Indiana had its chances early Sunday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers simply could not capitalize.
By Zach Horwitz @HorwitzZach March 8th, 2026, photos by Carl James
“When you get beat consistently, you’re going to have effort length and weak contact”
— Head Coach Jeff Mercer
Indiana Hoosiers 4, Washington Huskies 13
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Indiana had its chances early Sunday afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field. The Hoosiers simply could not capitalize.
After jumping out to a 4–2 lead through four innings, Indiana’s offense went quiet while Washington erupted late, scoring 11 unanswered runs to secure a 13–4 victory and take the opening Big Ten series.
Head coach Jeff Mercer pointed to one consistent issue that defined the weekend — Indiana’s inability to handle the fastball.
“The game for us offensively is in the possession of the fastball,” Mercer said. “We’ve made a lot of really good offensive players have a lot of success by dominating fastball possession. This weekend we just didn’t do a good job of that.”
The missed opportunities came early and proved costly.
Indiana grounded into double plays with the bases loaded in both the first and eighth innings, squandering prime chances to extend innings and build momentum. Mercer explained that hitters were repeatedly beaten by fastballs, forcing them into weak contact once they fell behind in counts.
“When you get beat consistently, you’re going to have effort length and weak contact,” Mercer said. “And when you have weak contact, there’s always a chance for a double play ball.”
Indiana finished the day just 2-for-20 with runners on base and left 12 men stranded. Over the course of the three-game series, the Hoosiers struggled to generate timely hitting. Indiana went 4-for-19 with runners on base Friday, 0-for-10 Saturday, and 2-for-20 Sunday.
Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley was one of the few offensive bright spots, finishing with three hits including a solo home run in the fourth inning. Shortstop Cooper Malamazian and right fielder Ayden Crouse added multiple hits as well, with the trio combining for seven of Indiana’s nine hits and three RBIs.
Indiana took an early lead in the first inning when Malamazian delivered a two-run single, but Washington quickly answered and eventually seized control behind a historic performance from its eight-hole hitter.
Backup catcher Colton Bower powered the Huskies’ offense, going 4-for-5 with three home runs, a triple and six RBIs. His three-homer performance highlighted a day where Washington racked up 17 hits and consistently capitalized on mistakes in the strike zone.
Mercer noted that several of Washington’s biggest swings came on two-strike breaking balls that Indiana pitchers left over the plate.
“When you hang a breaking ball after establishing the fastball, you speed the barrel up,” Mercer said. “They did a really good job hitting those crippled pitches and creating instant offense.”
Indiana starter Reagan Rivera worked four innings and allowed four runs before the bullpen took over earlier than expected with Sunday starter Jackson Bergman unavailable. Washington eventually broke the game open late, scoring five runs in the ninth inning to put the game out of reach.
The loss drops Indiana to 6–9 overall and 1–2 in Big Ten play, marking the third consecutive season the Hoosiers have dropped their opening conference series.
Despite the frustrating weekend, Mercer emphasized the solution moving forward remains simple.
“You’re going to have to go hit and produce offense,” Mercer said. “That’s the way it goes on a Sunday and a Tuesday sometimes.”
Indiana will look to bounce back quickly when it hosts Wright State on Tuesday at Bart Kaufman Field.