Hoosiers clinch a spot in the B1G Tournament
By Carl James @jovian34 May 15th, 2025
“I don’t think we win that game a month ago.”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 8, Michigan Wolverines 7
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score | Postgame Media
ANN ARBOR, MI – The Indiana Hoosiers secured a crucial 8-7 victory over the Michigan Wolverines in the opening game of their Big Ten series at Ray Fisher Stadium. The win clinched Indiana a guaranteed spot in the Big Ten Tournament next week in Omaha, Nebraska.
Indiana jumped out to a significant early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning, one in the second, and four in the third to build an 7-2 advantage. Key hits contributing to the early lead included an RBI double by Korbyn Dickerson and an RBI single by Jake Hanley in the first inning, a run scoring on a comebacker that hit the pitcher in the second, a home run by Jake Hanley in the third, and a two-RBI double by Hogan Denny, which forced an early pitching change for Michigan. Jake Stadler also added an RBI single in the third.
Michigan responded to the initial Hoosier lead, scoring two runs in the first inning with a home run after a leadoff single. They mounted a comeback in the fifth inning, cutting the Hoosier lead to just two runs (7-5) with a three-run home run and then a solo shot off of Ryan Kraft. This prompted a pitching change for Indiana, bringing in Aydan Decker-Petty. After the game coach Mercer said the shortened week played a role in both team’s starters not being as effective as usual.
The Hoosiers extended their lead in the sixth inning when Jake Stadler hit a solo home run, which ultimately proved to be the winning run. Head coach Jeff Mercer commented on Stadler’s recent power surge, noting adjustments made to his hitting mechanics. Mercer stated, “The last couple weeks he’s been swinging it really well. That Evansville game was the first game that really saw it uh his ability to hit the ball hard, to his pull side in the air like that and it really is kudos to him uh for just continuing to work.”
Following Kraft’s departure in the fifth inning, the Indiana bullpen consisting of Aydan Decker-Petty, Jackson Yarberry, and Gavin Seebold, worked to hold the Wolverines at bay. Decker-Petty pitched 1.2 innings, allowing no runs despite walking two batters and hitting one, including loading the bases in the sixth before escaping the jam. Jackson Yarberry took over in the seventh and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three, earning the win. Michigan managed to score one run off Yarberry in the eighth after a hit and a ball stuck in Stadler’s gear, narrowing the deficit to 8-7. Gavin Seebold entered in the ninth inning to close the game. Despite giving up a leadoff double that put the tying run in scoring position, Seebold secured the win and his third save of the season by stranding the runner with a strikeout.
Coach Mercer praised the bullpen’s performance highlighting the team’s overall resilience. He remarked, “Yeah, you know, I told the team the first thing I told him when I came out there was: I don’t think we win that game a month ago. Just the just the attitude and the toughness, the resiliency to just keep getting back and fighting uh was on full display today. And that’s what allowed us to go ahead and find way to win that game.”. He specifically acknowledged the effectiveness of the relievers, saying, “our bullpen was really, really good. I know, you know, ADP had the free bases, but he did get out of it. And then Yarberry was tremendous. Just did a great job. And then Seebold, you know, leadoff double to come back and get three outs and finish the game like that was just tremendous.”
While Indiana’s offense started strong with 12 hits, they only scored one run after the third inning. The team ran into trouble with double plays, grounding into four throughout the game, including two each by Devin Taylor and Korbyn Dickerson. Mercer commented on this, noting that Michigan’s power pitching effectively worked the corners of the plate to induce weak contact.
Michigan starting pitcher Kurt Barr took the loss, allowing 7 runs on 7 hits over 2.2 innings. Ryan Kraft pitched 4.1 innings for Indiana, giving up 6 earned runs on 8 hits. The game lasted 3 hours and 8 minutes with an attendance of 1322. Indiana and Michigan are scheduled to play game two of the series on Friday at 6:00 p.m.