As has been the case all season long, the Hoosiers could not hold a lead through any of the three games in their weekend series with Oregon. The Hoosiers dropped all three games despite holding late-inning leads in two out of the three games.
Friday: Oregon 3, Indiana 2
Indiana looked to build upon its dominant win over Wright State with a win over the Ducks on Friday. At first, it seemed that they were poised to do just that. After getting a strong start from pitcher Regan Rivera, the Hoosiers drew first blood with a run in the first inning, followed by another in the fourth when Landen Fry’s RBI single drove home Jake Hanley.
From that point on Oregon began to rally back. Ryan Cooney hit an RBI double in the fifth inning, Maddox Molony tied the game with a solo shot in the sixth, and a sac fly by Cooney in the seventh gave the Ducks a 3-2 lead, which they were able to hold on to for the rest of the game.
Saturday: Oregon 5, Indiana 1
Oregon’s bats stayed hot heading into the second game of the series. Drew Smith hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the Ducks the lead. The Hoosiers tied the game up with a solo shot of their own off the bat of Cole Decker.
The Ducks continued to pour on the runs from there as Ryan Cooney had a solo homer in the third, and Angel Laya hit a two-run bomb that extended the Ducks’ lead. Oregon ended the game with three home runs on their way to a 5 to 1 victory.
Sunday: Oregon 7, Indiana 6
With their pride on the line, Indiana desperately attempted to salvage the series on Sunday and seemed poised to do just that. The Hoosiers had built a five-run lead midway through the game and seemed firmly in control. But Oregon just wouldn’t go away. The Ducks continued to chip away, tying the game in the eighth inning before walking off the Hoosiers in the ninth to win the game.
If the Hoosiers want to regain control of a young season that is rapidly slipping away from them, they need to find a way to play a complete game. Indiana will have the chance to do just that against Vanderbilt on Tuesday.