ISU Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader Saturday
By: Grant Pugh
Updated: March 9, 2013
Senior Devin Moore
and junior Sean Manaea combined for 18 strikeouts on Saturday, leading the
Indiana State baseball team to victories over South Dakota State and Mercer on
Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium.
Game One
In game one, South Dakota State (8-6) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as junior starting pitcher Jeff Degano issued three consecutive walks with the bases loaded and one out in the inning. Moore entered in relief and got a strikeout and a force out to end the top half of the first inning.
Indiana State (5-5) got back within one run in the second inning as freshman Taylor Steen and sophomore Landon Curry each picked up RBIs in the frame. Senior Casey McCurdy tied the score at 3-3 in the third inning, driving a two-out single through the right side of the infield to plate junior Mike Fitzgerald from second base.
The Sycamores went in front 5-3 in the fifth inning, taking advantage of two SDSU errors. Senior Robby Ort gave ISU the lead when he scored on a throwing error before redshirt freshman Jeff Zahn singled to center to score redshirt sophomore Jacob Hayes.
Moore (2-0) worked 4.2 innings in relief, striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing just three hits and two walks. Redshirt senior Tyler Fehringer struck out three batters in two innings before the Jackrabbits plated a run to cut the ISU lead to 5-4. Junior Josh Dove closed out the final two innings, allowing just two hits while striking out two to earn his second save of the season.
Curry and Zahn each picked up two hits against South Dakota State.
Game Two
Indiana State's offense pounded out 14 hits and 10 runs in game two, sending the Sycamores to a 10-2 over the Mercer Bears (14-3). The Bears entered the weekend tournament ranking 28th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's National Top 30.
Junior Sean Manaea (1-1) earned the victory on the mound, fanning eight batters in six innings of work while allowing just three hits. Junior Kurt Kudrecki struck out three without allowing a hit over the final three innings of action, earning the three-inning save. Manaea and Kudrecki combined to retire 18 of the final 19 MU batters and did not allow a hit after the third inning.
Junior Owen Conway led the ISU offense, totaling three doubles, a pair of runs batted in and three runs scored. Eight of the nine starters in Indiana State's batting order collected at least one hit at the plate against the Bears.
The Sycamores failed to score in just two innings against Mercer, the first and eighth frames. Indiana State scored twice in innings two through five and once in the sixth and seventh innings.
Indiana State hits the road twice next week, traveling to Austin Peay on Tuesday, March 12, before heading to Minneapolis, Minn., for a three-game set with the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17. All four games next week can be heard live on GoSycamores.com.
Game One
In game one, South Dakota State (8-6) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead as junior starting pitcher Jeff Degano issued three consecutive walks with the bases loaded and one out in the inning. Moore entered in relief and got a strikeout and a force out to end the top half of the first inning.
Indiana State (5-5) got back within one run in the second inning as freshman Taylor Steen and sophomore Landon Curry each picked up RBIs in the frame. Senior Casey McCurdy tied the score at 3-3 in the third inning, driving a two-out single through the right side of the infield to plate junior Mike Fitzgerald from second base.
The Sycamores went in front 5-3 in the fifth inning, taking advantage of two SDSU errors. Senior Robby Ort gave ISU the lead when he scored on a throwing error before redshirt freshman Jeff Zahn singled to center to score redshirt sophomore Jacob Hayes.
Moore (2-0) worked 4.2 innings in relief, striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing just three hits and two walks. Redshirt senior Tyler Fehringer struck out three batters in two innings before the Jackrabbits plated a run to cut the ISU lead to 5-4. Junior Josh Dove closed out the final two innings, allowing just two hits while striking out two to earn his second save of the season.
Curry and Zahn each picked up two hits against South Dakota State.
Game Two
Indiana State's offense pounded out 14 hits and 10 runs in game two, sending the Sycamores to a 10-2 over the Mercer Bears (14-3). The Bears entered the weekend tournament ranking 28th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's National Top 30.
Junior Sean Manaea (1-1) earned the victory on the mound, fanning eight batters in six innings of work while allowing just three hits. Junior Kurt Kudrecki struck out three without allowing a hit over the final three innings of action, earning the three-inning save. Manaea and Kudrecki combined to retire 18 of the final 19 MU batters and did not allow a hit after the third inning.
Junior Owen Conway led the ISU offense, totaling three doubles, a pair of runs batted in and three runs scored. Eight of the nine starters in Indiana State's batting order collected at least one hit at the plate against the Bears.
The Sycamores failed to score in just two innings against Mercer, the first and eighth frames. Indiana State scored twice in innings two through five and once in the sixth and seventh innings.
Indiana State hits the road twice next week, traveling to Austin Peay on Tuesday, March 12, before heading to Minneapolis, Minn., for a three-game set with the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17. All four games next week can be heard live on GoSycamores.com.
