After demolishing Purdue, 17-2, in its home-opener during a mid-week contest, Indiana began its first home series of the season Saturday with an afternoon double-header against San Diego. The Hoosiers took the first game, 9-2, but lost the second, 6-2.
The Hoosier bats were the main attraction for anyone keeping an eye on the opening series, as San Diego boasted a pitching staff that trotted an ace who threw a no-hitter last week and a No. 2 pitcher who was drafted by the Padres to the mound.
The Hoosiers jumped on Jake Miller in the first game, collecting four hits, five walks and four earned runs by the end of the sixth inning. But in Game Two, Indiana struggled to adjust against Carter Rustad, who no-hit the Hoosiers through the sixth inning.
"We haven't been like that so far this season, so I was little disappointed in the way we approached our at-bats and our inability to make adjustments, but you live and you learn and you make sure that they don't make those same mistakes in the future," Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said.
Elijah Dunham, as has been the case for most of the season to date, was responsible for much of Indiana's scoring Saturday, as he recorded two RBIs in Game One and one in Game Two after Grant Richardson broke up the no-hitter in the seventh inning. He finished the day 3-for-8.
Cooper Trinkle, who's continued to perform well at the plate from the second base position since he took over, compiled a 5-for-8 day, while Jordan Fucci notched Indiana's first home run in Bart Kaufman late in Game Two, even though the Hoosiers have scored 28 runs in three games.
The pitching duo of Gabe Bierman and Tommy Sommer was strong for the time it was on the mound Saturday. Bierman finished his 6.1 innings having allowed just five hits and one earned run. Sommer pitched three innings of scoreless baseball but reached 62 pitches early in the game and was relieved by Matt Litwicki, who pitched four innings and allowed five hits and one earned run.
Indiana rounds out its San Diego series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m.
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