by Carl James • @jovian34 • Mar 9

Tanner Gordon can’t keep #4 Oregon State at bay as the Hoosiers lose the middle game of the weekend 8-3.

The Hoosiers had the tall task of accomplishing what only one team this year has accomplished: beat #4 defending national champion Oregon State in a baseball game. Matt Lloyd got the Hoosiers off to a hot start with a two-run bomb to right center in the first inning, but after that the dominance of the Beavers won out, and the Hoosiers dropped their 6th game of the year 8-3 to fall to a 7-6 record.

Tanner Gordon struggled mightily against the Beaver offense which, outside of a few key players, had been rather quiet in recent weeks. While the hard throwing junior did record 5 strikeouts, he also walked 5 Beavers giving up 4 earned runs in only 4.1 innings of work. With 2 outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Gordon was close to getting to the fifth inning with the game tied before giving up two runs on a two-out, two RBI double.

Offensively, after the Lloyd home run, it was a tough day for the Hoosiers at the plate. Cole Barr was the highlight with a double, a triple, and a run scored. That one run came on Scotty Bradley’s first hit of the season. Barr was the only Hoosiers with a multi-hit game.

The Hoosiers had a great opportunity in the top of the 8th when the Oregon State bullpen walked the bases loaded with two outs, but Scotty Bradley was unable to get his second hit to bring them home.

This game also demonstrated the Hoosier’s defensive woes, with 3 total errors, including errors at the corners by Bar and Lloyd that each lead to an unearned run.

Hoosier Alumni in Seattle got together before the game and both the Oregon State radio broadcaster and D1Baseball.com’s Aaron Fitt mentioned that the Hoosier faithful made a noticeable presence in the stands given how far away from Bloomington this game was played. Hoosier nation is everywhere!

Now focus turns to Sunday and a chance to claim a winning weekend at T-Mobile Park. The Hoosiers face-off against the San Diego Toreros. Andrew Saalfrank will get his first start since his masterful performance in the Hoosiers last game of 2018 against Texas in the Austin Regional Final. It will, once again, be a live stats-only broadcast for those not in attendance. As such, Talking Hoosier Baseball’s YouTube channel will feature Cassady Palmer Mic’d up yet again giving play-by-play analysis of the stats as they roll in. We hope you can join us (unless you happen to be in Seattle).

YouTube Link for Cassady Palmer Mic’d Up For Live Stats of #iubase vs San Diego on Sunday at 2pmEastern.