Indiana’s offense never found a rhythm Saturday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach March 7th, 2026, photos by Carl James
“Today was the first day we just didn’t play very well.”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 2, Washington Huskies 9
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
After an early run in the first inning, the Hoosiers’ bats went silent as Washington evened the opening Big Ten series with a 9–2 win. Indiana managed just five hits and did not draw a walk all afternoon, struggling to create sustained pressure against the Huskies’ pitching staff.
Washington starter Jackson Thomas set the tone early, attacking the strike zone and keeping Indiana hitters off balance. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing only three hits and one unearned run while walking none and striking out three.
Indiana’s offensive drought was particularly evident in the middle innings. After a single from Will Moore in the third inning, the Hoosiers did not record another hit until Moore lined another single in the eighth, a stretch spanning five innings without a base knock.
Head coach Jeff Mercer pointed to a lack of consistent contact and an inability to string together productive at-bats.
“It looked to me like they did a good job getting to locations on the plate to create weak contact,” Mercer said. “We weren’t taking care of the contact point. You’d get one or two guys on the right pitch and then a stopper behind them. We just couldn’t string together quality contact.”
Washington capitalized on Indiana’s offensive struggles by steadily building its lead. The Huskies scored twice in the second inning and added another run in the fourth before breaking the game open with a three-run sixth. They finished with nine runs on 11 hits.
Left-hander Brayton Thomas started for Indiana and worked into the fifth inning. The sophomore struck out four but issued several early walks that helped Washington manufacture scoring opportunities.
Despite the deficit, Indiana received encouraging bullpen outings later in the game. Freshman Ivan Mastalski delivered two scoreless innings while striking out four, continuing a strong early stretch in relief.
“Ivan’s really good,” Mercer said. “He works fast, has three pitches and a unique slot. He gets both sides of the plate.”
Freshman Xavier Carrera also saw game action as the Hoosiers worked through several bullpen arms late in the contest.
Indiana’s only extra-base impact came in the ninth inning when sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian launched a solo home run to left field.
Still, the larger issue remained the inability to consistently generate offense.
“There are times you get beat but you still play well,” Mercer said. “Today was the first time we just didn’t play very well. Offensively we weren’t able to string together the quality at-bats one after another.”
The first Big Ten series of the season now shifts to a rubber match Sunday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers look to claim their fourth straight conference home series dating back to last season.
First pitch is scheduled for noon.