CARY, N.C. — Indiana didn't get off to the start it wanted to in Surprise, Arizona, but it bounced back in a major way in its three games at the USA Baseball complex in Cary.
The Hoosiers did so by winning back-to-back games in blowout fashion against Fordham and Harvard, and then won a back-and-forth contest with a walk-off against Northwestern.
After four straight defeats in the southwest, maybe it took Indiana getting back in the eastern time zone to get things back on track, as for as disappointing as the Hoosiers were in Arizona, they were just as impressive in their three games in North Carolina.
INDIANA ROLLS OVER FORDHAM FOR FIRST WIN OF THE 2025 SEASON
In its first game of the series, IU picked up its first win of the 2025 season in a Saturday night clash against Fordham.
The Hoosiers dismantled the Rams 15-2 behind a dominant effort from both the IU bats and the pitching staff, with the offense especially wasting no time getting things going.
Indiana scored two runs in the first inning, those coming from a Korbyn Dickerson single and a Jasen Oliver fielder’s choice after the first three batters of the ballgame reached base.
Now with a two-run lead, the Hoosiers were looking great after the top of the first, but Fordham struck back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first.
While the Rams’ two runs to tie things up looked a lot like Indiana’s action in Arizona, the rest of this one couldn’t have been more dissimilar. Indiana scored 13 unanswered runs the rest of the game, as the bats stayed hot and starting pitcher Gavin Seebold really settled in.
Seebold gave up those two runs in the first, one of them earned, but surrendered no more in the last five innings of his start. The Hoosiers’ opening-day starter allowed just two baserunners after the first, showing dominance that wasn’t there in his first start against UNLV.
He certainly wasn’t short on run support either, as IU plated three runs in the third on a fielding error and four runs in the fifth on hits by Tyler Cerny and Andrew Wiggins and fielder’s choices by Will Moore and Devin Taylor.
This gave IU a 9-2 lead after five innings, but it wasn’t done just yet, as it picked up two more runs on a Dickerson homer in the seventh and four more in the eighth courtesy of an Oliver single that plated two, coupled with Dickerson and Wiggins walks that scored a run apiece.
That totaled 15 runs, the most of the season so far, but Indiana’s pitching was similarly dominant against the Rams. After Seebold’s six innings of two-run, seven-strikeout ball, Ryan Rushing pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts, Trey Telfer threw a scoreless frame, and Caleb Koskie and Brayton Thomas combined to finish the job in the ninth.
When it was all said and done, the Hoosiers won this one-sided game with flying colors, though their weekend wasn’t over yet, as they had two more games to play in Cary after their contest with Fordham.
HOOSIERS MAKE IT BACK-TO-BACK WINS AGAINST HARVARD
Indiana picked up right where it left off against Fordham, defeating Harvard with ease, 14-4, in a Sunday matinee matchup.
While IU didn’t score in the first like the day before, the Hoosiers plated runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 5-0 lead.
Joey Brenczewski’s RBI single in the second got things going, while Korbyn Dickerson scored on a wild pitch and Jake Hanley singled to drive in two runs in the third. Devin Taylor then hit his first home run of the season in the fourth to push the Hoosier lead to five after three and a half innings of play.
Harvard got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth on a home run, but those were the only runs Cole Gilley gave up in his five innings of work during his second start of the season.
He finished his outing with seven strikeouts and allowed just six baserunners on four hits and two walks, earning his first win of the 2025 campaign.
After Harvard trimmed the lead to three with its homer, the Hoosiers immediately responded with three runs in the top of the sixth.
Dickerson singled to start the scoring, Taylor came home on a wild pitch a batter later, and Jasen Oliver plated the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
While Indiana responded well in the top of the sixth, the Crimson followed that up with another home run that scored two more runs in the bottom of the frame, making it an 8-4 ballgame.
This gave Seth Benes, the first out of the bullpen for Indiana, an 18.00 ERA for the day, but that would be the last run scored by Harvard, as Anthony Gubitosi and Jackson Yarberry both threw scoreless frames to seal the Hoosier victory after six more insurance runs.
Taylor earned an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, while Dickerson followed him up with a three-run homer that broke things open for Indiana.
Taylor and Dickerson were at it again in the ninth, as Taylor tripled to score IU’s 13th run and Dickerson drove him in right after, bringing the Hoosiers’ total to 14 compared to just four for the Crimson.
This gave Indiana back-to-back blowout wins ahead of its Cary finale against Northwestern.
IU WALKS IT OFF TO MAKE IT 3-FOR-3 IN NORTH CAROLINA
After Friday’s original contest was moved due to weather, Indiana faced off against Northwestern for a Monday morning battle between two Big Ten squads.
While this one didn’t count toward conference standings, it was a tightly contested game—the first seen all weekend for the Hoosiers.
The Wildcats struck first in the opening inning, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly after a leadoff triple. This wouldn’t be the only unanswered run, as NU widened its lead in the second with a fielder’s choice RBI that made it a 2-0 ballgame.
Pete Haas’ day was done after these two innings, as Jeff Mercer and company went to the bullpen early and inserted Drew Buhr as a long reliever. He went four innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while holding the Wildcats scoreless.
IU got one back in the fourth on a Jake Hanley double that plated Andrew Wiggins, making it just a one-run game all the way until the end of the sixth inning.
After six and a half, the Hoosiers found themselves still down, but Korbyn Dickerson, the hottest hitter for Indiana, tied things up with a single. Now with the game tied, the Hoosiers had a chance to take the lead after a scoreless frame from Henry Brummel.
IU took advantage and plated the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth on a Joey Brenczewski infield single with two outs. With this clutch go-ahead RBI, IU needed just three outs to close it out against Northwestern.
Brummel entered his third inning of work in the top of the ninth but couldn’t shut the door on the Wildcats, pitching just two-thirds of the inning before Ben Grable had to record the final out. After a hit-by-pitch put a runner on base and a bunt moved him to second, Jack Lausch singled to tie the ballgame.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Lausch was Northwestern’s starting quarterback when Indiana football played at NU’s lakefront stadium in October.
As for the baseball game, IU blew the save and allowed the Wildcats to force a bottom of the ninth, though the Hoosiers capitalized on the opportunity to walk it off.
Dickerson continued his hot stretch with a leadoff single, followed by a Wiggins walk. With runners at first and second, Mercer decided to pinch hit T.J. Schuyler for Cooper Malamazian—and it paid off.
Schuyler knocked one into left-center field for a base hit that scored Dickerson from second, giving the Hoosiers their third win in as many games in North Carolina.
It was Schuyler’s first career hit in his 21st plate appearance, giving him a moment he’d never forget—and one that sealed the victory for his Hoosiers.
The win moved IU to 3-4 on the season and put an exclamation point on a trip to Cary that was a tremendous improvement over Indiana’s performance in Arizona.
The Hoosiers return to action Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Bart Kaufman Field. They’ll face Xavier for the second time this season after losing the first matchup 8-6 in 10 innings in Arizona.
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