BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana defeated Butler 9-3 Wednesday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field for its second straight win. Overall, the Hoosiers are 4-4 on the season with the victory.
Here are three things we learned, plus video of IU head coach Jeff Mercer and senior outfielder Logan Kaletha's complete postgame comments.
1. The 3 spot is a productive one for Logan Kaletha
The senior outfielder spent last season batting leadoff, but this year he's he's shifted over to third in the batting order. So far, it's been a seamless adjustment.
His RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth gave Indiana a 4-0 lead, then he launched a solo home run to left in the bottom of the seventh to give IU a 6-3 advantage. He's hitting .241 with two home runs and seven RBI the Hoosiers' first eight games this year after hitting .300 with two home runs and nine RBI in the same timeframe last year. The difference in the batting average is 7 for 29 this year vs. 9 for 30 last year.
2. Freshman pitcher Gabe Bierman has good composure
IU head coach Jeff Mercer has made it clear young players will be involved and play important roles for this team with 20 underclassmen out of the 35 players on the roster. The latest to step up was Bierman, who authored a quality outing for the Hoosiers in his first college start.
The right-hander struck out four with one hit, one earned run and one walk allowed in 4.0 innings. He gave up one of Butler's runs on a wild pitch, and another run scored on a passed ball due to catcher Wyatt Cross still getting used to his sinker. Overall, though, it was a good performance from Bierman.
3. Indiana gets a much-needed confidence boost
Tennessee clearly has one of the top pitching staffs in the country and held a potent IU offense in check over the weekend. After managing just four runs against the Volunteers, the Hoosiers combined for 16 to manufacture its season-best two-game win streak.
Both games set new season-highs for runs scored in a single game, the seven runs against Cincinnati eclipsed by the nine runs against Butler.
It's a reassuring performance offensively considering Indiana may need that kind of firepower to match No. 20 Coastal Carolina in the Coastal Carolina Tournament this weekend. The Chanticleers rank sixth nationally in batting average at .340 and have scored the seventh-most runs of any team in the country with 77.
Mercer reacts to the Hoosiers' 9-3 win over Butler
Indiana senior outfielder Logan Kaletha reacts to the Hoosiers' 9-3 win over Butler
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