Buhr, Bats Deliver Series Victory

Saturday, April 27

Bloomington, Ind.

2:00 PM

Indiana University

24-18-1, 0

Rutgers

24-18, 0

Rutgers

Indiana

4/27/2024 6:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Called upon earlier than expected on Saturday (April 27) afternoon, graduate student Drew Buhr (W, 1-1) was up for the challenge on the mound. He allowed two runs (both charged to starter Ty Bothwell) but escaped a two-on, no-out scenario in the fifth inning.

From there, he was flawless. He retired the final 15 batters of the game on just four hits with no earned runs as the Indiana Baseball team (24-18-1, 9-5 B1G) won 12-6 at Bart Kaufman Field. He needed just 58 pitches in five innings and tallied four strikeouts. His defense was helpful behind him with sophomore shortstop Tyler Cerny and junior outfielder Nick Mitchell making outstanding catches.

The bats, led by productive days from Mitchell and sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor, were all over the Rutgers' pitching from the jump. Despite struggling with mid-inning pitching changes, IU still tallied 12 runs on 16 hits. Five players had multi-hit days including three apiece from Taylor and Mitchell.

Taylor hit a home run in the bottom of the first inning, crushing a ball to center field to set the tone. It gave IU a home run in the opening inning on back-to-back days after a three-run jack from redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski last night. Mitchell went 3-for-3 at the plate and reached base all five times.

Redshirt junior catcher Jake Stadler (RBI-single), freshman second baseman (RBI-groundout) and junior outfielder Carter Mathison (two-run home run) provided massive insurance runs in the eighth to allow Buhr to comfortably close the game out in the ninth.

The Hoosiers have a chance to go for their first Big Ten sweep of the season tomorrow, a win that would prove crucial not only for RPI purposes but also the chance to further close the gap on Illinois in the chase for a conference title. Sixth-year senior Ty Rybarczyk will open the game for IU at 11:00 AM ET on the Big Ten Network.

Scoring Recap
Top First
After a routine flyball, that got lost in the sun, dropped for a leadoff double, Rutgers slowly moved the runner around before Jordan Sweeney singled up the middle to score Johnny Volpe.
Rutgers 1, Indiana 0

Bottom First
Devin Taylor crushed a home run on the fourth pitch he saw to tie the game in the first inning.
Indiana 1, Rutgers 1

Bottom Second
The Hoosiers pieced together nice at-bats in the second inning to grow the lead. Cal Sefcik drove a breaking ball into left field to bring home Jake Stadler. Taylor followed that by clearing the bases with a triple in the gap. Nick Mitchell had a single to centerfield on a two-strike count to add another run to the tally.
Indiana 5, Rutgers 1

Top Fourth
Rutgers started to get to IU starter Ty Bothwell in the fourth. The Big Ten's leading hitter, Josh Kuroda-Grauer singled to center field to bring home a pair of runs. Ty Doucette, who has been phenomenal this weekend, hit a ground-rule double to center field to score another.
Indiana 5, Rutgers 4

Top Fifth
Rutgers began the inning with a walk and hit-by-pitch to chase Bothwell and bring in Drew Buhr. Trevor Cohen grounded out to the shortstop as IU exchanged an out for a run. Cameron Love took a 1-0 pitch for a single into left field to cut the deficit to just one.
Indiana 7, Rutgers 6

Bottom Sixth
After Mitchell singled down the left-field line, Tyler Cerny followed that with a double down the line to score the runner from first.
Indiana 8, Rutgers 6

Bottom Eighth
Jake Stadler was the first to beat the new-pitcher curse, taking a ball through the right side to score Cerny after a pitching change from Rutgers. Jasen Oliver grounded out to the third baseman, allowing another run to score. Carter Mathison effectively put the game on ice with a massive two-run shot into right field.
Indiana 12, Rutgers 6

Top Hoosier Performers
#5 Taylor, Devin
3-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 3B

#20 Mitchell, Nick
3-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

#24 Buhr, Drew
5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 K

Notes to Know
• Junior outfielder Carter Mathison hit his 10th home run of the season and 39th of his career. He is already seventh in program history in long balls but is now one away from becoming the newest member of the 40-home run club. Only two other players (Alex Dickerson, Kyle Schwarber) have reached that mark in three years. Mathison is the first player to hit 10+ home runs in three-straight seasons since Vasili Spanos (2001-03)

• IU has won all four conference series in the month of April after losing the first Big Ten weekend to Illinois in the month of March. The Hoosiers will go for the first Big Ten sweep since last year at Northwestern. Under head coach Jeff Mercer, IU has seven Big Ten sweeps (in traditional three-or-four game settings). The last time these two teams met (2019), the Hoosiers swept the Scarlet Knights.

• In the month of April (14 games to date), redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski and junior outfielder Nick Mitchell are each hitting .404. Jake Stadler, who is carrying all of the catching load, is up to a .340 average during the month. On the mound, graduate student Drew Buhr (5 app., 1-0, 2.30 ERA, 4 ER, 19 K) has been a revelation as the Hoosiers get back into Big Ten contention).

Up Next
A massive opportunity awaits the Hoosiers on Sunday. A sweep would put pressure on Illinois, Michigan and Purdue at the top of the Big Ten standings heading into the final month. Sunday's game will be broadcasted nationally on BTN at 11:00 AM and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.