter Jessee had an RBI single and third baseman Cole Barr had a sacrifice fly. The other run scored when Grant Richardson walked with the bases loaded.
Indiana added three more runs in the fourth on a towering three-run homer to right field by Elijah Dunham. Dunham, who was 6-for-7 this weekend coming into the game, was 1-for-4 with two walks on Sunday, and those were his first three RBIs of the year.
The Hoosiers only had six hits all day. Second baseman Drew Ashley was the only player with two hits. He also drove in two runs with a single in the sixth.
"We've got to be better offensively,'' Indiana coach Jeff Mercer said. "We've got to manage our at-bats a little better and not try to get a big hit all the time. We left a lot out there.''
Indiana left 12 men on base Friday and 13 more on Sunday, which is too many. The Hoosiers also committed five errors over the weekend, but the pitching masked a lot of those issues.
"We pitched well all weekend. Braydon was good today, too. He didn't have his best stuff but he battled through it. And it was good to get some of the young relievers in, too.
David Platt and Ty Bothwell both pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Matt Litwicki finished the game with four straight outs. Only Alex Franklin struggled, allowing a hit and two walks that led to three runs, two earned.
The Hoosiers are back in Bloomington for a home game Wednesday against Butler, and a have a big weekend coming up at East Carolina, where they have games against the host school, the 16th-ranked Pirates on Friday, and No. 15 Ole Miss on Sunday. Indiana will play High Point on Saturday.
Catcher Collin Hopkins (right) listens in during a bullpen meeting. (Photos courtesy Scott Donaldson).