Early deficits and defensive miscues define winless weekend at The Bart
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach April 26th, 2026, photos by Carl James
“…sometimes you try so hard you take yourself away from being able to do your job”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 4, Iowa Hawkeyes 7
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
For the first time since April 2023 against Maryland, Indiana was swept at home, and there wasn’t much mystery as to why.
The Hoosiers were outscored 28–8 over the weekend, never held a lead, and couldn’t complete a late push in Sunday’s finale, falling 7–4 to Iowa. It was a series defined by early deficits, missed chances, and an inability to execute in key moments.
Indiana found itself in another hole early Sunday, trailing 7–0 by the middle of the fifth inning. Defensive lapses continued to haunt the Hoosiers, starting with a dropped popup in the first inning that extended the frame, drove up Jackson Yarberry’s pitch count, and led to Iowa’s first run. Later, a misplayed first-and-third situation snowballed into another run after an errant throw into the outfield, followed by a second throw that sailed into the third-base dugout.
Head coach Jeff Mercer pointed to those moments as part of a larger issue.
“We gave them opportunities, and they walked through and did a better job,” Mercer said. “When we made mistakes, they capitalized. And when they gave us opportunities, we weren’t able to.”
Execution, particularly with two outs, proved to be the difference. Six of Iowa’s seven runs came with two away, as the Hawkeyes consistently extended innings and punished Indiana’s inability to close them.
“That’s execution. That’s finishing innings. And we didn’t do that,” Mercer said.
Despite the lopsided score early, Indiana showed some fight late. A pinch-hit, bases-clearing double from Cal Gates brought life back into the dugout and cut the deficit to 7–4. But with the top of the order due up, a popup and groundout quickly ended the threat.
“I thought our effort and energy were really good. I thought we fought like crazy,” Mercer said.
“But it comes down to execution… sometimes you try so hard you take yourself away from being able to do your job.”
Gavin Seebold provided stability out of the bullpen, delivering five innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts over 97 pitches, but the damage had already been done. Without a lead at any point in the series, Indiana never had the chance to deploy him in his usual high-leverage role.
Opportunities were there, but they just never turned into momentum.
“We had guys in scoring position with less than two outs, and we’re right there,” Mercer said.
“You want to do it so bad… and you get yourself away from what you’re supposed to do.”
The sweep drops Indiana to 15th place in the 17-team Big Ten standings, with little margin for error down the stretch. Still, Mercer’s message afterward was simple: move forward.
“You just have to pick yourself up and go,” he said. “There’s no difference in the expectation when you’re winning or losing. You keep showing up, keep working, and eventually you break through.”
Indiana will look to do just that in a midweek matchup against Louisville before heading north for a weekend series at Northwestern. Friday’s opener will be played at Wrigley Field, offering a unique stage, and a chance for a reset, as the Hoosiers try to salvage their season.