Sycamores show every aspect of their excellence in twinbill sweep

Apr. 18—Until this weekend, Indiana State's baseball team had not been able to show what it's all about to the home supporters.

In a doubleheader against Valparaiso on Saturday, the Sycamores displayed a little bit of every reason why they're ranked in national polls and battling atop the Missouri Valley Conference.

ISU, ranked anywhere from No. 22 to No. 25 in the many college baseball polls, swept Valpo with an 11-2 win in seven innings in the first game and a 6-2 victory in game two at Bob Warn Field. Depending on what you prefer when it comes to seeing good baseball, you could fill your cup.

Pitching? Connor Cline was two outs away from a seven-inning no-hitter in game one. Tristan Weaver struck out seven in game two.

Hitting? ISU combined for 23 hits in the two contests and were hard to retire. In game two? ISU scored four of its runs with two outs.

Speed? Burners like second baseman Josue Urdaneta showed why the Sycamores are so dangerous by going from first to third or second to home without much hesitation. The Sycamores kept Valpo off-balance with their aggressiveness on the basepaths.

Defense? ISU had only one error in the two games combined and some spectacular plays were made. Included was a laser-like throw from ISU right fielder Sean Ross in game two, in which his pill from medium-deep distance, created an inning-ending 9-5 double play, also taking a would-be sacrifice fly off the board for Valparaiso.

In every way, ISU (19-8, 6-1) looked like the superior team.

"We have really good team chemistry. Everyone likes each other and overall I think we have trust which is the biggest aspect. Having trust and knowing your players is the biggest part of having a successful team," Cline said.

When you've played as well as ISU has throughout the season, it raises expectations. ISU coach Mitch Hannahs acknowledged the good performances, but still wants more from his Sycamores.

"We're getting deep into games with our starts on the mound and that's important. I like that Weaver is settling in, but I didn't like some of the at-bats. At one point [in game two] we struck out three times with the bases loaded an no one out. There's still some moments where we show our age, but for the most part, I like where we're at with the understanding that we need to continue to get better," Hannahs said.

An example of wanting more also came from Kline, who shut down Valpo in every meaningful way except one as he returned the mound after a week off due to illness.

In the first six innings? Only one Valpo player got past second base, but Kline's only flaw was control. He walked five batters, so no hits, but no relief from baserunner pressure either.

"I wouldn't put this as my best outing because of the walks I had. I wish I was more in the zone," said Cline, who also illustrated what he did do well. "The four-seam was working best. The two-seam and slider kept them off-balance on either side of the plate. Going in and out on hitters is what made me successful."

Still, walks will only take a team so far, and Valpo's inability to hit Kline couldn't be overcome. Meanwhile, ISU had no such problems.

Beck's two-run single made it 2-0 in the first and Diego Gines tacked on a RBI single to add another run. Beck had another RBI single in the second to make it 4-0.

The big breakthrough was a six-run sixth. Seth Gergely hit a solo home run to right and Miguel Rivera had a three-run double in the surge that put ISU up 10-0.

The only drama left was whether Cline would get the seven-inning no-no, but Valpo's Jonathan Temple broke it up with one out in the seventh.

In game two? Weaver, who had a 7.91 ERA entering the contest, settled into a productive groove. His only troublesome inning was the third, the one frame Valpo scored against Weaver, but apart from that? Weaver was hardly threatened. He kept his walk total low (two) and was able to give ISU seven innings of work.

At the plate, Valpo (5-19, 0-7) continued to be haunted by ISU left fielder Beck. In the three games in the series so far, the Evansville native is a combined 10 of 12 in the series. In game two? Beck singled and scored ISU's first run and knocked in the second run via a double in the third.

"I'm just trying to see the ball and hit the ball. I'm not thinking too much at the plate. Once you do? That's when it starts to go downhill. I'm just seeing it, hitting it, and they're finding holes," Beck said.

Hannahs noted that Beck, who didn't start playing regularly until the Illinois State series last weekend, is an example of what a player can do when given a chance to play.

"He's gotten some pinch-hit opportunities and spot starts and he's taken advantage. You wish other guys on the bench would watch that and understand there's a path to the field, but it's not given, it's earned. He's earned the path to the field," Hannahs said.

ISU's big inning was the third, when three runs were scored, due partly to two Valpo errors. Though ISU had a runner on base in every inning, it also stranded 13 runners. Not that Valpo made the Sycamores pay for it. Weaver and reliever Zach Frey combined to hold Valpo to 1-2-3 innings four times.

It was a good day on the field, but off-field not so much. During the first game, there was a fire in the ISU clubhouse due to a light that malfunctioned. The fire was contained to the equipment room and it was contained with no injuries, but there was damage. The monetary extent of the damages was unknown at press time.

"Just about everything in there burnt up," Hannahs said.

The series concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday.