Hoosiers Drop Opener to Cal State Fullerton, 8-3

Friday, February 26

Fullerton, Calif.

10:00 P.M.

Indiana University

1-3

Cal St. Fullerton

2-2

Indiana

Cal State Fullerton

Hoosiers Drop Opener to Cal State Fullerton, 8-3

2/27/2016 1:45:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif. – Being held to just two hits, Indiana Baseball (1-3) fell to the 23^rd-ranked Cal State Fullerton Titans (2-2), 8-3, on Friday night at Goodwin Field.

Senior LHP Kyle Hart had his streak of innings without surrendering a home run snapped at 30. The Cincinnati, Ohio native went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out two.

Juniors Craig Dedelow and Tony Butler provided the lone offense for the Hoosiers. Butler drove in the first run of the game for IU in the third inning, while Dedelow supplied a two-run double in the fifth. Butler reached base twice on the night, providing the other hit for the Hoosiers. Dedelow, who reached base twice as well,
extended his reached base streak to nine games.

Of the eight runs IU surrendered, six were earned as the Hoosiers had three errors in the contest.

After allowing a run in the first inning, Indiana knotted the contest up at one in the third. Senior Brian Wilhite worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After junior Alex Krupa advanced Wilhite to third, Butler drove in the run on an RBI groundout to make it a 1-1 game.

The Titans answered right back in the bottom half of the third, scoring three runs, two of them unearned, to take a 4-1 lead.

The Hoosiers began to rally in the fifth inning. Wilhite set up the scoring again, getting hit by a pitch with one out. Following another out, Butler was also hit by a pitch, giving two runners for Dedelow. The junior drove the first pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark, left centerfield, to score both runners on a double to trim the Titan lead to 4-3.

Fullerton threatened in the bottom of the sixth having runners on second and third with two outs. Junior Thomas Belcher came in to relieve Hart and struck out Ruben Cardenas, the No. 2 hitter in the Titan lineup, to keep it a 4-3 game.

Indiana came back in the top of the seventh to get the pinch-hitting leadoff batter, sophomore Laren Eustace, on base via walk. Eustace would reach third, but was stranded as the game remained 4-3 in favor of Fullerton.

The Titans from there increased the lead by four more runs that same inning. A total of five hits in the inning, including a two-run home run for Fullerton upped the lead to 8-3.

Indiana returns to action on Saturday with a 9 p.m. ET time start against the Titans. Senior RHP Evan Bell will get the ball for the Hoosiers.