USD baseball falters vs. Indiana

Trouble on the mound costs the Toreros three out of four against No. 17 Indiana University

Anderson Haigler | Sports Editor | The USD Vista

 

Coming off of a five-win sweep of the Tony Gywnn Legacy Classic tournament, the University of San Diego’s baseball team looked to continue their momentum this weekend with a four-game set against No. 17 Indiana University. Poor pitching, however, earned the Toreros just one win on the weekend.

The 13th ranked Toreros led off the weekend with a 10-4 loss on Friday that saw junior Paul Richan struggle on the mound, with his defense doing him no favors. The right-hander surrendered eight runs on nine hits through 4 2/3 innings, though just five runs were earned. USD ran into trouble in the top of the fourth inning, when an error by junior shortstop Jeff Houghtby and a wild pitch by Richan compounded four singles and a double by Indiana, leading to a five-run frame for the Hoosiers. Offensively, the Toreros scored four runs on eight hits, with sacrifice flies by junior Jay Schuyler and first-year Shane McGuire, and a double by Brhet Bewley being the main blows. Four runs would not be enough, though, as Indiana added on late for the last two of their 10 runs in the game, handing USD a 10-4 defeat.

A night of heavy rain in San Diego following the game seemed to wash the Toreros’ losing ways away for the second game of the series. USD baseball’s social media featured posts of players working hard to remove rain-soaked tarps and water from the field prior to the 1 p.m. start, though the Toreros appeared no worse for wear as the doubleheader began. 

Coach Rich Hill spoke about his team’s energy going into Saturday’s games.

“I thought we came out with just a ton of energy,” Hill said. “You know, the rain, and the tarp, and all that stuff didn’t seem to affect us at all.”

That energy was evident from the outset of the game for the Toreros. USD got on the board early, scoring three runs in the first. Redshirt sophomore second baseman Paul Kunst got things started with a single up the middle, and moved to second on another single by designated hitter Shane McGuire. A balk by Indiana’s starting pitcher Pauly Milto advanced both runners 90 feet, setting first-year outfielder Tora Otsuka up for an RBI groundout. Jay Schuyler singled to continue the scoring, followed by a double by Adam Kerner. By the end of the top of the first inning, the Toreros led by a 3-0 margin. They would go on to expand their lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning behind RBIs from Jeff Houghtby, Paul Kunst, and junior Garret Calvert.

On the mound, sophomore lefty Chris Murphy gave the Toreros six strong innings to begin the game, allowing just two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts. 

Coach Hill stated that he was pleased with both Murphy’s outing and his team’s offensive performance.

“We just strung together some good at-bats, and got a quality start out of Chris,” Hill said. 

While the Toreros were in control for the majority of Saturday’s first game, they ran into trouble out of the bullpen late, and saw their four-run lead shrink to a one-run advantage in the final two innings of the contest. Redshirt first-year right-hander Travis Kuhn and sophomore right-hander Louie Crow allowed a combined three earned runs in the eighth and ninth innings. 

Despite the late-game scoring by Indiana, USD held on to win by a score of 6-5. Catcher Jay Schuyler spoke about the Toreros’ Saturday victory.

“It was an awesome win, to come back from a tough loss (Friday) night,” Schuyler said. “We didn’t play very well (Friday) night. We all know it, but you know, I’m proud of all the guys — and the pitching staff, the way they played to fight back and throw up a really good game — and I’m just glad we got out of there with a win.”

Saturday’s second game began much like the first:  strong starting pitching and an early Torero lead. The evening featured junior left-hander Nick Sprengel on the hill for USD. Sprengel, who posted an ERA of 3.29 in 2017, came into the game with an ERA of 6.75. His start Saturday night looked much like a return to last year’s form for the lefty. He allowed just two hits in five innings, striking out nine Hoosiers along the way. For Sprengel, though, it was just another start.

“I felt pretty good,” Sprengel said. “It was just another step in getting better. My fastball and slider were working well for me.”

Coach Hill said that he was impressed with Sprengel’s start. 

“He just keeps getting better every time out,” Hill said. “He had real good command of his breaking ball and his changeup. Towards the end of his outing he started to throw inside, so that was pretty good.”

Catcher Jay Schuyler agreed with his coach’s assessment of Sprengel.

“Tonight I saw the old Nick Sprengel, the one everyone knows,” Schuyler said. “We all know how good he is, and tonight, that was really a testament to how much hard work he’s put in. His stuff was working tonight, and he competed and gave us a chance to win.”

Schuyler, like his battery-mate Sprengel, had a large impact on the game. He got the scoring started for the Toreros with a deep home run to left field in the first inning, then tripled to center to score Jeff Houghtby. Schuyler, who finished the doubleheader 7-10 with three RBI, spoke about his big day at the plate. 

“It’s still early in the season, so I’m still trying to feel things out, but I was just trying to stay up the middle mainly,” Schuyler said. “On that home run, I was just trying to fight some tough pitches off, their pitcher made some good pitches, and then ultimately left a breaking ball up that I just kind of reacted to and put a good swing on it.”

The Toreros continued the scoring, and got out to a 5-2 lead in the sixth behind a home run and a double from Houghtby, as well as an RBI single from Otsuka.

The Toreros, however, were unable to maintain their lead. Their bullpen woes continued when Indiana center fielder Logan Kaletha cut the lead to 5-4 with a two-run triple down the right field line in the seventh, then gave the Hoosiers a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth with an RBI single off of first-year righty Gabriel Ponce. 

Ineffectiveness out of the bullpen plagued the Toreros in the series, and Coach Hill addressed it following the conclusion of Saturday’s games.

“It’s very early in the season, and we’re basically having tryouts to see who’s gonna be the closer,” Hill said. “You know, we have a lot of options, but we’re just looking for somebody to step up in the bullpen.”

USD had a chance to come back in the bottom of the ninth, when Jay Schuyler singled with two outs, but ultimately the Toreros would be on the wrong side of this 6-5 game with a loss. Schuyler spoke about the loss following the game.

“We’re never gonna stop fighting here, down to the last out,” Schuyler said. “We’re gonna take what we learned tonight and move forward.”

On Sunday, the Toreros dropped the final game of the series, 8-4. They swung the bats relatively well, with first-year catcher Adam Kerner going 2-3, but again struggled on the mound, with five pitchers surrendering 13 hits. Though it wasn’t the decisive blow in the game, a massive three-run home run by Indiana utility player Matt Lloyd in the top of the third wowed both USD and Indiana fans alike. The home run appeared to clear the Manchester Apartments past the fence in right field on the fly, the first such home run in a game at Fowler Park. A sign atop the apartments’ roof reads 452 feet, and it’s likely the hit went farther than that.

Following one win and three losses against Indiana this weekend the Toreros are now 8-5 on the year.

The Toreros go on the road next weekend for their first road trip of the year for a three-game set against the University of Houston.