No. 8 Hoosiers Win in 14 Innings Over Ball State, 9-8

Wednesday, April 18

Bloomington, Ind.

6:05 p.m.

Indiana University

28-6

Ball State

17-18

Ball State

Indiana

No. 8 Hoosiers Win in 14 Innings Over Ball State, 9-8

4/19/2018 12:19:00 AM | Baseball

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By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This was perhaps one for the numerologists (or, some might argue, the masochists) rather than the baseball purists.

Jeremy Houston humanely delivered everybody from late Wednesday night's freezing conditions with a walk-off single in the 14^th inning that finally sent Indiana's host Hoosiers past Ball State, 9-8.

That concluded five hours and thirty-four minutes of continuous baseball.

When informed post-game of the contest's precise duration, Houston observed simply: "That's ridiculous."

That was reflected in other numbers such as:
·        Indiana left 20 men on base (leaving the bases loaded on three separate occasions).
·        IU pitchers struck out 21 Cardinals.
·        Ball State pitchers fanned 17 but also issued 16 walks.
·        Hoosier junior centerfielder Logan Kaletha reached base in six straight plate appearances, running his streak to eight going back to Tuesday's 3-0 win against Notre Dame.
·        Ball State senior second baseman Seth Freed posted four RBI, on a solo homer and a bases-loaded triple, by the third inning.
·        IU sophomore lefty Andrew Saalfrank supplied three perfect innings of relief while picking up the win, striking out seven of the nine men he faced in the process.

And so on and so forth.

But even the ridiculous can seem sublime if victory eventually ensues. And it was IU's eighth straight win, besting a pair of seven-game winning streaks earlier this season, and raised the Hoosier record to 28-6.

"Great game that both teams played," Houston said. "Just excited to get the win."

A win didn't seem in the offing for IU early.

After the Hoosiers got a cheap run in the first – Kaletha worked a leadoff walk, stole second, took third on Matt Lloyd's ground out and scored on a wild pitch – the Cardinals scored the next six.

Freed crushed his sixth home run of the season for Ball State to forge a 1-1 tie in the top of the second. There was a gale-force wind blowing toward right, but
that drive didn't need any help.

Griffin Hulecki smoked a double down the left field line to greet IU reliver Brian Hobbie and start the Ball State third. Hulecki was nearly nailed at second by a great throw from the corner in left by IU's Matt Gorski, but his hit was a harbinger.

Hobbie got a strikeout, but then walked Chase Sebby, hit Noah Powell with a pitch, gave up an infield RBI single to William Baker (with Houston temporarily saving a run by diving to keep the ball from making the outfield) that left the bases loaded for Freed.

And Freed scorched a bases-clearing triple to right-center to make it 5-1. John Ricotta followed with a sac fly to right that capped the rally.

The Hoosiers, however, answered with a three-spot. Back-to-back singles by Kaletha and Lloyd got it started, followed by a walk to Logan Sowers to load the bases.

BSU starter Evan Marquardt then made a bid to escape damage by fanning IU's two hottest hitters, Ryan Fineman and Scotty Bradley, on three pitches apiece.
But then he walked in runs with free passes to Gorski and Wyatt Cross. Reliever Nick Floyd came in and, after walking in another run, induced a pop-up to finally end a very lengthy frame.

"It was a frustrating game – tough conditions to play in – and the early part was really tough for us," Lemonis said. " … They got the five spot, but we came back with a couple, so that was big."

BSU (17-18) made a bid to regain some momentum right away in the top of the fourth as Jeff Riedel rocketed a solo homer off the scoreboard, cutting into the considerable wind to do so.

But Kaletha answered with a no-doubter home run to right-center leading off the Hoosiers' half of the inning. A walk and a hit-batsman, sandwiched around singles by Fineman and Gorski, added another run to cut IU's deficit to 7-6 before a strikeout and pop-out helped BSU escape further damage with the bases loaded.

IU tied it in the sixth. Gorski roped a one-out double to right-center. Wyatt Cross, in a great piece of hitting lefty-on-lefty, then went with the pitch to loop a RBI single to left.

So the teams entered to seventh inning amidst a numerical context that would please Mickey Mantle fans everywhere:
·        The game was tied 7-7 in the seventh.
·        Ball State pitchers Marquardt, Nick Floyd and Mike Pachmeyer had allowed walk totals of four, two and one, respectively, which had led directly to IU run totals against them of four, two and one – aggregates adding up to seven.
·        Indiana was trying to extend a seven-game winning streak.
·        After Houston's leadoff single, Kaletha walked, his seventh straight plate appearance reaching base.

And after a Sowers walk loaded the bases, Houston scored on a wild pitch, putting the Hoosiers back on top, 8-7.

As was the case with IU's first lead, it was short-lived.

Ball State bounced right back. Colin Blockhouse drew a leadoff walk and Hulecki followed with a ground single to right.

After IU freshman Tommy Sommer – whose 4 1/3 innings of strong relief were a big key to the Hoosiers' ability to get back into the game – got a strikeout, he was victimized by a pair of singles that didn't even threaten to leave the infield, taking fortuitous bounces for Ball State. The latter, with the bases loaded, came off Powell's bat as a one hopper toward the mound but bounced so high off the turf that Sommer had no play when it came down.

That tied it at 8-8. But Sommer then came back with a strikeout and ground out to maintain the tie. And that run was all the Cardinals could get off him.

"I thought Tommy Sommer did a great job of getting us a hold, getting us to stabilize the game," Lemonis said, "and then we just kind of pieced it together to get back in it."

Then came five straight scoreless frames for both teams, though each had chances.

Gorski was thrown out at home in the bottom of the eighth after he stole third and the throw got away – but not far enough, as it turned out.

IU freshman Grant Sloan's nasty slider got a big strikeout of Hulecki with a man on third in the BSU ninth.

Riedel was on second with one out in the 10^th when Powell looped a ball into left that looked like it would drop, but Gorski made a superb sliding catch and then tossed to second to double-up Riedel and end the inning.

With Saalfrank on to mow down Ball State batters, it was up to the IU offense to come up with something.

The Hoosiers loaded the bases in the 12^th and 13^th only to be frustrated.

But Scotty Bradley led off the Indiana 14^th with a walk, giving way to pinch-runner Laren Eustace, who took second on Gorski's bunt single.

Two straight strikeouts seemed to augur more IU frustration, but Houston had other ideas. And he took T.J. Harmon's fastball to right for the game-winner.

"It was right down the middle," Houston said. "Fastball right down the middle. Just tried to hit it to the middle of the field (or) to the right side of the field. Thank
God it went through the four hole and Laren, with his speed, could score from second base."

Houston was happy to spread credit around.

"That's impressive," Houston said of Saalfrank's seven strikeouts in three innings. "I know he's been having a tough start, so it was good to see him go back out there and pitch his butt off. He did a really great job tonight. Proud of him.

"And we had a zero in the error column today. So we played great defense today, backing up our pitchers."

Gorski finished with four hits in seven at-bats. Kaletha was officially 2-for-4, including his seventh homer of the season.

But Lemonis was especially grateful for Houston's third hit of the long night.

"He's kind of got it going," Lemonis said of Houston. "I thought he had a good game, overall. Couple of base knocks. Just glad he got (that last one), because I'm tired and hungry."

And cold.

The Hoosiers, hopefully not all suffering from pneumonia, start a big road series Friday night at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 25-10, overall, and 6-3 in Big Ten play, right behind the Hoosiers (6-2). Michigan (8-0) currently leads the league, followed by Minnesota (7-1) and Illinois (9-3).