TJ Schuyler drives in key runs and guns down two would-be base stealers to help Indiana complete the non-con road series sweep
By Carl James @jovian34 May 4th, 2025
Indiana Hoosiers 7, Abilene Christian Wildcats 6
Inning by inning details in the Live Game Blog | Box Score
Indiana University baseball completed a nice road sweep in their B1G bye week on Sunday afternoon. It was a back-and-forth affair that was decided in the 9th inning with a travel curfew looming that didn’t need to be employed as sophomore catcher TJ Schuyler hit a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the inning and Jackson Yarberry held on for the win in the bottom.
Drew Buhr opened on the mound for Indiana, making his second appearance since returning from injury. Buhr managed to keep the Wildcats scoreless through two innings, despite hitting the lead-off batter in the first inning. The Hoosiers struggled offensively early on, with Will Moore’s lead-off single in the first inning being their only hit through the first four innings.
In the third inning, Pete Haas replaced Buhr and faced immediate challenges, hitting the first batter and allowing a walk. Defensive errors by Indiana contributed to the Wildcats scoring two unearned runs, giving Abilene Christian a 2-0 lead. The Hoosiers continued to struggle at the plate, sending the minimum number of batters to the plate despite getting three baserunners in five innings.
Indiana’s offense finally came alive in the sixth inning after ACU starter Cade McGarrh’s day finally ended. Andrew Wiggins reached base on a dropped third strike and a throwing error. Wiggins scored on a two-run home run by Schuyler, cutting the Wildcat lead to just one run. Devin Taylor and Korbyn Dickerson added hits, with Dickerson’s hit driving in a run to tie the game at 3-3.
Aydan Decker-Petty followed Haas on the mound. Decker-Petty has been much better over last few outings, but he struggled a bit on Sunday. A lead-off walk in the bottom of the sixth inning came around to give ACU the lead back on an RBI single. With runners on the corners and one out, Dustin Glant turns to freshman lefty Brayton Thomas. A bunt in the direction of Jake Hanley at first freezes the freshman first baseman who first tries to charge the ball, then is late to covering the bag as Thomas is better able to field it. The run scores (which it would have even if the out was recorded). Thomas manages to escape the inning with no further damage.
The Hoosiers responded in the seventh inning with a no-doubt pinch-hit three-run home run off the bat of Joey Brenczewski, giving Indiana a 6-5 lead. Thomas pitched a solid seventh inning but struggled to open up the eighth. Jackson Yarberry came in and allowed the game to get tied when he slipped fielding a bunt and then walked in a run. Faced with the bases loaded on still no outs, Yarberry managed to get three straight outs without allowing another run to score, and the Hoosiers went into the ninth tied.
In the ninth inning, Tyler Cerny, who did not start, came off the bench with a two-out single, followed by a bloop single by Schuyler that allowed Cerny to score from first, giving Indiana a one-run lead. Jeff Mercer was coaching third base and made an aggressive call that paid off by sending Cerny. There was some urgency as the travel curfew was close and Indiana wanted to play for the win in the bottom of the ninth, and not just a tie.
Jackson Yarberry closed out the game for the Hoosiers, securing the win with a strikeout. Yarberry was excellent in two innings of work. Indiana keeps adding pieces on the mound. The performance setback from Decker-Petty was tough, but that could be explained by the fact that he had on three-days rest since being stretched out to over 4 innings at Evansville. Without a midweek contest, they may have wanted to get him some work in before the Purdue series which starts at Bart Kaufman Field on Friday.