One of the glaring issues for Indiana this season has been converting on scoring opportunities with two outs. Friday, the Hoosiers did so with ease as they defeated Rutgers 11-0 in seven innings at Bart Kaufman Field, snapping a six-game losing streak in the process.
Over the course of its six-game skid, Indiana (11-18, 4-9 Big Ten) combined for 26 runs, which is not a bad number all things considered; it averages to just over four runs per game. However, capitalizing on additional, late-game opportunities with runners in scoring position has been hard to come by for the Hoosiers, which is a recipe for a disaster especially considering Indiana’s struggles on the pitching end.
That script was turned upside down against the Scarlet Knights.
Behind yet another gem of a start from graduate student LHP Tony Neubeck, Indiana used big innings in the bottom of the fourth and the bottom of the sixth to put Rutgers (15-14, 4-6) away. Seven of the Hoosiers’ 12 hits and six of their 11 runs came with two outs, and head coach Jeff Mercer touched on what allowed Indiana to be successful in those situations postgame.
“I think when you have two outs, there’s a structural change,” Mercer said. “We made the adjustment. When you have a lead, and you’ve had a couple hits under your belt, you feel better, you’re more confident.”
Indiana’s offensive outburst began in the bottom of the second inning. After a two-out walk from sophomore Hogan Denny, sophomore Jake Hanley just barely cleared the right field wall for his seventh home run of the season.
Indiana then blew things open with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, with all four of those runs coming with two outs. Sophomore Will Moore belted his second home run of the season to left-center field, scoring freshman Landen Fry and sophomore Cole Decker to put the Hoosiers up five. Indiana added their sixth and final run of the night with two outs on an RBI single from Hanley.
For good measure, Indiana plated five more runs in the bottom of the sixth, including two from Denny via his sixth home run of 2026. Meanwhile, Decker added an RBI single, extending his on-base streak to 14 games. He’s been a big part of the lineup, contributing in the nine-hole and providing depth that has been much-needed for an offense looking to get things going.
Denny has provided offensive firepower all season long, and he detailed the importance of the Hoosiers finding two-out success postgame.
“We really focused on not doing too much when we’re at the plate, letting the opportunity come to us,” Denny said. “Capitalizing on those opportunities was huge, and looking forward to carrying it into the rest of the weekend.”
The important thing for Indiana now is to do exactly that. If the Hoosiers can produce with two outs the rest of the series the way they did Friday, it will go a long way towards their second series victory of the season in Big Ten play. With the offense finding its stride, Mercer will look for his team to put everything together, something he hasn’t lost belief in despite a losing record.
“I’ve never stopped believing in the offense,” Mercer said. “Then the offense gives the pitching staff some room to breathe. Just a really complete game for us.”
Indiana will aim to clinch the series against the Scarlet Knights Saturday. With potential weather, first pitch has been pushed back four hours to 6 p.m. at Bart Kaufman Field, with the starting pitcher TBD for the Hoosiers.
