Gilley’s struggles from last week repeat in dry weather, Decker-Petty and Malamazian the bright spots
By Carl James @jovian34 April 27th, 2025
Indiana Hoosiers 2, Iowa Hawkeyes 13 (7 innings)
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Indiana’s post-season resume was already very thin on top of the RPI troubles from 19 losses going into Saturday’s game. The Hoosiers were lacking a marquee series win, and Iowa was shaping up to be the last real chance at that. Both the RPI and the resume needed a series win and given Friday’s extra-inning loss, that would require a Hoosier win on Saturday. It was felt apparent, very early on in the contest, that was not to be.
Cole Gilley was getting national attention for his fantastic start to B1G play. Many observers, including D1Baseball’s Burke Granger who was at the Bart last week for the Maryland series, suspected that the wet conditions hampered Gilley’s ability to grip his cutter. That pitch has massively elevated his game since transferring from Indiana State last summer. While Gilley opened with a clean inning, he allowed 7 runs in the next three, again struggle to locate the faster pitches in his arsenal, this time in dry weather.
Down 6-0 in the bottom of the 4th with runners on, pitching coach Dustin Glant turned to up and down junior righty Aydan Decker-Petty, who settled things down, allowing only one inherited runner to score and keeping Iowa off the scoreboard after the Hoosiers plated two in the top of the fifth inning, In total Decker-Petty threw 27 of his 38 pitches for strikes, struck out two batters and allowed only three baserunners in three innings of work. As the Hoosiers turn toward trying to win the B1G Tournament in less than four weeks, Decker-Petty being able to contribute on the mound will be helpful to that effort. His mid-90’s fastball will be an important weapon if he can command his arsenal.
Offensively, it was the freshman who shined yet again. Will Moore got on base three times from the lead-off spot and Cooper Malamazian was the only Hoosier to produce a multi-hit day. That was a huge bounce back for the shortstop who opened the series with four straight strikeouts on Friday, but has since gone 3-for-4 and scored a run.
Defensively, Korbyn Dickerson went flat like Superman in left center for a diving catch in the second inning. Indiana has not committed an error in three straight games and is now fielding at .969 on the season.
While the series is lost the Hoosiers are still vying for locking up a qualifying spot in the B1G Tournament and a win in Iowa City on Sunday will help that effort. Indiana is 8th the conference standings, with 12 teams receiving an invite. 3 teams are currently in with sub-.500 records and that is likely to hold. At 12-11 Indiana will likely get in if they win two more of their remaining seven games. Ideally they would like to get to 15 wins before traveling to Ann Arbor, as they can set up their pitching usage and rest to be ready to have key arms deployed as early as Tuesday on tournament week.
There is a massive advantage given to the top-4 seeds in the pool-play tournament, but this weekend has placed IU 2 1/2 games outside that with 7 to go and three of the teams vying for that spot have series wins over the Hoosiers meaning the tiebreakers are not likely going to be in the Hoosiers favor. This is by no means out of the question, but it probably requires running the table and winning all seven remaining games.