Indiana swept its home double-header vs. Northwestern 12-0, 6-3 Friday night at Bart Kaufman Field to move to 25-6 overall and 5-2 in Big Ten play with the pair of victories.
Here's what stood out from the Hoosiers' wins:
Northwestern brings out the best in Matt Lloyd (again): Last year, the IU junior utility man was named national player of the week after smacking three home runs against the Wildcats in a Friday night game. This year, he fell just one home run shy of matching that productivity. Lloyd went 2 for 2 with a solo home run and a 2-run shot in Game 1, helping the Hoosiers jump out to a 6-0 lead through the first four innings. In Game 2, Lloyd went 1 for 3 but had the infield RBI single which capped a furious five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth to help Indiana secure the comeback victory and double-header sweep.
Sophomore shortstop Jeremy Houston shines: Though the Illinois native has struggled at times this season - he was batting just .162 entering Friday's game - perhaps this marked a turning point for him. His two-out, 2-RBI single through the right side helped spark IU's comeback in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2. He went 2 for 3 in the second contest and 4 for 7 overall Friday night.
Two-out hitting again makes a difference for Indiana: When asked about this, IU head coach Chris Lemonis admitted his group hasn't always been successful when it comes to executing on offense with two outs, but Indiana needed in it Game 2. All five of the Hoosiers' runs in the bottom of the eighth came with two outs, starting with Houston's 2-RBI single through the right side. Indiana was 4 for 12 with two outs compared to a 1 for 9 mark for the Wildcats.
Third time's the charm: Leading into the comeback eighth inning, Indiana had stranded the bases loaded twice. Despite those pair of missed opportunities, Indiana would make up for it with the rally started by Houston. Pinch-hitting for freshman infielder Justin Walker, freshman infielder Drew Ashley drew a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the eighth, then Houston took it from there with his 2-RBI single.
Key Quotes
On his two-out, 2-RBI single to tie Game 2 at 3-all:
"It's all about confidence. Obviously, I wasn't having a great season leading up to this, but my team stayed behind me, my coach (stayed behind me). From all the work, I stayed confident going up to the plate and just did it. I tried to hit something hard through the middle of the field. Luckily it went through the right side of the field. Thank God it was a great game tonight."
-- Houston
On breaking finally breaking through with the bases loaded after the struggles early in Game 2:
"Finally got the hit. And that’s what we talked about. But our team does a great job of just ‘keep competing.’ It’s happened all year long.
"Turned out to by Jeremy having the big hit there, and then Logan behind him. Happy for Jeremy. It’s been a tough start (of the season) for him. Really good player. And he’s been working on that swing. It’s like the weight of the world is lifted off you when you get hits like that."
-- Lemonis
On the starting pitching for Indiana in both games (Stiever 5 strikeouts, 1 walk and 8 hits allowed in 7.0 innings in Game 1, Milto 6 strikeouts, 2 walks, 1 earned run, 2 runs, 3 hits allowed in 7.0 innings in Game 2):
"I thought they were just good, but they really competed. That outing for Jon, early, the wind was blowing out about 20 miles-per-hour. And he just competed. And then Paulie did the same thing, keeping us in the game."
-- Lemonis
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