BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — What started as a weekend full of promise for Indiana ended in heartbreak on Saturday, as USC mounted a stunning late-game comeback to steal the series finale at Bart Kaufman Field.
After splitting Friday’s doubleheader—dropping the opener 10-5 before roaring back for a 13-6 nightcap win—the Hoosiers and the Trojans were set for a rubber match on Saturday to decide the series.
Indiana’s bats erupted early, building a commanding 12-3 lead through five innings behind home runs from Devin Taylor and Korbyn Dickerson. But the Trojans wouldn’t go quietly.
A taxed Hoosier bullpen, already shorthanded, crumbled in the late innings as USC capitalized on mistakes and timely hitting. By the ninth, the Trojans had erased the deficit, handing Indiana a stunning 13-12 loss.
With the loss, Indiana let a golden opportunity slip away, turning what could have been a statement weekend into one of frustration and missed chances.
HANLEY HELPS HOOSIERS TO DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT
In a day filled with plenty of fireworks, Indiana split a Friday doubleheader with USC at Bart Kaufman Field, dropping the opener 10-5 before bouncing back in dominant fashion for a 13-6 win in the nightcap.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley continued his torrid stretch at the plate, racking up three hits in each game to push his team-leading hit total to 44 on the season.
Fellow infielders Cooper Malamazian and Tyler Cerny joined Hanley in the offensive explosion, combining for 15 hits across the two games. Cerny, a junior second baseman, notched the fourth four-hit game of his career in the nightcap and belted the 25th home run of his Hoosier career.
After USC pulled away late in Game 1, Indiana wasted no time setting the tone in Game 2.
The Hoosiers piled up runs early and often, giving graduate right-hander Cole Gilley plenty of breathing room. Gilley earned his second win of the week, striking out 10 over five innings while allowing five runs and walking just one.
Redshirt junior lefty Grant Holderfield followed with his best outing of the season, fanning five in 2.2 innings, while right-hander Pete Haas recorded the final four outs to seal the win.
Hanley’s scorching bat has been a game-changer for the Hoosiers as of late. Over his last five contests, the Mason, Ohio native is hitting .571 (12-for-21) with four home runs and 10 RBIs, raising his batting average above .400 on the season.
With nine home runs, he is closing in on becoming just the fifth IU freshman in the last four years to reach double-digit homers.
With the series on the line, all eyes turned to Saturday's rubber match as Indiana looked to secure its fifth-straight Big Ten home series victory.
BULLPEN COLLAPSES, OFFENSE GOES MISSING AS HOOSIERS DROP SERIES
On Saturday, in the rubber match and series finale, Indiana appeared to be in cruise control through five innings, building a commanding 12-3 lead with an explosive offensive start.
Devin Taylor’s first-inning solo home run set the tone, and Korbyn Dickerson continued his power surge with a pair of long balls. The Hoosiers looked poised to claim their second straight Big Ten series win.
But the game took a sudden and disastrous turn in the sixth inning, where the Hoosiers’ bullpen depth—or lack thereof—became a glaring issue. Already stretched thin with Drew Buhr and Jackson Yarberry unavailable, Indiana was forced to lean on a fatigued relief corps after starter Ben Grable lasted just three innings.
That’s when USC pounced.
The Trojans capitalized on erratic pitching and costly Hoosier mistakes, clawing back into the game with a four-run sixth inning.
Ethan Hedges, who had tormented the Hoosiers all weekend, sparked the rally with an RBI double. By the time he stepped to the plate again in the eighth, he launched his second homer of the day, a three-run shot that suddenly made it a one-run game.
Indiana's offense went silent at the worst possible time. After the fourth inning, the Hoosiers managed just one base hit—a two-out single in the ninth by freshman Hogan Denny.
That left the door open for USC, and Brayden Dowd slammed it shut. With one out in the ninth, Dowd crushed a two-run home run to left field, stunning the home crowd and giving the Trojans their first lead since the opening inning.
Hedges, who had already done enough damage with the bat, took to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and sealed Indiana's fate with a 1-2-3 inning to complete the improbable 13-12 comeback for the Trojans.
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