Hoosier’s jump on Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Marriott, play stellar defense to win the opening game of the road series
By Carl James @jovian34 February 24th, 2024
photo of Baylor Ballpark by Mike Foley (used with permission)
This game was about as chalk as could be possible for 23rd ranked Indiana Hoosiers. The powerful lineup up and down the order gave Baylor pitching fits most of the night. Hoosier pitching wasn’t great, but was effective enough with three pitchers combining to hold the Bears to under five runs. In addition to great hitting, the position player group made some spectacular plays on defense.
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog
Offensively the Hoosiers did the most damage in one big top of the third inning. After hitting a double in the first, Devin Taylor shows why he is on the Golden Spikes consideration list by working an 0-2 count into a lead-off walk. Taylor was 3 for 3 getting on base all five plate appearances.
Brock Tibbitts broke out of his start of the season slump by lacing a double to the opposite field. Tibbitts reflected, “Baseball is such an up-and-down game. To be able to stay levelheaded and keep trusting the process every day, it’s big. You’ve got to have a clear mind every day and every at-bat.” Tibbitts went 3 for 4 on the day and drove in two runs.
That third inning didn’t stop as Tyler Cerny and Jake Stadler added singles. This is Stadler’s third hit of the season (three times the number he had at Purdue all of last season). It was Morgan Colopy who busted it open with a two-run crush job over the right-centerfield fence to give the Hoosiers a 6-0 lead. After the game head coach Jeff Mercer said about Colopy that, “he was to put a bunt down early in the at-bat, and then once he got to a leverage count, I turned him loose thinking he would get a fastball. And he did, and all the credit to him for doing damage with it.”
You can’t talk about this game without marveling at the play of Josh Pyne. He was 3 for 5, scoring two runs. He made three major league level plays at third base. Pyne also helped out Devin Taylor with his feet in the top of the fourth inning. After Pyne lead off the inning with a double, Taylor chops a ball to third base. Pyne took enough of a jump off of second base to force a look back and that gave Taylor just enough time to leg out a single. It was important because the Hoosiers only managed one run that inning thanks to the Baylor defense. Mercer reflected, “Man, that double play that their shortstop turned with the bases loaded, nobody out, that ball was hit right on the nose and that was a special play.”
The Hoosier pitching did its job, limiting the Bears to just four runs. Sophomore starter Brayden Risedorph got into trouble in the third and fourth innings. The Bears loaded the bases with no outs with their fourth hit of the day. Risedorph escaped the jam with a pair of timely strikeouts and one of Pyne’s great plays limiting the damage to only one run. Risedorph was not able to limit the damage, surrendering three runs in the fourth inning when Baylor jumped on him with two doubles.
First out of the pen was Boston College transfer Julian Tonghini who started shaky allowing Risedorph’s inherited runners to score but settled in nicely keeping Baylor at four runs through the seventh inning. Tonghini was a bit wild getting into a lot of 3-ball counts, but his high spin curveball proved pretty tough to hit. Tonghini was awarded the win for his 3.2 innings of work allowing no runs of his own.
Redshirt sophomore Grant Holderfield slammed the door on Baylor with the final two innings of scoreless work. Holderfield allowed only one base runner and retired four of the final six outs via strikeout.
The Hoosiers committed only one error on the day, a rare miscue of a throw by Houston transfer Brandon Burckel that did no damage because Stadler was alert and came from behind the plate to back the play up and caught the runner trying to get to second in a rundown.
The win improves the Hoosiers to 4-1 on the young season, matching the start they had in the 2018 campaign that ended in a regional final. (I’m not including the 2021 start as there was no non-conference that year). The Hoosiers will attempt to clinch a series win at 3pm ET today (Saturday) when Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Connor Foley takes the mound against Baylor.