A rough start on the mound and on the basepaths is overcome with a dominant three innings of play to get Indiana back to .500 on the season
By Carl James @jovian34 March 2nd, 2025
*Edited to reflect updated information from the program on the ball that deflected off of Jake Stadler’s helmet and hit him in the eye.
There is no way to sugar coat it, Indiana execution was poor through three and a half innings. Starting pitcher Jackson Yarberry walked three batters in the first inning. Head coach Jeff Mercer made a rare mound visit to calm his transfer pitcher who limited the first inning damage to just one run.
Indiana Hoosiers 20, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers 7
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Devin Taylor, getting an opportunity in center field can’t collect a fly ball in center field that is ruled a single. Yarberry gets only 1 out in the second inning and exits with the Hoosier down 3-2. Grant Holderfield gives up an unearned run when catcher Jake Stadler is charged with a throwing error on a throw to third that isn’t handled by third baseman Will Moore. Then Holderfield gives up another run on an RBI single, putting the Hoosiers down 5-2 in the middle of the second inning.
The disaster that was the second inning continued into the bottom of the inning. Stadler leaves the game after getting hit in the helmet with a fastball. Stadler was bleeding from his face on a pitch that deflected off the helmet and hit him in his eye*. Indiana probably should have at least tied the game back up but only scored once. Moore and Taylor both make bad outs on the base paths. Taylor and third base coach Blake Allen seemed to have gotten crossed up on signs.
Seth Benes takes over on the mound in the third. He quickly loads the bases with no outs, and then the first real bright spot for the Hoosiers happens. Benes gets a strikeout and then induces a 6-4-3 double play. Jasen Oliver cuts the lead with an RBI single and TJ Schuyler, playing for Stadler, gives Indiana the lead with a 2-RBI double.
The lead is short lived as Benes surrenders a two-run scoreboard shot in the top of the fourth to give the Mount a 7-6 lead. Benes gets off the field with a strikeout.
It was all Hoosiers after that.
The Hoosiers got seven hits in the fourth inning, scoring seven runs and putting the Hoosiers up 13-7. Indiana turned to Drew Buhr who was phenomenal. He was perfect through three innings, giving his offense an opportunity to explode further and end the game in the 7th inning with a run-rule victory. Since Buhr tossed the last three innings, even with a 6-run lead, he earned his second save of both the weekend and the season.
Taylor capped a three-hit day, getting the Hoosier lead to 10 runs in 7th with an RBI single. Then Korbyn Dickerson put the cherry on top with a three-run bomb to make the run rule all but certain. Indiana leaves DeLand Florida with a 3-1 weekend and gets to .500 on the season. Freshman Jake Hanley, after having his first hitless game of his career on Saturday, came roaring back with a three-hit day of his own.
Indiana hosts Northern Kentucky at 4pm on Thursday at Bart Kaufman Field, then travels to Happy Valley to open up B1G play at Penn State 5:30pm on Friday.