EUGENE, Ore. —
Playing in a place known for its precipitation, Indiana State’s bats couldn’t produce a deluge of runs in its NCAA regional game against Austin Peay on Saturday at Oregon’s PK Park. Nor even a drizzle.
The only rain that fell came down on ISU’s parade.
Austin Peay pitcher Andy Cox kept ISU’s offense under wraps as the Governors stayed alive with a 1-0 victory over the Sycamores, ending ISU’s season.
Though ISU had a sterling 41-19 campaign, it ended poorly. The Sycamores lost their last six games in succession and dropped seven of their last eight contests.
ISU did not lead in any game since May 18, a span of 38 innings. ISU was outscored 31-10 in that span and was shut out four times.
The drought continued Saturday. ISU had just five base hits. Landon Curry had three of them, all infield grounders.
“It’s hard to figure out. When we won the championship [May 18], we were going fine. [Two days later] we play [Missouri State’s] Pierce Johnson, one of the best hitters in the country, and he shuts us out. Then we face [Creighton’s] Ty Blach, and he shuts us out. I think it put us into a funk,” ISU coach Rick Heller said.
Heller cited a late-season slump by ISU’s top two hitters – Jeremy Lucas and Rob Ort – as one cause of ISU’s offensive woes. In ISU’s last five games, the Sycamores’ No. 3 and No. 4 hitters combined to go 6-for-36 (.167) at the plate.
“Lucas and Ort struggled today and that hurt us. Jeremy hasn’t struggled all season long, but he did a bit in the conference tournament and here. It hurt us because he came up in some situations where we could drive in some runs. It just didn’t happen,” Heller said.
ISU’s offensive woes negated a fine effort by starting pitcher Sean Manaea. He allowed just one run in 7 1/3 innings and struck out nine. He also picked off three Governors’ runners.
ISU had chances early, and as it turned out, the Sycamores wouldn’t get many more.
Curry led off the game with a single and advanced to second on an error. After being sacrificed to third, Jeremy Lucas hit a soft grounder to second. Curry got caught in a rundown and was thrown out 4-2-5-6. The Sycamores did not score in the opening frame.
“It was a bad omen when we didn’t score early. You kind of felt it would be a close game.
The inability to cash in reared its head again in the third. Curry got two-out single and then stole second and advanced to third on throwing error. Kyle Burnam and Lucas drew walks to load the bases. Ort then struck out with the bases loaded, two of the strikes coming on half-swings he thought he held up on.
Bad luck and excellence on the Govs’ part derailed the Sycamores too.
With two outs in the fourth, Ryan Walterhouse got a ball up in the wind to deep left-center. Austin Peay centerfielder Michael Blanchard settled under the ball on the warning track, but was forced at the last minute to make a leaping stab over the fence to take a home run away. He timed the leap perfectly and Walterhouse was spectacularly robber of a four-bagger.
“I thought it was going to land at the front of the track, but the ball kept carrying. Next thing I knew, I jumped up and caught it, and brought it back. Adrenaline ran through me,” Blanchard said.
Walterhouse gave credit where credit was due.
“He threw me a fastball and I got a good swing on it. He just made a helluva play on it. Nothing more to say,” Walterhouse said.
APSU (39-23) broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth. Manaea conceded a leadoff walk, allowed his first base hit on a Jordan Hankins single and walked the bases loaded with one out.
Rolando Gautier put the Govs in front 1-0 with a single to left. Manaea got out of trouble, though, as he struck out a batter and picked off Gautier to end the inning.
But ISU could nothing with the chances its defense (see related story) and Manaea created for it. Austin Peay retired nine consecutive Sycamores in a span from the fifth to the eighth inning. Kyle Burnam’s two-out single in the eighth to break that skid was the first outfield hit the Sycamores could muster.
Down to its last inning, Hedges singled to left with one out, but Lucas Hileman hit into a double play on the next at-bat to end the game.
“We pitched well our defense picked us up a lot. We couldn’t get our bats going when we needed to. We were hitting balls hard, but they weren’t falling,” Walterhouse said.
ISU ended its season with its highest victory total since 1991.
College
Related Photos
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
-
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Rick Morgan/Stadium Media
Discussion
Austin Peay shuts out ISU, sends Sycamores home from NCAA tourney
- College
-
-
ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction
Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. -
ISU track sending record 22 to postseason
On the heels of their thrilling double victory at the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships both the Indiana State men and women moved up in the national rankings which were released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
-
ISU's athletic treasure trove
Think of every championship that Indiana State has won in each of its sports, past and present. Think of every tournament — postseason or regular season — which the Sycamores have claimed as their own.
-
Ort sets ISU RBI record in 16-7 win
Robby Ort celebrated his Indiana State baseball Senior Day on Saturday by becoming the Sycamores’ all-time leader in RBIs as ISU ended its regular season with a 16-7 win over Bradley at Bob Warn Field.
-
Bradley ends 16-game MVC losing streak against ISU
Momentum was the only thing riding on Indiana State’s baseball game against Bradley on Friday. With a five-game winning streak going, ISU wanted to keep the good vibes going into next week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
ISU couldn’t do it. -
Behind 16 hits and Manaea's pitching, ISU beats Bradley
Indiana State’s baseball team rode a wild ride of emotion on Thursday.
First came the public announcement that Bob Warn Field would host the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Later, Sean Manaea’s availability to pitch ISU’s series opener against Bradley was in doubt. -
Indiana State women add five transfers, including experienced D-I point guard
Indiana State coach Teri Moren believes the addition of five more newcomers to the program — in addition to the five who had already joined the program earlier this calendar year — will provide her coaching staff the athleticism and depth it needs to play a successful, up-tempo brand of basketball next season.
-
Metro roundup: Woods softball takes seventh in national tournament
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball team finished seventh in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association softball tournament on Tuesday at Firestone Stadium.
-
Metro Roundup: Indiana State’s Shakir Bell on Performance Awards watch list
College Football Performance Awards has announced its watch list for the 2013 CFPA FCS Running Back Award, and Indiana State’s Shakir Bell earned a spot on the list.
-
ISU baseball team builds on success with 14-2 rout
Indiana State’s baseball victory over Alcorn State on Friday would take on more meaning Saturday if the Sycamores could build momentum and pick up on the good work they did in Friday’s ninth-inning rally.
Mission accomplished.
The Sycamores were aggressive from the opening inning at the plate and starting pitcher Devin Moore gave them eight valuable and effective innings on the mound as ISU defeated Alcorn State 14-2 at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a really good experience for everybody. It felt great to finally come out here and put some things together. It’s also really nice when your offense puts a lot of runs on the board,” Moore said.
Moore’s eight innings of work were as valuable as gold to an ISU team that is short on quality arms due to injury and ineffectiveness. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and one of the two runs he conceded was unearned. -
Johnson, Lyke win MVC titles for ISU
Indiana State’s Felisha Johnson and Maurice Lyke were both crowned Missouri Valley Conference champions on Saturday during the MVC Track and Field Championships at Drake University.
-
ISU earns badly-needed win
Alcorn State’s baseball team might be ranked in the bottom 10 in RPI and Indiana State might have never lost to a Southwestern Athletic Conference team. So it wouldn’t appear that a quality win was in the offing when Alcorn State visited Bob Warn Field on Friday.
-
Metro roundup: RHIT’s Evans sets Div. III record in high jump
For the third time this season, Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans topped the NCAA Division III all-time national record in the outdoor high jump Friday night.
-
ISU’s Mascari and Hope win MVC track & field titles
Indiana State produced two champions during the opening day of action in the Missouri Valley Conference track and field championships Friday at Drake. Freshman John Mascari, a Terre Haute native, won the men’s 10,000-meter race and Nicole Hope won the women’s pole vault for the second time in three seasons.
-
ISU pole vault tradition continues with help from its author
Pole vault is track and field for the adrenaline junkie, Indiana State senior Nicole Hope proclaimed during a recent practice at Marks Field.
To catapult oneself about 14 feet into the air with a large $500 fiberglass pole on a daily basis is a risky endeavor.
“We have to be fearless. You can’t be afraid at all,” said Hope, who has also catapulted herself into the NCAA’s elite in the event, ranking 15th in the NCAA with her leap of 13-feet, 9 1/4. -
Sycamores searching for answers after seventh loss in eight games
These are the bad times for the Indiana State baseball team.
The will is there for the Sycamores to pull out of their worst slump of the season, but the results are not. The suffering continued on Wednesday at Bob Warn Field as Eastern Illinois defeated ISU 5-3. -
METRO ROUNDUP: ISU men's track picked first in MVC Championships, women second
The Indiana State men’s track team has won the last two Missouri Valley Conference outdoor championships, but the women have not stood on the top podium since 1999.
That may change this year, but the Sycamores will face some stiff competition in their quest for the championships. -
North grad Welker helps Whitson earn first NCAA bid as coach
Eastern Kentucky girls golf coach Mike Whitson, an alumnus of his employer, enjoyed his stay in Terre Haute as coach of Indiana State, where he started the women’s golf program.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman wins HCAC all-sports trophy
Rose-Hulman has won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s all-sports trophy for the fifth time in the past six year, the league announced Monday.
Rose tallied 66.5 points for its finishes in 11 men’s sports, just ahead of Franklin with 66. Hanover was third with 53 points. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman tennis falls in HCAC semifinal
Rose-Hulman’s hot streak in men’s tennis came to an end Saturday in the semifinal round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament at the West Indy Racquet Club.
-
Manaea fights off bad hip, wet weather to toss four innings
Mother Nature has been the bane of the Indiana State baseball team’s existence all season. Eight games wiped due to weather are a testament to that. So it was no surprise, though no less disappointing, when she didn’t deal Indiana State pitcher Sean Manaea the greatest hand on Saturday as he tries to recover from a hip injury.
-
ISU track enjoys big night at IU's Billy Hayes Invitational
The Indiana State Sycamores either won or finished as the top collegian in 12 events, led by the record-breaking performance of senior Brandon Pounds at the 2013 Billy Hayes Invitational Friday at Indiana University.
Pounds broke his own school record to win the men’s hammer throw. -
Lansing looking for more home games for next fall
Indiana State’s men’s basketball team is looking for a few good games.
Home games that is.
The Sycamores have filled in most of the blanks in their nonconference schedule, but as ever, ISU coach Greg Lansing would like to visit the friendly confines of Hulman Center a bit more often. -
Secret weapon: Kelsey Rosselli finishing Woods career with a bang
At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, reporting game results to the Tribune-Star after a win or a loss is not always a high priority.
So when one of its athletes enjoys an outstanding season, like senior Kelsey Rosselli is doing for the Pomeroys’ softball team in 2013, media publicity doesn’t always follow.
In fact, her efforts almost seem like a government secret.
Rosselli’s name might sound familiar to longtime Terre Haute softball followers because she was a standout for North High School, from where she graduated in 2009.
Since then, she’s helped The Woods finish runner-up in three straight U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012. -
ISU baseball gets back into rhythm with victory
Baseball is a rhythm game. With contests every day or five times a week in the case of many college programs, you have the chance to build on success or wallow in a slump.
Mother Nature took that rhythm away from Indiana State’s team last week. After a 7-1 loss to Indiana on April 24, ISU was supposed to play a three-game series at Tennessee-Martin, but it was wiped out by rain.
So the rhythm was disturbed, but perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.
ISU was in a five-game losing streak before its unintended vacation and the Sycamores made a move in the right direction Wednesday with a 7-0 win over DePauw at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a disappointing weekend. We went all the way down to Tennessee and didn’t get to play. We sat around in the hotel room. We came here and it was still raining. It was nice to get out and see some live pitching,” ISU center fielder Landon Curry said. -
Metro roundup: ISU hands out spring awards
The Indiana State University athletic community, along with family, friends and fans, paused Tuesday night to honor the spring sports teams at the Terre Haute Savings Bank Spring Sports Banquet.
Most of the ISU teams are still in competition with the baseball team having 13 games left of its regular-season schedule before beginning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament May 21, the softball team with just three games left of the docket this coming weekend against Southern Illinois and the track and field program with just one more meet before beginning its postseason events.
The ISU women’s golf team is the team that has ended at this time, with the group recording a sixth-place finish at the MVC championships one week ago. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose baseball wins another thriller
Rose-Hulman earned its third victory in its last at-bat in the last five days with a 6-5 win over Franklin in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball Tuesday night at Art Nehf Field.
-
ISU relay teams enjoy strong day at Drake Relays
It was a day for the relay teams to shine at the 104th Drake Relays Saturday as four of the five Indiana State relay teams that competed ran times that put the team among the top five in school history for their respective events.
-
Indiana State baseball series canceled
Heavy rain from Thursday through Saturday has forced Indiana State and Tennessee Martin to cancel their three-game weekend baseball series in northwest Tennessee.
-
Metro roundup; Five Wabash Valley players on Terre Haute Rex team
The Terre Haute Rex will look to three-peat as Prospect League Western Division champions with a roster that includes a quartet of Wabash Valley players. Indiana State University standouts Tyler Wampler and Josh Dove will reunite with former Little League and high school rivals Cody Gardner (Wright State), Tim Johnson (Vincennes) and Bryan Nacke (Vincennes) for the summer season.
- More College Headlines
-
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
Olivia Munn Flaunts Her Bikini Bod
Britney Spears Under Fire Once Again For Being A Bad Mom
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
Nidal Hasan paid $278K while awaiting trial
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
