In Indiana’s first home Big Ten series of the season, the Hoosiers completed a three-game sweep of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The first two games were played as part of a doubleheader Friday, with the first game ending in a one-sided 12-2 victory, while the second was a thrilling 8-7 walk-off win for Indiana.
Saturday didn’t feature a game, while Sunday saw the Hoosiers return to run-rule form, beating Ohio State 14-3 on a gloomy afternoon.
This series marked Indiana’s first sweep of the season, extending its win streak to four games, including a midweek victory at Indiana State.
With three strong performances in a row in front of solid crowds at Bart Kaufman Field, this was the best Hoosiers baseball has looked all season. Let’s jump into the details of the series against the Buckeyes, which improved Indiana’s record to 11-9 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten play.
INDIANA SWEEPS FRIDAY DOUBLEHEADER IN THRILLING FASHION
Indiana showcased both dominance and drama Friday, sweeping a doubleheader against Ohio State to secure its first Big Ten series victory of the season.
The Hoosiers opened the day with a commanding 12-2 run-rule win in eight innings before rallying for a dramatic 8-7 walk-off victory in extra innings in the nightcap.
In the first game, Indiana fell behind 2-0 early before its offense erupted, scoring 12 unanswered runs to take control. The Hoosiers racked up 14 hits, with five players recording multi-hit performances.
Redshirt sophomore Korbyn Dickerson delivered the final blow in the opener, launching a two-run home run in the eighth inning to enact the run rule. Though the game ended early, the blast counted as a walk-off under scoring rules, marking Indiana’s first walk-off homer since April 2023.
Indiana’s bullpen played a pivotal role in the opener, silencing the Buckeyes after their early lead. Veterans Drew Buhr and Gavin Seebold combined for five scoreless innings in relief, while junior left-hander Anthony Gubitosi earned his first win of the season behind a clean frame.
The second game took on a different tone, as the Hoosiers once again found themselves in an early hole. Ohio State built a four-run lead, but Indiana chipped away before eventually tying the game in the late innings. Freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian played a key role in the rally, belting his first career home run to help close the gap.
After Indiana forced extra innings, Malamazian came through again, leading off the bottom of the 10th with a double. That set the stage for fellow freshman Hogan Denny. On the pitch before his eventual game-winner, Denny nearly ended it with a deep drive that sailed just left of the foul pole.
Undeterred, he stayed locked in and sent the next pitch to the opposite field for a walk-off single, completing Indiana’s comeback and securing the doubleheader sweep.
Indiana’s bullpen once again delivered under pressure, with senior left-hander Ryan Kraft, freshman right-hander Trey Telfer, and graduate right-hander Cole Gilley combining for six innings of two-run relief. Gilley, who entered in a tie game in the ninth, threw two scoreless innings to earn his second win of the season.
Friday’s sweep carried historical significance for the Hoosiers. It marked their first extra-inning win since May 2023 and the first time the program won consecutive games via walk-off since April 2012.
The offense continued its power surge, as freshmen Malamazian and Jake Hanley each hit their first career home runs, making them the 12th and 13th different Hoosiers to homer this season. All five home runs Indiana hit Friday were two-run shots.
Beyond the individual heroics, clinching the series win added to Indiana’s growing success in conference play. The Hoosiers have now won four straight home Big Ten series.
With two wins already secured, Indiana turned its attention to Sunday afternoon looking to complete the sweep.
HOOSIERS COMPLETE SWEEP WITH 14-3 ROUT OF OSU
After a run-rule victory in Friday’s first game, followed by an extra-inning walk-off, Indiana returned to dominant form as it got the best of Ohio State in a run-rule shortened finale on Sunday.
Rain delayed the start time from 1 p.m. to 1:30, but Indiana’s offense wasted no time, as the Hoosiers scored three runs in the bottom of the first. All of the runs were unearned, as the Buckeyes made two errors, resulting in Jake Hanley driving in a run on an error, while Hogan Denny drove in two on a single that included a throwing error.
Indiana continued scoring in the bottom of the second, plating four more, all earned, as the Hoosiers enjoyed a hit parade. RBIs came from a Devin Taylor single, a Korbyn Dickerson single and a Jake Hanley fielder’s choice.
With a 7-0 lead after two innings, the Hoosiers were in cruise control and got great outings on the mound from Deron Swanson and Gavin Seebold. Swanson started the ballgame and went 3 1/3 innings with two runs allowed. He was followed by Seebold’s 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
This gave the Hoosiers 5 2/3 innings of solid pitching, but the offense kept scoring as well. In the fifth inning, Indiana had what could be considered its best offensive display of the season up to this point.
The Hoosiers scored seven runs in the frame to make it a 14-3 game, securing the 10-run threshold for the run rule. Andrew Wiggins hit a two-run double to plate the first two runs of the inning, while Korbyn Dickerson hit his 11th homer of the season to drive in three more. Denny homered three batters later to score two more runs on his third home run of the year, giving Indiana its sixth and seventh runs of the inning.
With a 14-3 lead, it took just two more clean innings from the pitching staff to secure the run-rule victory, as Grant Holderfield went 1 1/3 scoreless innings to close out the game after relieving Seebold.
This hitting display, coupled with solid performances on the mound, may have given Indiana its most complete showing of the season while also securing a sweep over Big Ten rival Ohio State in the Hoosiers’ first home conference series.
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