TERRE HAUTE — The first game at the new Bob Warn Field did not provide the desired result for the Indiana State baseball team, the Sycamores dropping their home opener 4-3 to Tennessee-Martin (7-3).
And, “it looked like we were doomed” in the nightcap, said ISU coach Rick Heller, whose team went 3 for 18 with runners in scoring position in a 5-4, 13-inning victory in front of a solid opening-day crowd of close to 500.
ISU (5-4) tied the game on a Kyle Burnam triple in the seventh, and the Sycamores loaded the bases in the 11th. With senior lead-off man Ryan Strausborger at the plate and only one out, ISU was in good shape.
Strausborger hit a whizzing line drive but it was right at Skyhawks second baseman Trey Karlen, who quickly stepped on second base for a double play.
Strausborger bounced back with a towering double in the 13th to push freshman Jordan Pearson over to third base.
Senior Tyler Graham delivered the game-winning hit, a smash that two-hopped the wall in center field with the bases load to score Pearson.
“Very happy we found a way to get a split. We found a way to scrap,” Heller said.
Brett Merkeley earned the win, tossing two perfect innings. Tyler Browning was also effective working out of trouble for the Sycamores in the ninth, 10th and 11th.
“Our bullpen just did an awesome job. Our pitching was great all day,” said Heller, whose bullpen was a major question mark heading into the season.
Joe Rodriguez was solid as the Game 2 starter, throwing 7 2/3 innings and scattering eight hits.
ISU ace right-hander Jake Petricka was dominant behind his 90-plus fastball in the opener, finishing with 12 strikeouts and no walks. But the Skyhawks strung four straight hits together in the sixth inning to score three runs off Petricka, who bounced back by striking out the side in the seventh.
ISU finished 6 for 27 with runners in scoring position in Saturday’s two nine-inning games. The Sycamores were hitting .333 with in those clutch situations on their two season-opening road trips.
The Sycamore hitters faced equally tough pitching. UT-Martin’s Game 1 starter, Coty Green, struck out eight and scattered seven hits in eight innings with no walks.
“It was a combination of our guys maybe pressing a little bit. But I tip my hat to their guys. I saw some guys pressing, but I want to give their guys credit,” Heller said.
The middle of the UT-Martin order found holes in the infield to hurt Petricka. Clean-up man Ty Nelson smashed a double past third base, and Wes Patterson followed that with two-run single through the infield.
“I just got behind on too many counts,” Petricka said. “They’re a good team at hitting the ball on the ground and letting the turf work for them. They found an inning to square a couple up back-to-back and got some quick runs.”
ISU rallied from a 4-1 deficit with a run in the sixth on an RBI single by freshman Robby Ort. Green was strong for two more innings.
Petricka made strides from his last outing, he said, a four-inning performance in which his pitch count got high. Petricka threw 102 pitches in seven innings Saturday.
“That’s all you can ask for right there,” Petricka said of his solid outing.
ISU had a chance in the ninth against Skyhawks closer Wes Alsup, who walked one and hit a batter to give the Sycamores life. Pinch-hitter Steve Ball walked and scored on a line-drive single by Ryan Strausborger, but Alsup came back from a 3-0 count to coax a groundout from ISU third baseman Luke Fieser.
ISU’s Jason Van Skike will start the rubber game of the series today, which will start at 1 p.m. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA and has 12 strikeouts in 10 innings.
• Solid turnout — In the first game at Bob Warn Field, Warn made an appearance and shook hands with all the current Sycamores.
On an afternoon with temperatures in the 40s, a solid crowd of 494 fans turned out.
Indiana State University
ISU baseball opens Bob Warn Field with doubleheader split
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Is this ball rolling? Can Sycamores keep finding their shooting stroke?
Can Indiana State expect any carryover from its record-setting shooting performance Saturday when the Sycamores resume Missouri Valley Conference play against Illinois State at 7:05 p.m. today in Hulman Center?
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Time for a pick-me-up
Indiana State’s magnificent 3-point shooting duo of Brittany Schoen and Anna Munn connected at crucial times Sunday in Hulman Center.
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Indiana State connects on all 12 of its 3-point shots vs. SIU and sets three NCAA records in process
When you’re a shooter and you’re in a slump, the boilerplate cure is to summon amnesia, forget about your struggles and keep on shooting.
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Perfect game: ISU shoots NCAA record 12-for-12 from 3-point range in win over SIU
Indiana State set an NCAA record for 3-point percentage and consecutive 3-pointers made Saturday afternoon in Hulman Center, connecting on all 12 attempts during a 78-68 win over Southern Illinois.
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‘Frustrated’ Sycamores regroup to face Southern Illinois
Indiana State’s men’s basketball struggles have hit one Sycamore senior hard.
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Thomas nets double-double as ISU women end losing streak
The halftime speech is one of the most time-worn clichés in sports, but once in a while, it’s meaningful. It certainly was for the Indiana State women’s basketball team on Friday against Bradley.
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Freezing in Peoria: Sycamores fall at last-place Bradley
When Indiana State’s men’s basketball team has excelled, it has done so via effort, concentration and grit as much as raw talent.
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MVC’s worst a tantalizing option for ISU
Even though the Indiana State men’s basketball team has played better of late, having won three of its last four games, there’s only one team with a worse record in the Missouri Valley Conference standings than the Sycamores.
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Sycamores can’t slow down Stutz, Wichita State
All or nothing.
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Sycamores can’t stop Stutz, Shockers
All or nothing. It was that kind of game for Wichita State center Garrett Stutz. Unfortunately for Indiana State’s men’s basketball team, the “all” came in the second half.
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McWhorter’s fortunes rise with ISU’s
More so than any other Sycamore, Steve McWhorter might embody the decline and the recent rise of the Indiana State men’s basketball team.
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Johnson dominates again for ISU track
Felisha Johnson continued to dominate women’s weight throw while two Indiana State hurdlers moved into today’s finals after solid performances in the preliminaries Friday at the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame.
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Indiana State women lose at Illinois State
Playing short-handed again, Indiana State’s women suffered their sixth straight Missouri Valley Conference basketball loss Friday night, falling 78-67 to host Illinois State.
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ISU grinds out win
Drake’s men’s basketball played three overtimes on Saturday; Indiana State played two on Sunday.
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Sycamores introduce 27 football recruits
Christmas came a bit late, or quite early, depending on your point of reference, but 27 recruits were welcomed to the Indiana State football program on National Signing Day at Hulman Center on Wednesday.
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With a modest winning streak — two in a row would certainly qualify as modest — the Indiana State men’s basketball team would like to move on to momentum.
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How badly did Indiana State want to get Butler as its BracketBusters opponent?
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Sycamores need 2 overtimes to claim win at Evansville
Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing constantly talks about how the Sycamores need to match Evansville’s toughness.
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Schoen scores 1,000th point in ISU loss
Brittany Schoen scored a game-high 20 points Sunday, becoming the 24th Indiana State women’s basketball player to reach the 1,000-point career mark, but host Wichita State pulled away in the final minutes for a 74-63 win over the Sycamores in Koch Arena.
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Sycamores will have to match Aces’ toughness
Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing has an enduring respect for the toughness Evansville coach Marty Simmons coaxes out of his Purple Aces.
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Mattox’s 31 not enough for ISU women
Indiana State pulled within 63-57 with a 6-0 run with 8 minutes, 50 seconds remaining Friday night at JQH Arena, but the Sycamores lost 84-70 to host Missouri State in a Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball game.
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VICTORY! Sycamores shake losing streak against UNI
With 4 minutes, 20 seconds to go, Indiana State’s men’s basketball led by 10 points and seemed to be on their way to a comfortable victory over Northern Iowa.
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ISU not without options at quarterback
With the graduation of Ronnie Fouch, Indiana State coach Trent Miles has a big hole to fill at quarterback for the 2012 season.
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MVC play-in round a stronger possibility for ISU
If you’re familiar with the Beetle Bailey comic strip, a classic scene depicts Sarge hanging from a branch growing out of the side of a cliff with Beetle looking down from above.
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TILL IT'S OVER: Mahan’s emergence comes at a good time
In the preseason of her second year, Indiana State women’s basketball coach Teri Moren spoke with excitement about having more “pieces” to fit together for a winning puzzle.
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Halfway to ninth: No. 18 Creighton blows out ISU
The defensive job the Indiana State men’s basketball team did on Creighton super sophomore Doug McDermott might be the envy of the Missouri Valley Conference.
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TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State men caught between expectation, reality
The Missouri Valley Conference is hush-hush on how it puts together its matchups for the annual conference schedule.
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ISU women focusing on turnovers today
The ISU women will be concentrating on hanging on to the ball today against Drake in Hulman Center.
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ISU women nipped at buzzer
Creighton sophomore Carli Tritz — blanketed by Indiana State senior Brittany Schoen — had just two points at halftime Friday in Hulman Center.
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ISU needs to find chip on its shoulder
When one looks back at the totality of Indiana State’s 2010-11 men’s basketball season, there’s a recurrent theme that tied together the high points in a 20-14 campaign. A recurrent theme that might give ISU a lifeline in what has been a disappointing 2012 season.
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