It was an extremely successful and much needed weekend for Indiana Baseball as the Hoosiers swept Canisius in all four games of the series.
The Hoosiers didn’t just beat the Golden Griffins in every game, but rather they dominated in every aspect. There wasn’t a game the Hoosiers won by less than three runs and in three of the four games of the series Indiana put up double-digit runs.
Here are the game-by-game scores:
Friday: W, 18-6
Saturday: (Game 1 of Doubleheader): W, 5-2
Saturday: (Game 2 of Doubleheader): W, 15-5
Sunday: W, 12-1
This series was exactly what the Hoosiers needed to get back on track for having a successful season. The four consecutive wins moves Indiana’s record to 11-8 after entering the series under .500 at 7-8.
Now, here are three takeaways from the series.
The Hoosiers Enjoy Home Cookin’
There have only been 19 games so far for Indiana, but there is a distinct difference when the Hoosiers are at home compared to when they’re on the road. Indiana is undefeated at Bart Kafuman Field thus far at 6-0. In those games, the Hoosiers haven’t scored less than five runs and have averaged 11.2 runs per game
Drew Ashley is a baaaad man for what he did to that ball ? pic.twitter.com/5Xz9hIVeTe
— Indiana Baseball ⚾️ (@IndianaBase) March 17, 2019
The bats aren’t the only thing rolling when at home though, the pitching has been great too. As a team, the Hoosiers haven’t had a game at home where they haven’t thrown for at least six strikeouts and even average 10 a game.
Indiana’s performance in road or neutral site games just isn’t as strong, and it’s most obvious from the plate. They have a record of 5-8 in those games and average about four runs per game, seven less than they do at home.
Best Hitting Display All Season
Indiana’s series against Canisius could be compared to a batting clinic because the Hoosiers were excellent hitting the ball against the Golden Griffins.
It wasn’t just the usual suspects either for Indiana, everybody was hitting the ball well. Throughout the series, the team had an average of just over 13 hits per game and even had 18 hits in game one.
Additionally, there were 11 Indiana batters who accounted for at least one RBI. Four guys had five or more RBIs individually too.
Another day, another @ryanfineman14 bomb ?
That's three homers in three consecutive days for the catcher!#IUBase 12, Canisius 1 | B6 pic.twitter.com/XRsHPXEPJK
— Indiana Baseball ⚾️ (@IndianaBase) March 17, 2019
Outfielders Grant Richardson and Sam Crail both had five RBIs, and Matt Gorski had six on the series. Senior catcher Ryan Fineman trumped all his teammates and had his best series of the season with a whopping nine RBIs to his name. Fineman went 9-for-15 at the plate and hit three home runs in the four-game series. Also, a total of six Hoosiers went yard against Canisius.
In addition to Fineman, teammates Gorski, Richardson, Matt Lloyd, Cole Barr, and Drew Ashley all hit home runs.
Breakouts on the Mound
In addition to the bats, the arms were great for the Hoosiers too, specifically in games two and four of the series. Juniors Tanner Gordon and Andrew Saalfrank both turned in their best outings of the year in games two and four, respectively.
Gordon, the junior college transfer had been struggling as the team’s new Saturday starter and was in need of a bounce back. That came against the Golden Griffins in game two where Gordon went eight innings and only allowed four hits, a run, a walk, and struck out 10 to get his first win of the season. The strikeouts and innings pitched were season highs.
Prior to that outing, Gordon hadn’t pitched a game for the Hoosiers where he went past four innings and had a record of 0-3.
Absolute dominance on the mound from @Ballfrank_23!
His 14 Ks are the most by an Indiana starter since Zach McClellan on March 18, 2000 against Vermont. pic.twitter.com/kR4nygXPI5
— Indiana Baseball ⚾️ (@IndianaBase) March 17, 2019
Despite being used as more of a bullpen pitcher, Saalfrank proved his value as a starter in his second start of the season. The lefty was at another level in the seven innings he pitched, only allowing five hits and one run while striking out 14 batters to get the win.
Saalfrank’s excellent outing improves his ERA to 2.93 on the season and should increase Indiana Head Coach Jeff Mercer’s trust of Saalfrank in giving the junior more starts and more innings.
What’s Next?
Indiana will look to continue the winning streak on Tuesday when the Hoosiers hit the road on Tuesday to face-off against in-state foe Indiana State in Terre Haute.
Over the weekend, Indiana will host Iowa for their first conference series of the season.
