Illinois State @ IU: IU pitching a no-show in 10-run rule loss, 16-6...

[ptrich]

Illinois State comes to town after getting swept by Vandy over the weekend and they have a 5-8 record.

IU will give Illinois transfer RHP Ty Rybarczyk the start and it will be his debut on the mound for IU. Illinois St. will start RHP Thomas Harper with an ERA of 9.90 in 10 IP and WHIP of 2.20 with an OBA of .391.

Oliver will get the start at 2B with Bode being the DH. Tibbitts will be at 1B while Stadler will be behind the plate. The first six hitters in the batting order for IU will be the same as it has been in the last few games.

It currently is 72 with intermittent clouds and the chance of precip is at 43 pct. The winds are SSW 10 mph with gusts to 17 mph.

1st inning:

T1st:

The leadoff hitter for the Redbirds reached on a single up the middle. A SAC bunt moved the runner to 2nd with one out.

A deep fly being carried by the wind made it to the warning track in LF before being hauled in for the 2nd out with the runner still at 2nd.

A single scored the runner from 2nd with the hitter reaching 2nd on an error (bobbled ball) in LF. It looked like the runner was going to hold at 3rd, but when he saw the bobbled ball, he headed home.

A flyout ended retired the side.

B1st:

Mitchell led off. Mitchell flied out just short of the wall in LF. Taylor doubled to left center.

Seth Benes is warming up in the bullpen for IU. Tibbitts grounded out with Taylor taking 3rd.

A groundout by Mathison stranded the runner at 3rd to end the inning.

End of 1st:

 

[ptrich]

2nd inning:

T2nd:

Mercer went to the bullpen to bring in RHP Seth Benes with an ERA of 3.00 in 3 IP and a WHIP of 0.67, and he faced the 6 thru 8 hitters. Benes walked the leadoff hitter on a 3-1 count.

Benes then gave up a no doubter 2-run homer to RF and IU is already down 3-0 and this game may be going the same way that it did with PFW. At least, it's started that way.

Benes then walked another batter on a 3-2 count, and Mercer saw enough and went to the bullpen and brought in RHP Evan Whiteaker with an ERA of 9.00 in 6 IP and A WHIP of 1.83. Benes saw his ERA soar after getting no outs while giving up two runs.

Whiteaker gave up a double to the first batter he saw which scored the walk from 1st to make it 4-0 and no outs.

A ground out moved the runner to 3rd. Yet another base hit scored the runner from 3rd.

Whiteaker then gave up a 2-run homer and have found themselves down 7-0 in the 2nd.

A routine grounder went through Tibbitts legs for IU's 2nd error of the game. There's a runner on and one out.

A grounder to the pitcher moved the runner to 2nd and two outs and the 10th hitter of the inning is at the plate. Whiteaker then walked a batter on a 3-2 count to put runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs.

Whiteaker then gave up a 3-run homer with two outs to make it 10-0 Redbirds, and IU is off to their 2nd embarrassing home loss of the season if they don't some how find some offense. Mercer needed to find a pitcher that can gets some outs and stick with him and not play this everyone gets an inning like he did against PFW. Maybe just Maybe, we can find some offense while holding the Redbirds down, but it certainly looks like a longshot right now.

B2nd:

Pyne singled to leadoff. Cerny hit into a DP for two outs. Bode singled up the middle to put a runner on and two outs. Stadler Kd to end the inning, and a pitcher will elevated numbers coming in has shutout IU though the first two innings.

End of 2nd: Illinois State 10 IU 0

 

[Bucket Getter]

Boy, this season isn’t going the way I thought it would. They need to figure some things out fast.

 

[ptrich]

3rd inning:

T3rd:
Whiteaker was back out there and he got the first batter on a groundout. He then gave up a base hit to put a runner on with one out. An infield single put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.

Whiteaker then hit a batter to load the bases with one out. Whiteaker then gave up a double that got to the wall and cleared the bases to make it 13-0 and a runner on 2nd with one out.

Whiteaker almost gave up a two-run homer that almost went over the foul pole, but it was challenged by the Redbirds, and why not since everything has been going their way. The umps upheld the call that it was foul.

On a WP, Stadler couldn't find the ball and no one helped him out by telling him where the ball was and the runner on 2nd managed to make it all the way home on the WP. It's not scored as an error, but it was a mental error that scored the run.

A K, another single, and a groundout finally retired the side.

B3rd:

It's the 9 thru 2 hitters up and Oliver Kd to lead off. The Redbird pitcher who came into the game with elevated pitching numbers, is looking like Sandy Koufax in his prime right now and he breezed right through the IU hitters to put them down in order in the inning.

End of 3rd: Illinois State 14 IU 0

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Wasted season

 

[ptrich]

4th inning:

T4th:

Whiteaker was back out there and he gave up a leadoff homer to make it 15-0. Mercer is not about to burn any pitchers he will need over the weekend in a game that is essentially over in the 4th inning.

Whiteaker got a K for the 1st out and managed to get out the inning while giving up just the one run.

B4th:

Tibbitts singled and Mathison was hit by a pitch. Pyne hit into a DP and Cerny flied out with Tibbitts stranded at 3B.

End of 4th: Illinois State 15 IU 0

 

[ulrey]

 

[ptrich]

Boy, this season isn’t going the way I thought it would. They need to figure some things out fast.

We have found out we have practically no pitching at the backend of the pitching staff. We thought we had an embarrassing outing against PFW at home, but we have not had a game like this at home in who knows when. We are at home against a team with a losing record and a pitcher with elevated numbers and we have already given up more runs than what Vandy scored at home yesterday in the entire game. Meanwhile, we are not getting anything from our hitters to speak of.

 

[ptrich]

5th inning:

T5th:

RHP Brandon Keyster came in for Whiteaker and he did something that none of our other pitchers have done in the game by retiring the side in order.

B5th:

It's the bottom of the order up with Bode leading off, and the 10-run rule is in effect for this game. Bode grounded out for the first out.

Stadler singled with one out. IU is 0 for 6 with runners on today, so far. Oliver Kd swinging for the 2nd out.

Mitchell got a single to put runners on the corners with two outs. Taylor got a two-out RBI single to score IU's first run with Tibbitts up.

Tibbitts singled to drive in another run with runners on 1st and 2nd.

Mathison doubled to score both Taylor and Tibbitts to make it 15-4 with still two outs.

Pyne reached on a throwing error by 3b and he reached 2nd on the error with Mathison scoring to make it 15-5 and two outs.

ISU went to the bullpen to bring in LHP Braden Roesch with an ERA of 9.00 in 3 IP and a WHIP of 2.33.

Cerny was up with two outs and Pyne at 2nd. Cerny popped up in the infield to end the inning.

Note: This is something that IU has done a lot of in recent games by doing nothing at the plate until they get near the end of the middle innings.

End of 5th: Illinois State 15 IU 5

 

[Seyton]

Mercer and Glant do not seem to be able to identify and/or develop pitching. Like at all. And I don't want to hear any BS about the schedule. It's like this every year.

 

[ptrich]

6th inning:

T6th:

Keyster was back out there and for the 2nd straight inning he put them down in order.

B6th:

It's the bottom of the order up for IU with Sefcik pinch hitting for Bode and he Kd on a full count.

Mercer has used Sefcik as a pinch hitter a few times and he really hasn't responded much in that role and he is 1 for 18 on the season so far at the plate.

Stadler singled up the middle with one out. Oliver walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.

Mitchell reached on a FC with Oliver out at 2nd and Stadler taking 3rd to put runners on the corners with two outs.

Taylor reached on an error by SS and reached 2nd with Stadler scoring an unearned run.

There are runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs and Tibbitts up. Illinois State brought in another pitcher in RHP Ben Dandelet, and he got Tibbitts to pop up to end the inning and IU has avoided the 10-run rule at least for the time being.

End of 6th: Illinois State 15 IU 6

 

[ptrich]

7th inning:

T7th:

Keyster was back out there to face the 9 thru 2 hitters.

Taylor robbed the leadoff hitter of a home run as he caught the ball at the wall while falling over the wall for the first out.

Keyster gave up his first hit of the game, a single to put a runner on and one out.

Keyster, after having two smooth innings, hit a batter to put runners on 1st and 2nd and one out.

Keyster gave up another single which drove in a run to put the 10-run rule back in effect with one out and runners at 1st and 2nd and the score at 16-6.

Keyster was pulled and IU brought in RHP Drew Buhr with an ERA of 7.11 in 6.1 IP and a WHIP of 2.37 and Buhr will face the No. 4 hitter.

An infield single loaded the bases with one out. Buhr got a DP ball to retire the side.

B7th:

IU needed one run to avoid the 10-run rule and it was the 4 thru 6 hitters up with Mathison leading off.

Mathison grounded out for the first out. Pyne lined out to the pitcher and IU was down to their final out.

Cerny singled to keep things alive. Wiggins came in to pinch hit for Sefcik. Wiggins Kd and IU lost an embarrassing 10-run rule game at home to a mid-major team with a losing record.

Final: Illinois State 16 IU 6

 

[Orford]

Is that three or four run rules now?

 

[ptrich]

Is that three or four run rules now?

3rd. IU lost by the rule to Alabama and Arizona and I guess to IU hitters and pitchers, Illinois State and their losing record was also a juggernaut alongside those two other teams. We have two really bad losses to mid-major teams at home and neither one being close, and that has put some really bad black marks against the resume and as far as I'm concerned they have canceled out the wins over Coastal Carolina and Dallas Baptist which are currently in the top 25 of every major poll.

We need to not worry about the resume at this point and try to figure things out with the conference season coming up. For whatever reason, our hitting of late, with the exception of the Northern Kentucky game, seems to be dormant through the first several innings and then wakes up near the end of the middle innings and that happened again today.

 

[ptrich]

This game was so bad and embarrassing that I'm not even going to try to do a summary of it. Our hitters couldn't get it going against a pitcher that came in with bad numbers until the middle innings, and our pitching gave up 10 runs by the end of the 2nd inning. I'll let the box score do the talking and your eyeballs may start bleeding just looking at it.

Box score link:

Baseball vs Illinois State on 3/13/2024 - Box Score - Indiana University Athletics

The official box score of Baseball vs Illinois State on 3/13/2024

iuhoosiers.com

 

[hookyIU1990]

This is just turning to trash after a great start. I sure hope we get it figured out.