Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Taking it One Win at a Time
4/14/2016 2:41:00 PM | Baseball
By: Tori Ziege | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With the macro pressure to make the postseason closing in, Indiana baseball has compiled its longest win streak of the season by focusing on the micro level.
One quality at-bat at a time.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to hit the ball over the fence or swing the bat as hard as you can," junior Thomas Belcher said. "It's just having a good at bat and making sure that you do something productive with it. We've really done a really good job with that as of late. Squeaking across the one run when we need it."
On Wednesday, the Hoosiers squeaked across the go-ahead run thanks to a quality at-bat from freshman Ryan Fineman. The catcher doubled the pitch down the right field line, scoring sophomore Logan Sowers from first.
That was all Indiana (18-13, 4-2) would end up needing in a 4-3 decision against Ball State (21-13, 7-2), extending the Hoosiers' winning streak to six games and Fineman's hitting streak to 12.
"That kid (Fineman) hits, period," junior Austin Cangelosi said. "I have to get on his diet plan I guess."
Against the Cardinals, Cangelosi and Fineman feasted from the same trough.
After junior Tony Butler drove in the game's first run in the second, Indiana surrendered its lead to a three-run inning by Ball State in the third. Freshman pitcher Jonathan Stiever took over for starter Luke
Stephenson and helped the Hoosiers out of a no-out jam with two runners in scoring position.
From there, it was Cangelosi's bat that got the Hoosiers going. The infielder broke Indiana's dry spell, drilling one over the fence to make it 3-2 in the fourth.
"That's a big hit there," head coach Chris Lemonis said. "We were kind of dead at that point in the game, and to get that big hit I thought was huge. He's playing well."
Fineman capitalized on the Cardinals' first error of the game to advance to scoring position before Cangelosi made his encore in the fifth. The junior chopped an infield single off the pitchers' glove, driving in Fineman for the tying unearned run.
Another quality at-bat.
"You're going to hit a lot of atom balls sometimes, and sometimes you're going to find the hole," Cangelosi said. "They're coming for me in bunches."
Following Fineman's go-ahead dinger, Ball State threatened once more in the eighth with one runner in scoring position and one out to give. Belcher took over in relief and caught the next batter looking.
The toss was good for Indiana's eighth strikeout of the game, feeding the people of Bart Kaufman field with free promotional Chick-fil-a. The junior capped off an excellent outing for a Hoosier bullpen that did not surrender a run in the midweek contest.
"We pound the zone, we throw strikes, and we're going to give our hitters a real good chance at winning ballgames," Belcher said.
Indiana's pitching has been steady all season. Now, thanks to a micro focus on quality at-bats, the Hoosiers' hitting seems to be clicking at just the right time.
"Right now it's do or die for us making the tournament," Cangelosi said. "We want to win the Big Ten. That's why we're here. Postseason baseball.
"These midweek games you can't take for granted. We're out here to win."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With the macro pressure to make the postseason closing in, Indiana baseball has compiled its longest win streak of the season by focusing on the micro level.
One quality at-bat at a time.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to hit the ball over the fence or swing the bat as hard as you can," junior Thomas Belcher said. "It's just having a good at bat and making sure that you do something productive with it. We've really done a really good job with that as of late. Squeaking across the one run when we need it."
On Wednesday, the Hoosiers squeaked across the go-ahead run thanks to a quality at-bat from freshman Ryan Fineman. The catcher doubled the pitch down the right field line, scoring sophomore Logan Sowers from first.
That was all Indiana (18-13, 4-2) would end up needing in a 4-3 decision against Ball State (21-13, 7-2), extending the Hoosiers' winning streak to six games and Fineman's hitting streak to 12.
"That kid (Fineman) hits, period," junior Austin Cangelosi said. "I have to get on his diet plan I guess."
Against the Cardinals, Cangelosi and Fineman feasted from the same trough.
After junior Tony Butler drove in the game's first run in the second, Indiana surrendered its lead to a three-run inning by Ball State in the third. Freshman pitcher Jonathan Stiever took over for starter Luke
Stephenson and helped the Hoosiers out of a no-out jam with two runners in scoring position.
From there, it was Cangelosi's bat that got the Hoosiers going. The infielder broke Indiana's dry spell, drilling one over the fence to make it 3-2 in the fourth.
"That's a big hit there," head coach Chris Lemonis said. "We were kind of dead at that point in the game, and to get that big hit I thought was huge. He's playing well."
Fineman capitalized on the Cardinals' first error of the game to advance to scoring position before Cangelosi made his encore in the fifth. The junior chopped an infield single off the pitchers' glove, driving in Fineman for the tying unearned run.
Another quality at-bat.
"You're going to hit a lot of atom balls sometimes, and sometimes you're going to find the hole," Cangelosi said. "They're coming for me in bunches."
Following Fineman's go-ahead dinger, Ball State threatened once more in the eighth with one runner in scoring position and one out to give. Belcher took over in relief and caught the next batter looking.
The toss was good for Indiana's eighth strikeout of the game, feeding the people of Bart Kaufman field with free promotional Chick-fil-a. The junior capped off an excellent outing for a Hoosier bullpen that did not surrender a run in the midweek contest.
"We pound the zone, we throw strikes, and we're going to give our hitters a real good chance at winning ballgames," Belcher said.
Indiana's pitching has been steady all season. Now, thanks to a micro focus on quality at-bats, the Hoosiers' hitting seems to be clicking at just the right time.
"Right now it's do or die for us making the tournament," Cangelosi said. "We want to win the Big Ten. That's why we're here. Postseason baseball.
"These midweek games you can't take for granted. We're out here to win."
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