Twelve runs in the final three frames, with five home runs, backs a series victory for Indiana
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach April 20th, 2025
photos by Carl James
“…you have to come back and defend your home turf to beat them.”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 15, Maryland Terrapins 5 (8 innings)
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Two years ago, the Maryland Terrapins stepped foot in Bloomington amid an eight-game winning streak for the home standing Hoosiers. They quickly put that to a halt with a dominant three-game sweep, outscoring Indiana 43-12 on the weekend. Jeff Mercer wanted those frustrations out. He highlighted that when recapping the weekend series:
“That was about as bad of an experience as you could have, especially as well as we were playing at the time. So now, you have to come back and defend your home turf to beat them.”
The Hoosiers brought it to the Terrapins during the middle innings of Sunday’s rubber match. A tight 3-1 ballgame going into the sixth inning was soon flipped upon its head.
Following an efficient four-inning start, allowing just one run, Ben Grable’s pitching duties were passed along to Ryan Rushing and Gavin Seebold. It took Maryland catcher Alex Calarco just two pitches of Seebold to create a new ballgame as he launched a two-run homer, his second of the afternoon.
Frome there, the offensive onslaught began. Jake Hanley and Tyler Cerny homered after the top third of the order did some damage.
Devin Taylor rocketed a double to centerfield, scoring Will Moore, as Korbyn Dickerson mashed a 421 foot bomb to add to the tally.
The trio of Moore, Taylor, and Dickerson at the top of the lineup card combined for nine hits, nine runs, and nine runs batted in. The Indiana third baseman, Moore, hadn’t hit in the top half of the batting order until today.
“We put Devin (Taylor) there a couple of weeks ago out of necessity, until somebody else rose up and was an on-base threat,” Mercer mentioned. The left-handed hitting freshman entered the contest with a team-leading .509 on-base percentage and a confidence-boost from being Friday’s walk off hero.
Devin Taylor finalized his impressive outing with a three-run home run to officially end the meeting with a run-rule. The Indiana program record holder in long balls capped off a five-homer day for the group, one in which they recorded 17 hits and plated 12 in the final three frames.
Mercer got his wish. Indiana takes the series over Maryland for the second consecutive season, this time back at Bart Kaufman Field.
The red-hot Hoosier bats face off against the Ball State Cardinals, an offense that notched a combined 39 runs in their final two matchups this weekend. A potential offensive affair is set for 6:00 pm at Victory Field in Indianapolis on Wednesday, April 23rd.
