Indiana Drops Make-Up Game to Illinois on 10th Inning Homer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hasn't played a midweek baseball game all year, but on Tuesday they pieced together a masterful pitching performance but couldn't get a timely hit in 3-2 to Illinois in 10 innings.
The game, a makeup of a rained-out meeting from April 11, is the first of five home games this week for the Hoosiers, and it wasn't the way they wanted to start this critical stretch of games. They lost it in extra innings when Illinois center fielder Taylor Jackson hit a home run with one out in the 10th.
The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 24-13 on the season, now 1.5 games behind Big Ten leader Nebraska. The Cornhuskers and Hoosiers will play on Friday and Saturday at Bart Kaufman Field, with the league lead on the line. Indiana is now a half-game behind Michigan for second place.
The loss spoiled an outstanding pitching performance for the Hoosiers, who used a piecemeal approach to get through this extra game. Ty Bothwell, John Modugno and Grant Macciocchi were all excellent, working three innings each. Reese Sharp allowed the 10th inning homer. It was only the second run he had allowed all year in nine-plus innings of work.
"Those guys were awesome. They pitched their butts off today,'' Indiana coach Jeff Mercer said. "Ty gave us a great start and
Ty Bothwell, a crafty redshirt freshman left-hander, got the start for the Hoosiers, his fourth of the season, and he pitched well but didn't get much help defensively. In the second inning, Illinois designated hitter Justin Janas opened the inning with a double. After a strikeout, Illini first baseman Kellen Sarver hit a slow roller back up the middle that went under the glove of shortstop Jeremy Houston, and Janas scored.
Bothwell got another strikeout, which should ended the inning, but a pair of singles brought in another run and the Illini had a 2-0 lead. Both runs were unearned.
Indiana methodically starting chipping back. The Hoosiers added a run in the third when Kip Fougerousse singled and scored on a double into the gap in left-center by right fielder Morgan Colopy.
In the fourth, the Hoosiers tied the game, getting production from the bottom of order to plate the second run. Catcher Jacob Southern and James Esaplin, who got his first start of the season at second base, each singled to open the inning. They were bunted over by Jeremy Houston, and then Southern scored on a sacrifice fly from Grant Richardson.
John Modugno followed Bothwell on the mound and threw three hitless innings, allowing just one sixth-inning walk. Grant Macciocchi came on in the seventh and pitched three scoreless innings as well, allowing just one hit and a walk.
Indiana couldn't muster a run to end it, though, getting the leadoff man on base in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings, without threatening.
Mercer was asked about not bunting in any of those situations, but he said in each instance he didn't like the matchup to bunt, and he said it was leading into the bottom of the order in three of those innings as well.
Mercer also defending his decision to not pinch-hit in the 10th. He gave everyday starters Paul Toetz and Collin Hopkins the day off, and they've both had big hits all season. Instead, Bobby Whalen (1-for-13), Jacob Southern (4-for-32) and Jake Skrine (0-for-5) – a combined .100 batting average on the season – all hit after a Colopy single to lead off the inning. Whalen struck out, Southern flied to right and Skrine struck out to end the game.
Mercer was also upset about the two unearned runs early. The Hoosiers, who have
"It has been a problem and it has been a concern. As of late, we haven't taken care of the ball,'' Mercer said. "When you pitch it really well, you have opportunities to put people away and we need to do that.''
Indiana will play two games with league-leading Nebraska on Friday and Saturday, and Mercer said that regular starters Tommy Sommer and McCade Brown will get the call. Mercer said that Sommer's finger has healed well after splitting it against Michigan.
The two teams played two weeks ago and split two games. Indiana will play Ohio State on Sunday and Monday. Ohio State and Nebraska will play each other on Saturday and Sunday, as well.
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