Bierman Keeps Hoosiers and Home Folks Happy
6/1/2019 5:32:00 PM | Baseball
By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Gabe Bierman was again there for his team when it needed him most.
Just as his teammates were there when he needed them most.
Bierman's brilliant 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief Saturday earned him the pitching win and helped Indiana pull away from Illinois-Chicago for a 9-5 victory at the Louisville NCAA baseball regional.
That upped the freshman from Jeffersonville's regional total to 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, counting his work Friday, much to the delight of the Hoosiers and their partisans – including a big Bierman cheering section from right across the Ohio River.
"I had a pretty big fan base up there," Bierman acknowledged post-game. "It was heartwarming. The support is awesome. I love having the most support in the stands. I also have brothers (teammates) beside me to support me, as well.
"Just being around family and around teammates is pretty awesome, anyway, any place we go. But just being in Louisville is kind of special."
And the circumstances are special, in a very somber sense. Bierman lost his father, Doug, suddenly, just over two weeks ago.
Yet there Gabe Bierman was May 18, in the wake of soul-shaking tragedy, nailing down the final outs to clinch a Big Ten regular-season title for IU.
And there Bierman was Saturday, with the Hoosiers facing elimination after Friday's 8-7 loss to Illinois State, helping his team live to see another day.
Illinois-Chicago (29-23) – coached by Mike Dee, a man Indiana counterpart Jeff Mercer considers a mentor – made it clear early it wasn't going to make survival easy for the Hoosiers.
After an infield single by Ryan Lin-Peistrup, Scott Ota bombed his 20th homer of the season, a rocket-shot to left-center for a 2-0 UIC lead in the first. That was one of four Flames hits off IU All-American starter Andrew Saalfrank in the frame.
But the Hoosiers responded immediately to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the second.
Scotty Bradley worked a one-out walk and Ryan Fineman was hit by a pitch before freshman Grant Richardson rocketed a 2-RBI triple up the right-center gap to tie the game.
Following a Cade Bunnell walk, Richardson then scored from third as UIC threw through to get Bunnell trying to steal second but couldn't get the ball back home quickly enough to get Richardson. It was a nicely executed base-running ploy by Indiana.
IU then turned a very nifty 5-4-3 double-play to end the bottom of the second and temporarily preserve its lead.
The Hoosiers loaded the bases but weren't able to capitalize in the third before UIC forged a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the inning.
Ota drew a leadoff walk, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Joshua Figueroa's double down the line to left, but Saalfrank got a pair of groundouts and a strikeout looking to avoid further damage.
Richardson then again helped fuel a rally, lining a leadoff single up the box to start the IU fourth. Jeremy Houston hammered a one-out RBI double down the leftfield line to put the Hoosiers back ahead, scoring Richardson all the way from first to make it 4-3, IU.
Saalfrank issued a one-out walk and, at that juncture, had thrown 34 strikes, 33 balls. Following a Derrick Patrick one-out single, that was it for Saalfrank and Bierman came on to face the middle of the UIC order.
Bierman got Lin-Piestrup to ground out softly to second, putting men on second and third with two down, and the Hoosiers opted to intentionally walk Ota, loading the bases. Ryan Hampe, the Flames' cleanup hitter batting .355, then grounded out to second on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.
And with Bierman proceeding to keep the Flames in check, the Hoosiers began to blow the game open with a three-run sixth.
Cade Bunnell was hit by a pitch with one down and then, with two down, Drew Ashley worked a walk.
That brought up Matt Lloyd, Indiana's most dangerous hitter much of the season but mired in an uncharacteristic 4-for-29 skid heading into Saturday.
Lloyd knew he was due. Plus, he knew he had made a proper facial-hair adjustment.
"Well, you see I switched up the facial hair a little bit. I got the mustache going," Lloyd said later. "I switched up the juju a little bit …
"It was last night, me, Ryan Fineman and Pauly (Milto). Tried to switch up the vibes a little bit, switch up the juju. So Ryan's got a mustache right now. And I don't know if you guys saw Pauly's beard, but it's pretty interesting."
So the mustachioed Lloyd settled into the batter's box confidently.
"The guys in front of me did a great job getting on base," he recalled, "and then I got a 2-0 slider over the middle of the plate."
Lloyd didn't miss it. He barreled it right over the right-field wall for a three-run jack and suddenly IU had 7-3 breathing room.
And Lloyd credited Bierman for giving the Hoosiers time to achieve it.
"It's everything," Lloyd said of Bierman keeping UIC under wraps while the game was close. "It lets our offense work a little bit more. He did a great job today and we're all very proud of him."
After Lloyd's bomb broke a tie for Indiana's season lead in homers with 17, Cole Barr tied things right up again, leading off IU's seventh with a solo missile to left for an 8-3 lead.
It marked the sixth time this season that Lloyd and Barr have homered in the same game. Lloyd was asked if he and Barr had an unofficial home run race going on.
"I always joke with him and say that he can't hit one unless I hit one," Lloyd said of Barr. "I mean, I guess, it's accidental. Just getting on a roll."
And the Hoosier bats, generally, looked back on a roll after a tough day at the plate Friday. Indiana eventually scored seven runs against Illinois State but had just one hit through five innings and finished with just seven compared to ISU's 18.
While Indiana had just eight hits Saturday, it did much more with them. Drew Ashley hit IU's third homer of the day – a solo shot to dead center off the glove of a leaping Patrick (who had just robbed Jeremy Houston with a diving catch in the previous at-bat) – to make it 9-3 in the eighth.
"I'd say just getting back to what we'd been doing all year," Lloyd said of the Hoosiers' increased production on day two of the regional. "Coach Mercer always talks about it like we've learned how to do it, but the past three or four games we just got away from it.
"Today, we just tried to get back to what we were doing before – getting pitches over the middle of the plate, staying in the big part of the field, staying in our fastball timing, battling with two strikes. Basically, what we went back to was what we'd been doing the majority of this season."
UIC turned walks and hit batsmen into a pair of runs in its eighth to forge the final margin, but Tommy Sommer came on and limited the damage.
Sommer fanned Figueroa (previously 3-for-3 in the game), issued a walk on a 3-2 pitch that forced in a run, then struck out Thomas Smart to end the threat with the tying run at the plate. Sommer then kept the door shut in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
So Indiana (36-22) advanced to play again at 12 p.m. Sunday against the loser of Saturday's game pitting host Louisville against Illinois State.
And Saturday's pitching win made Bierman 4-0 in his rookie campaign.
Asked about his effectiveness at crucial moments, Bierman credited his teammates: "It's the trust in my teammates behind me. Just going out and executing pitches is all I need to do. Them making plays for me is wonderful."
At that, Mercer interjected during the post-game press conference.
"And I would say he's a tough dude," Mercer said of Bierman. "I'll speak on his behalf. He's modest guy. But his resolve. His resolve. His stuff is good, but it plays out because of his resolve. He's just so composed and so tough for such a young guy. It's really impressive.
"I trust who he is. I trust who he is more than what he is. The stuff is good, but who he is is special."
Mercer raised the possibility of giving Bierman the rest of the season off after the family tragedy, but Bierman was having none of it.
"He kind of looked at me like, 'That's the dumbest question I've ever heard in my life,'" Mercer recalled. "He just said, 'I've been doing so well, I want to be with my brothers, I want to be here. This is what I want to do. I don't want to stop improving, I don't want to stop going, I want to help this team win.'
"He's like, 'Give me the ball. Give me the ball, I'm ready when you need me.' You see him. He's a tremendous kid. He just wants to help."
And it doesn't exactly hamper Bierman's ability to help that Indiana ended up playing in the Louisville regional, so close to home.
Mercer said he perhaps sees potential divine design in that regard.
"I'm a man of faith," Mercer said. "I don't push it a ton. That's my personal decision. I know Gabe is, as well, we've had that discussion. I don't know that these kinds of circumstances, anything is ever meant to be that wasn't meant to be.
"But maybe it's God's way of being able to really support Gabe through the best of his abilities in the most difficult time of his life. To be around family, to be close to home. I do feel His grace in this moment for Gabe and to be able to just really support him in an emotional way."
IUHoosiers.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Gabe Bierman was again there for his team when it needed him most.
Just as his teammates were there when he needed them most.
Bierman's brilliant 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief Saturday earned him the pitching win and helped Indiana pull away from Illinois-Chicago for a 9-5 victory at the Louisville NCAA baseball regional.
That upped the freshman from Jeffersonville's regional total to 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, counting his work Friday, much to the delight of the Hoosiers and their partisans – including a big Bierman cheering section from right across the Ohio River.
"I had a pretty big fan base up there," Bierman acknowledged post-game. "It was heartwarming. The support is awesome. I love having the most support in the stands. I also have brothers (teammates) beside me to support me, as well.
"Just being around family and around teammates is pretty awesome, anyway, any place we go. But just being in Louisville is kind of special."
And the circumstances are special, in a very somber sense. Bierman lost his father, Doug, suddenly, just over two weeks ago.
Yet there Gabe Bierman was May 18, in the wake of soul-shaking tragedy, nailing down the final outs to clinch a Big Ten regular-season title for IU.
And there Bierman was Saturday, with the Hoosiers facing elimination after Friday's 8-7 loss to Illinois State, helping his team live to see another day.
Illinois-Chicago (29-23) – coached by Mike Dee, a man Indiana counterpart Jeff Mercer considers a mentor – made it clear early it wasn't going to make survival easy for the Hoosiers.
After an infield single by Ryan Lin-Peistrup, Scott Ota bombed his 20th homer of the season, a rocket-shot to left-center for a 2-0 UIC lead in the first. That was one of four Flames hits off IU All-American starter Andrew Saalfrank in the frame.
But the Hoosiers responded immediately to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the second.
Scotty Bradley worked a one-out walk and Ryan Fineman was hit by a pitch before freshman Grant Richardson rocketed a 2-RBI triple up the right-center gap to tie the game.
Following a Cade Bunnell walk, Richardson then scored from third as UIC threw through to get Bunnell trying to steal second but couldn't get the ball back home quickly enough to get Richardson. It was a nicely executed base-running ploy by Indiana.
IU then turned a very nifty 5-4-3 double-play to end the bottom of the second and temporarily preserve its lead.
The Hoosiers loaded the bases but weren't able to capitalize in the third before UIC forged a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the inning.
Ota drew a leadoff walk, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Joshua Figueroa's double down the line to left, but Saalfrank got a pair of groundouts and a strikeout looking to avoid further damage.
Richardson then again helped fuel a rally, lining a leadoff single up the box to start the IU fourth. Jeremy Houston hammered a one-out RBI double down the leftfield line to put the Hoosiers back ahead, scoring Richardson all the way from first to make it 4-3, IU.
Saalfrank issued a one-out walk and, at that juncture, had thrown 34 strikes, 33 balls. Following a Derrick Patrick one-out single, that was it for Saalfrank and Bierman came on to face the middle of the UIC order.
Bierman got Lin-Piestrup to ground out softly to second, putting men on second and third with two down, and the Hoosiers opted to intentionally walk Ota, loading the bases. Ryan Hampe, the Flames' cleanup hitter batting .355, then grounded out to second on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.
And with Bierman proceeding to keep the Flames in check, the Hoosiers began to blow the game open with a three-run sixth.
Cade Bunnell was hit by a pitch with one down and then, with two down, Drew Ashley worked a walk.
That brought up Matt Lloyd, Indiana's most dangerous hitter much of the season but mired in an uncharacteristic 4-for-29 skid heading into Saturday.
Lloyd knew he was due. Plus, he knew he had made a proper facial-hair adjustment.
"Well, you see I switched up the facial hair a little bit. I got the mustache going," Lloyd said later. "I switched up the juju a little bit …
"It was last night, me, Ryan Fineman and Pauly (Milto). Tried to switch up the vibes a little bit, switch up the juju. So Ryan's got a mustache right now. And I don't know if you guys saw Pauly's beard, but it's pretty interesting."
So the mustachioed Lloyd settled into the batter's box confidently.
"The guys in front of me did a great job getting on base," he recalled, "and then I got a 2-0 slider over the middle of the plate."
Lloyd didn't miss it. He barreled it right over the right-field wall for a three-run jack and suddenly IU had 7-3 breathing room.
And Lloyd credited Bierman for giving the Hoosiers time to achieve it.
"It's everything," Lloyd said of Bierman keeping UIC under wraps while the game was close. "It lets our offense work a little bit more. He did a great job today and we're all very proud of him."
After Lloyd's bomb broke a tie for Indiana's season lead in homers with 17, Cole Barr tied things right up again, leading off IU's seventh with a solo missile to left for an 8-3 lead.
It marked the sixth time this season that Lloyd and Barr have homered in the same game. Lloyd was asked if he and Barr had an unofficial home run race going on.
"I always joke with him and say that he can't hit one unless I hit one," Lloyd said of Barr. "I mean, I guess, it's accidental. Just getting on a roll."
And the Hoosier bats, generally, looked back on a roll after a tough day at the plate Friday. Indiana eventually scored seven runs against Illinois State but had just one hit through five innings and finished with just seven compared to ISU's 18.
While Indiana had just eight hits Saturday, it did much more with them. Drew Ashley hit IU's third homer of the day – a solo shot to dead center off the glove of a leaping Patrick (who had just robbed Jeremy Houston with a diving catch in the previous at-bat) – to make it 9-3 in the eighth.
"I'd say just getting back to what we'd been doing all year," Lloyd said of the Hoosiers' increased production on day two of the regional. "Coach Mercer always talks about it like we've learned how to do it, but the past three or four games we just got away from it.
"Today, we just tried to get back to what we were doing before – getting pitches over the middle of the plate, staying in the big part of the field, staying in our fastball timing, battling with two strikes. Basically, what we went back to was what we'd been doing the majority of this season."
UIC turned walks and hit batsmen into a pair of runs in its eighth to forge the final margin, but Tommy Sommer came on and limited the damage.
Sommer fanned Figueroa (previously 3-for-3 in the game), issued a walk on a 3-2 pitch that forced in a run, then struck out Thomas Smart to end the threat with the tying run at the plate. Sommer then kept the door shut in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
So Indiana (36-22) advanced to play again at 12 p.m. Sunday against the loser of Saturday's game pitting host Louisville against Illinois State.
And Saturday's pitching win made Bierman 4-0 in his rookie campaign.
Asked about his effectiveness at crucial moments, Bierman credited his teammates: "It's the trust in my teammates behind me. Just going out and executing pitches is all I need to do. Them making plays for me is wonderful."
At that, Mercer interjected during the post-game press conference.
"And I would say he's a tough dude," Mercer said of Bierman. "I'll speak on his behalf. He's modest guy. But his resolve. His resolve. His stuff is good, but it plays out because of his resolve. He's just so composed and so tough for such a young guy. It's really impressive.
"I trust who he is. I trust who he is more than what he is. The stuff is good, but who he is is special."
Mercer raised the possibility of giving Bierman the rest of the season off after the family tragedy, but Bierman was having none of it.
"He kind of looked at me like, 'That's the dumbest question I've ever heard in my life,'" Mercer recalled. "He just said, 'I've been doing so well, I want to be with my brothers, I want to be here. This is what I want to do. I don't want to stop improving, I don't want to stop going, I want to help this team win.'
"He's like, 'Give me the ball. Give me the ball, I'm ready when you need me.' You see him. He's a tremendous kid. He just wants to help."
And it doesn't exactly hamper Bierman's ability to help that Indiana ended up playing in the Louisville regional, so close to home.
Mercer said he perhaps sees potential divine design in that regard.
"I'm a man of faith," Mercer said. "I don't push it a ton. That's my personal decision. I know Gabe is, as well, we've had that discussion. I don't know that these kinds of circumstances, anything is ever meant to be that wasn't meant to be.
"But maybe it's God's way of being able to really support Gabe through the best of his abilities in the most difficult time of his life. To be around family, to be close to home. I do feel His grace in this moment for Gabe and to be able to just really support him in an emotional way."
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballRHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballBig Ten Tournament Press Conference - vs. Rutgers
Wednesday, May 21
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss - 2
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Tennessee
Sunday, June 02
NCAA Postgame Press Conference - Southern Miss
Friday, May 31