Live Game Thread: Indiana vs. Ohio State | Game 1 |

[MatthewByrne5]

Starting Lineups:

IU:

1. SS Jeremy Houston
2. LF Drew Ashley
3. CF Grant Richardson
4. 3B Cole Barr
5. DH Paul Toetz
6. RF Morgan Colopy
7. 1B Kip Fougerousse
8. C Collin Hopkins
9. 2B James Espalin

SP: RHP Gabe Bierman

OSU:

1. CF Kade Kern
2. 3B Nick Erwin
3. SS Zach Dezenzo
4. 1B Conner Pohl
5. C Brent Todys
6. RF Mitchell Okuley
7. DH Archer Brookman
8. LF Caden Kaiser
9. 2B Marcus Ernst

SP: Garret Burhenn

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T1:

Ohio State goes down in order.

Kern struck out swinging and both Erwin and Dezenzo grounded out to third base.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B1 --> The game is tied 0-0.

Due Up:

1. Houston
2. Ashley
3. Richardson

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B1:

Indiana scores one run and takes the lead.

Houston hit a leadoff double down the right-field line. Next up to bat, Ashley hit a ground ball to OSU's shortstop, who committed a fielding error, allowing Ashley to reach safely and Houston to score from third to make it 1-0.

Richardson struck out swinging for the first out. Barr then singled through the right side and Ashley went to third to put runners on the corners. Toetz then struck out swinging and Barr stole second to put two runners in scoring position. However, Colopy struck out swinging to end the inning.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T2 --> Indiana leads 1-0.

Due Up:

4. Pohl
5. Todys
6. Okuley

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T2:

Ohio State scores one and ties the game.

Pohl led off and hit a solo home run to right field, tying the game 1-1.

Todys then grounded out to third base and Okuley flied out to left for the first two outs. Brookman singled to right-center. Kaiser hit a ground ball to second base and Espalin knocked it down but did not have a play to put runners on first and second. However, Ernst struck out looking to end the inning.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B2 --> The game is tied 1-1.

Due Up:

7. Fougerousse
8. Hopkins
9. Espalin

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B2:

Indiana goes down 1-2-3.

Fougerousse flied out to left, Hopkins struck out looking and Espalin grounded out to third base.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T3 --> The game is tied 1-1.

Due Up:

1. Kern
2. Erwin
3. Dezenzo

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T3:

Kern led off and struck out looking. Erwin then hit a ground ball to third that went under Barr's glove (error). Dezenzo struck out swinging for the second out and on the same pitch, Erwin stole second base.

Pohl was intentionally walked on a 3-1 count to put runners on first and second. However, Todys grounded out to short for the final out.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B3 --> The game is tied 1-1.

Due Up:

1. Houston
2. Ashley
3. Richardson

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B3:

Indiana is retired in order again.

Houston grounded out to third, Ashley grounded out to second and Richardson grounded out to shortstop for the final out.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T4 --> The game is tied 1-1.

Due Up:

6. Okuley
7. Brookman
8. Kaiser

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T4:

Okuley popped out to second base for the first out. Brookman then hit a ground ball to third base and Barr had a wide throw to first base. Fougerousse had to come off the bag and had a chance to tag the runner, but the ball came out of his glove on the tag.

Kaiser struck out looking on a low and away changeup for the second out and Ernst flied out to right field to end the frame.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B4 --> The game is tied 1-1.

Due Up:

4. Barr
5. Toetz
6. Colopy

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B4:

Indiana strands a runner in scoring position.

Barr led off and singled to shortstop. Toetz then flied out to center field for the first out. Barr stole second, moving into scoring position, but both Colopy and Fougerousse struck out swinging to end the inning.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T5 --> The game is tied 1-1.

Due Up:

1. Kern
2. Erwin
3. Dezenzo

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T5:

Ohio State takes a 3-1 lead.

Kern drew a leadoff walk and moved to second after Erwin singled to left. Dezenzo then reached on a fielder's choice to third base and Kern was out at third but Erwin advanced to second base to keep runners on first and second. A pitch hit Pohl, which loaded up the bases and Todys singled up the middle, scoring Erwin and Dezenzo to gain a 3-1 lead.

Okuley then hit a ground ball to Fougerousse, who threw to second base for the out. The fielder's choice led to runners on the corners with two outs. However, Brookman struck out looking.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B5 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

8. Hopkins
9. Espalin
1. Houston

 

[ptrich]

It could have been worse. OSU's pitcher's pitch count is not high right now, so if we don't start hitting him, he's going to be around for awhile, while Bierman is already over 100 pitches.

 

[MatthewByrne5]

Did the announcer say that he doesn't expect Houston to stay leadoff for long? I may have misheard, but if that's the case, I disagree. I don't know what you all think, but it looks like that's where he should be. Has been hitting well these past couple of games. Again, I may have misheard, so please take it with a grain of salt.

 

[ptrich]

Did the announcer say that he doesn't expect Houston to stay leadoff for long? I may have misheard, but if that's the case, I disagree. I don't know what you all think, but it looks like that's where he should be. Has been hitting well these past couple of games. Again, I may have misheard, so please take it with a grain of salt.

I missed that if he said it, and I agree with what you said. I seen no point in doing that, especially at this point in the game.

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B5:

Hopkins lined out to center field and Espalin grounded out to second base for the first two outs. Houston then singled up the middle, but Ashley hit a ground ball to second, who flipped to shortstop for the final out.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T6 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

8. Kaiser
9. Ernst
1. Kern

 

[MatthewByrne5]

Well, it's still an interesting question for the future. Ill take the announcer out of the equation since I can't confirm if he said that or not.

It really does seem like Houston is way more comfortable at the plate batting leadoff. He should bat leadoff tomorrow and for the Maryland series, in my opinion.

The problem does become where do you put Ashley where he feels comfortable too.

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T6:

RHP Nathan Stahl replaced RHP Gabe Bierman

Kaiser led off and struck out swinging. Next up to bat, Ernst hit a fly ball to left and Ashley made an excellent diving catch towards the line. Kern then singled to left field and later stole second, but Erwin flied out to left field to end the frame.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B6 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

3. Richardson
4. Barr
5. Toetz

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B6:

Indiana goes down 1-2-3.

Richardson grounded out to first base, Barr flied out to right field and Toetz grounded out to second base.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T7 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

3. Dezenzo
4. Pohl
5. Todys

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T7:

Ohio State is retired in order.

Dezenzo grounded out to second, Pohl fouled out to third and Todys grounded out to third.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B7 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

6. Colopy
7. Fougerousse
8. Hopkins

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B7:

Indiana goes down in order for the fourth time today.

Colopy flied out to deep center field on the warning track, Fougerousse grounded out to second and Hopkins struck out swinging to end the inning.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T8 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

6. Okuley
7. Brookman
8. Kaiser

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T8:

Ohio State strands a runner in scoring position.

Okuley struck out swinging to start the frame. Brookman then singled to center field and Kaiser struck out swinging for the second out. Brookman stole second base and moved into scoring position, but Ernst struck out swinging to end the frame.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B8 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

9. Espalin
1. Houston
2. Ashley

 

[ptrich]

For the second game in a row, our hitters are being handled by a pitcher that came into the game with an ERA that was pretty average at over 4.00.

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B8:

Indiana is retired in order again.

Espalin grounded out to OSU's starting pitcher Burhenn, Houston struck out swinging and Ashley struck out looking.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into T9 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Due Up:

1. Kern
2. Erwin
3. Dezenzo

 

[MatthewByrne5]

T9:

RHP Reese Sharp replaced RHP Nathan Stahl

Ohio State goes down in order.

Kern flied out to left field, Erwin bunted back to Sharp and was thrown out at first and Dezenzo struck out swinging.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B9 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Last chance for IU.

Due Up:

3. Richardson
4. Barr
5. Toetz

 

[ptrich]

T9:

RHP Reese Sharp replaced RHP Nathan Stahl

Ohio State goes down in order.

Kern flied out to left field, Erwin bunted back to Sharp and was thrown out at first and Dezenzo struck out swinging.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heading into B9 --> Ohio State leads 3-1.

Last chance for IU.

Due Up:

3. Richardson
4. Barr
5. Toetz

It's the heart of the order, but only Barr has done anything today.

 

[mk23]

Oh wait. Clutch hitting? Is that still a thing in college baseball? I thought everything was analytics, launch angles, exit velocity and all that other crap we hear about all off-season. Screw all that. Give me a grinder that simply plays baseball.

 

[ptrich]

OSU has had our number this season and are 5-0 against us so far and are going for the season sweep tomorrow. They are probably thinking if they played just us for the entire season, they would easily be the B1G champions. Our pitching has been good enough to win the past two games, but our hitting has been practically non-existent.

 

[MatthewByrne5]

B9:

Indiana strands two runners on base and one in scoring position.

Richardson reached safely after hitting a hard comebacker that hit Burhenn in the head, but he stayed in the game. Barr lined out to right field and Toetz struck out swinging for the first two outs.

Colopy then singled to right-center and Richardson advanced to third. However, Fougerousse struck out swinging for the final out, ending the game.

IU loses 3-1 and loses its fifth straight game.

 

[ptrich]

Two straight average pitchers have discovered that going against us is a walk in the park - an easy nine inning game for them.

 

[dr.jb]

7 losses in the last 9 games?

not the way to finish

 

[ptrich]

7 losses in the last 9 games?

not the way to finish

Actually, it's a real possibility that we could finish the season on a nine-game losing streak. We have lost five straight and we still have a game against OSU tomorrow, a team that has dominated us this season. Then we head to Maryland for a three-game series to finish the season. Make no mistake about it, Maryland is a hot team that just took a series at Michigan, and they see sweeping us in their final series at home as their ticket to the field of 64. I would say in all likelihood, that if they just win the series without the sweep they would be in the field. Our team has lost all confidence at the plate. Our pitchers for the most part are doing their job, but with little to no support from our hitters.

 

[Orford]

Our hitters do have a knack of helping the other pitcher with clueless uncompetitive at bats. I thought bierman was ok today but notice throughout the osu order they fought hard. Ashley used to specialize in chewing up pitches. Hard to fathom how far they have fallen

 

[ColumbusHoosier73]

Just not ready for prime time. Sadly, they don’t deserve to move on. You can’t play this tight in the regular season and then expect to do damage in the NCAA.

 

[ptrich]

Our hitters do have a knack of helping the other pitcher with clueless uncompetitive at bats. I thought bierman was ok today but notice throughout the osu order they fought hard. Ashley used to specialize in chewing up pitches. Hard to fathom how far they have fallen

Ashley has been slumping big time of late and his batting average has been steadily dropping. Houston, in the leadoff spot has been hitting the ball really well, but then the rest of the top of the order has suddenly gone into a slump. Barr had a good game at the plate today, but the hitters that followed him did practically nothing.

 

[mk23]

Who is the hitting coach? What is our offensive personality? We just seem totally clueless most of the time. Especially with RISP. I notice virtually every retired hitter saying something to the on-deck hitter. I’d love to hear some of those prime tid-bits.

 

[ptrich]

Who is the hitting coach? What is our offensive personality? We just seem totally clueless most of the time. Especially with RISP. I notice virtually every retired hitter saying something to the on-deck hitter. I’d love to hear some of those prime tid-bits.

Derek Simmons is identified on the roster as a volunteer assistant coach who handles hitting, infielders, and base running. Whether he is the only one working with the hitters I don't know. Someone closer to the program would have to answer that. IU is at least tops in the conference right now in one area and that is they have the longest losing streak right now at five games. Minnesota's 16 game losing streak went by the wayside today as they scored three runs in the 9th to beat Purdue by one run.

 

[mk23]

Damn, I like the way you turn a sucky situation into a happy one. Boiler down.

That bio is a problem. If I had to question (complain?) about 3 areas on this crew it’d be hitting (situational, clutch), base running, and infield play. Wow. Not good. Guess I’d wonder what everyone else works on? That seems like a pretty heavy workload. Whatever, those 3 areas need cleaned up.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

Did the announcer say that he doesn't expect Houston to stay leadoff for long? I may have misheard, but if that's the case, I disagree. I don't know what you all think, but it looks like that's where he should be. Has been hitting well these past couple of games. Again, I may have misheard, so please take it with a grain of salt.

I disagree on Houston. Batting him fist is a sign of desperation, imo.

 

[ptrich]

I disagree on Houston. Batting him fist is a sign of desperation, imo.

Maybe, but he has hit the ball well in that position, however, he did pick up another error over the weekend.