As has been the case all season long, the Hoosiers showed flashes of greatness throughout a season series, just to watch every game get away from them, leading to a series sweep.
After a heartbreaking loss to Indiana State on Tuesday, the Hoosiers headed to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the #24-ranked Cornhuskers. Unfortunately for Indiana, they dropped all three games of the season series.
Friday: Nebraska 6, Indiana 5
The Cornhuskers came out swinging on Friday, quickly building up a 5-run lead heading into the top of the sixth. In contrast, the Hoosiers’ offense had been silent through the majority of the game, struggling to figure out Huskers’ pitcher, Ty Horn. That all changed in the sixth where hits from Owen ten Oever, Hogan Denny, and Caleb Koskie allowed the Hoosiers to pull within two runs.
Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, a hit by pitch in the bottom of the sixth led to another Cornhusker run. While Indiana was able to pull back to within one run in the seventh thanks to an RBI by Cole Decker, they were not able to complete the comeback.
Saturday: Nebraska 12, Indiana 7
Saturday’s game got out to an eerily similar start. Nebraska came out swinging, building up a five-run lead, while the Hoosiers clawed back to make it a one-run game in the seventh thanks to a three-run homer from Owen ten Oever and a bases-loaded walk.
Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, the bottom of the seventh went about as badly as it could. Indiana gave up a whopping seven runs, all of them coming with two outs. A large part of this loss, as it has been all season, is due to the inflated amount of free bases the Indiana pitchers have been giving up. The Hoosiers gave up 13 free bases on Saturday (8 walks, 5 HBPs), effectively throwing the game away.
Sunday: Nebraska 12, Indiana 4
With nothing but their pride on the line on Sunday, the Hoosiers were able to draw first blood, as RBIs from Hogan Denny and Caleb Koskie gave the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead. Nebraska would then take a 3-2 lead in the 5th, before Landen Fry’s solo home run in the sixth would give the Hoosiers a 4-3 lead.
As was the case all series long, Indiana just couldn’t get out of their own way. Nebraska scored 9 unanswered runs to take the series sweep off of a 12-4 victory.
For the Hoosiers, they continue to not be able to get out of their own way. They’ll look to bounce back on Tuesday, March 31st, when they face off against Evansville.
For those Indiana fans who are looking for some good news on the diamond, the Indiana Law School softball team advanced to the Elite 8 at the annual NCAA Law School Invitational Softball Tournament, winning their games by a combined score of 62-2. Perhaps Coach Mercer should see if any of the law students have eligibility remaining.