CARBONDALE, Ill. —
As Indiana State’s baseball team tried to climb to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference mountain on Saturday against Southern Illinois, it stood to reason that the air would get more rarefied as they neared the summit.
Word had arrived at SIU’s Abe Martin Field in the seventh inning that Evansville had beaten MVC leader Missouri State 3-1. At the time, ISU led by five, and a victory would move the Sycamores into sole possession of first place in the MVC by a half-game over the Bears.
An ISU victory seemed assured, but with the Sycamores within sight of planting their flag, they began to feel the vapors. SIU pushed a run across in the seventh, and in the ninth, the Sycamores were in real danger of slipping off the peak in the ninth just as they made their last reach for the top.
However, relief pitcher Chris Machado gave ISU the final nudge to get there. With two runners on and the dangerous Jordan Sivertsen up, Machado got the Saluki slugger to fly out to center field. It preserved a 7-5 ISU victory and the Sycamores are atop the MVC.
ISU (39-12, 12-5) won its sixth-straight MVC series and 12th series overall. ISU also clinched its first series win at SIU since 2000.
“It’s awesome. We’ve been clawing and scratching all season, but it’s all fun right now and we’re having fun with it,” ISU starting pitcher Sean Manaea said.
While the bullpen held on for dear life in the ninth, ISU’s patience and ability to take advantage of what it was given to it was what got the Sycamores in front to begin with.
And the Salukis were in a giving mood.
A comedy of SIU errors in the second inning had ISU laughing all the way to the bank. Rob Ort led off the inning and SIU first baseman Chris Serritella bobbled a routine grounder, allowing Ort to reach base. Hedges was next and SIU third baseman Austin Montgomery bobbled another routine grounder.
Montgomery tried to force Ort at second, but his throw was too late. SIU second baseman Jake Welch then tried to get Hedges at first, but his throw sailed past Serritella. Ort and Hedges moved up a base on the two-error play.
ISU then made the Salukis pay dearly. Lucas Hileman singled to score Ort. Ryan Walterhouse followed with a single and Owen Conway’s sacrifice fly scored Hedges to make it 2-0.
SIU wasn’t done with its fielding miscues. On a 3-2 count to Tyler Wampler, ISU had runners at first and second going. Wampler drew a walk, but SIU catcher Luke Mottashed threw to third anyway. His throw sailed into left field. Hileman scored easily to make it 3-0.
ISU tacked on three more runs in the frame thanks to a RBI safety squeeze sacrifice by Landon Curry, a RBI single by Koby Kraemer and a RBI double by Ort.
“We’ve been doing a good job putting the ball in play. We’ve been executing when we’ve needed to get runners over,” said Wampler, who had two of ISU’s four sacrifices. “One through nine can bunt, not only bunt, but hit as well.”
While ISU’s six-spot proved decisive, it was also a long half-inning, and Manaea had trouble getting into rhythm. He threw 5 1/3 innings and struck out seven, but he threw 111 pitches and ISU had to turn to its bullpen early.
For most of the game, it didn’t seem to matter as SIU rarely threatened. ISU tacked on another run in the sixth via a Kraemer sacrifice fly and the 7-2 lead it had seemed safe.
But SIU wouldn’t stay down for long. The Salukis have a .282 average in MVC games and their bats began to wake up late.
SIU (25-25, 9-11) threatened in its half of the sixth with bases loaded and one out, but Brandon Dorsett retired the side. Tyler Pazik got out of dual jams in the seventh and eighth. After scoring a run, Pazik struck out No. 4 hitter Montgomery to end the seventh. After Sivertsen walked to leadoff the eighth, Pazik got Brock Harding to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
The Sycamores weren’t as fortunate in a harrowing ninth. Brian Bajer singled off of Devin Moore to leadoff the inning and Rennie Troggio drew a walk.
Exit Moore, enter Reggie Hochstedler. Hochstedler got one fly out, but walked Donny Duschinsky to load the bases for Serritella – the MVC’s leading hitter. Hochstedler walked Serritella and it was 7-4.
“We had three walks in the ninth inning. We can’t have that. We’re lucky. We’re fortunate we were able to win. You want to pound the strike zone and make them beat you with their bats. Luckily, we survived it,” ISU coach Rick Heller said.
Montgomery was next and he nearly cleared the bases with a booming blast down the left field line that landed no more than a foot foul. He eventually hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track to make it 7-5.
Heller then put right-handed Machado in to face right-handed Sivertsen. The SIU left fielder has 11 home runs and has hit seven in league play, best in the MVC.
Machado was down 2-1 to Sivertsen when he went to his money pitch. He froze Sivertsen with a slider on the inside corner and got the count to 2-2.
“It was my go-to. I try to get guys with my slider. I got a little lucky. The umpire gave me a call,” Machado said. “When we’re called upon, we do our best. [The bullpen] tries to embrace that.”
On the next pitch, Sivertsen hit a low liner to center and Hileman gathered it in to finally put the Salukis away.
ISU is in first place this late in the season for the first time since 2009. The Sycamores will try to complete their first MVC series sweep of the season as Ryan Torgerson (7-2, 2.92) faces SIU’s Sam Coonrod (2-4, 5.25) at 2 p.m. today.
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Win over SIU puts Sycamores in first place
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Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.
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Terre Haute's Mascari running 10,000 meters for chance to get to Hayward Field
Indiana State freshman and Terre Haute North graduate John Mascari is among the enormous group of Sycamores competing this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary. The top 48 NCAA track and field competitors in each event on this half of the United States are narrowed down to 12 who will compete at the NCAA meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
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Manaea's shoulder causing him latest pain
Indiana State pitcher Sean Manaea has battled through so many aches and pains during the 2013 season that it can be hard to discern the serious pain from the pain he pitches through.
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ISU's Negele answers call in big way in wake of Manaea injury
When Indiana State starting pitcher Sean Manaea slumped on the mound in obvious pain after he took his warm-up pitches, red flags raised for ISU’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament hopes.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. - More College Headlines
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Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
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