Jake Hanley’s early power not enough as bullpen and missed opportunities haunt Indiana in 11 innings
By Carl James @jovian34 April 1st, 2026
Indiana Hoosiers: 4, Evansville Purple Aces 5 (11 innings)
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
The story of the 2026 Indiana Hoosiers is increasingly becoming a tale of “what if.” For the seventh time this season, the Hoosiers dropped a one-run contest, this time a 5-4 marathon in Evansville Tuesday night that stretched into the 11th inning. Despite an early lead and a massive performance from the middle of the order, Indiana (10-18) was unable to secure the third out when it mattered most, extending their losing streak to six games.
The game started with a literal bang. In the top of the first, Jake Hanley continued his torrid pace by smoking a two-run home run 444 feet into the trees beyond centerfield. Hanley’s sixth homer of the year gave Indiana an immediate 2-0 cushion. The Hoosiers doubled that lead in the fourth when Landen Fry hit an RBI single and Owen ten Oever followed with a pinch-hit RBI double.
On the mound, Indiana treated the midweek matchup as a staff day, utilizing nine different pitchers. Freshman starter Ivan Mastalski was impressive, tossing two scoreless innings and striking out three while working out of a runners-on-the-corners jam in the second. Reagan Rivera and Xavier Carrera followed with electric 1-2-3 innings, combining for four strikeouts and keeping the Purple Aces off the board through four.
However, the familiar struggle to close out innings reappeared in the middle frames. In the fifth, freshman Kellen English allowed a run after a lead-off walk—aided by a pitch clock violation—and a wild pitch. The lead completely evaporated in the seventh. After Kaden Jacobi allowed two ground-rule doubles to plate two runs, Hogan Denny went down with an apparent lower-leg injury while chasing a ball in the gap. Though Denny stayed in the game, the momentum had clearly shifted.
The turning point occurred with Jacob Vogel on the mound. On a 2-2 count, the pitch clock expired while the Evansville batter was still out of the box. Instead of a strikeout to end the threat, the umpires reset the clock over Jeff Mercer’s protest. The at-bat eventually resulted in an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.
Indiana had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead in the top of the 10th. After Hanley and T.J. Schuyler drew walks and Cole Decker beat out a bunt for a hit, the Hoosiers had the bases loaded with one out. But a Landen Fry groundout resulted in a double play, leaving the go-ahead runs stranded.
In the 11th, Jackson Yarberry—who had been dominant with six strikeouts in relief—hit the lead-off batter. The Hoosiers appeared to have escaped the inning with a 5-6-3 double play, but an official review overturned the call at first base. With two outs and runners on the corners, Evansville delivered the walk-off single to seal the victory.
While the Hoosiers out-hit the Aces 10-9 and committed zero errors, the inability to capitalize on the 10th-inning bases-loaded situation and the continued inconsistency of the bullpen in “fireman” roles proved fatal. Yarberry, who threw 46 pitches in the loss, may now be unavailable for the start of the crucial home series against Rutgers.
This young team continues to show flashes of high-level talent, particularly in the power of Hanley and the strikeout potential of the freshman arms. Yet, as they head back to Bloomington, the margin for error has disappeared if they hope to maintain their 12-year streak of Big Ten Tournament appearances.