Coming off two lopsided losses to Washington last weekend, the Indiana Hoosiers looked to bounce back on Tuesday with a midweek matchup against the Wright State Raiders.
Facing off against his former program, head coach Jeff Mercer and the Indiana Hoosiers wasted no time jumping out to an early lead. After two games where Indiana’s bats had gone ice cold, Indiana came out swinging early. Leadoff man Will Moore got the offense started with a single that set the tone immediately. A couple of batters later, Jake Hanley hit a double, which allowed Moore to score, but the big highlight from the first inning was Caleb Koskie’s absolute no-doubter 3-run homer way over the left field fence. By the end of the first, Indiana had built a 4-0 lead.
To Wright State’s credit, they were able to absorb this first punch and counter back with a solo homer to start the second, cutting the lead to three. On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders were able to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the second.
Both teams went quiet in the third, and following a 1-2-3 inning from Indiana pitcher Kellen English, Evan O’Neill got the chance to pitch the first inning of his collegiate career. Unfortunately for O’Neill and the Hoosiers, his appearance could not have gotten off to a worse start. On the very first pitch of his collegiate career, O’Neill gave up a home run. Just a couple of batters later, O’Neill gave up another home run, as Indiana quickly found their lead cut to just one by the end of the fourth inning.
Nursing a one-run lead and struggling to get their offense going again, Indiana finally found a spark in the bottom of the sixth. Three straight singles allowed Indiana to load the bases with Hogan Denny, their best batter, at the plate. Right on cue, Denny hit a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 6-3. A few batters later, Brayden Ricketts was able to rack up another RBI off of a fielder’s choice, giving the Hoosiers a 7-3 lead at the end of the sixth.
Once again, Wright State did not flinch when facing a 4-run deficit. A quick triple and an RBI single made the game 7-4. Things started to get nerve-wracking for Hoosier fans as the tying run came to the plate. A deep fly ball nearly became a game-tying home run if not for the athletic catch made by Indiana’s Ayden Crouse.
With a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the 8th, Indiana’s bats continued to produce. Hanley had an RBI single, Koskie had a 2-RBI double, Fry was awarded an RBI on a fielding error, and Will Moore finished his 4-4 day with an RBI single, as Indiana won the game 12-4.
For Indiana, this was a much-needed confidence-boosting win as they head into their second Big Ten series at Oregon this weekend.
Notes to Know
• Sophomore Will Moore had the best game of his career in Tuesday’s win. He reached safely in all six plate appearances with four hits, one walk and one hit-by-pitch. He’s the third member of the sophomore class (Jake Hanley at Evansville – April 30, 2025 and Cooper Malamazian at Penn State – March 7, 2025) to record a four-hit day for the Hoosiers. Moore is the 23rd player in the Jeff Mercer with a four-hit contest.
• When sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie produces runs, he does it in bunches. He had a five-RBI day on Tuesday, thanks in part to a three-run home run and a two-run double. In his collegiate career, he has more games with four-plus RBIs (3) than he does with just one RBI (1). Today was also the second three-hit day of his career.
• IU has now scored 10-or-more runs on 105 occasions during the head coach Jeff Mercer era (since 2019). It’s also the 41st time, and second this season, that the Hoosiers have produced at least 15 hits in a ballgame. All 16 base knocks in the win over Wright State came from underclassmen.