LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Indiana swept a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, topping No. 12 Louisville (7-3) and Toledo (2-4) at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Hoosiers (4-5) banged out 22 hits on the day, including nine for extra bases. IU notched final tallies of 8-3 against UT and 6-2 versus the host Cardinals.
Catcher Kyle Schwarber had himself a day, reaching base seven times in 12 plate appearances, including a 5-for-5 game against Louisville. In total, the Hoosier backstop accounted for eight runs, scoring five and driving in three. He now has multiple hits and four of nine games and raised his batting average to .342 this season. Sam Travis had the bat going as well increasing his current hitting streak to seven consecutive contests.
Indiana received a pair of pitching gems from starters Will Coursen-Carr and Joey DeNato. Coursen-Carr tossed just 55 pitches in a five-inning stint, earning his first win of the season and lowering his ERA to 3.94. In game two, DeNato chewed up seven innings, allowing a lone run which was unearned. Combined, the two southpaws contributed 12 innings with no earned runs on their tab. DeNato is now 3-0 with a microscopic ERA of 0.47.
The senior from San Diego continued to climb Indiana's all-time record books as well. The 27th win of his career gives him sole possession of second place all-time, on the heels of Brian Partenheimer's top slot of 30 wins. DeNato is nipping at Partenheimer's heels in the strikeouts rankings as well, moving into fourth place with 230 career punchouts. Partenheimer sits in third with 235 Ks (record is 244 by Matt Bashore and Eric Jacques). Furthermore, DeNato's 279.1 innings pitched are the fifth most in school history, surpassing Bob Scafa's 277 innings.
The Hoosiers jumped out to 1-0 leads in the top of the first in both games. Against Toledo, Schwarber blasted the very first pitch he's ever seen as a lead-off hitter into left field, lodging the ball into the outfield wall's protective padding for a ground-rule double. He later came into score on a Travis RBI-grounder.
Designated hitter Scott Donley battled out of an 0-2 count in the third to rope a two-out, two-RBI double into left center. After IU tacked on another in the top of the fourth, a costly error opened the door for three unearned tallies to come across in the home half.
The score remained tight at 4-3 until Indiana posted a four-spot in the seventh when the first five hitters all recorded base hits.
Coursen-Carr handed it over to Christian Morris in the sixth and watched him one-hit the Cardinals for the next three scoreless frames. Kyle Hart followed with his first career relief appearance, closing things out by working the ninth inning.
Game two started much the same with Schwarber touching home in the top of the first. He drew a walk to get it started and small ball triggered by a Casey Rodrigue sac bunt set up Donley's eventual RBI. Following two more Hoosier tallies in the second, Indiana's defense escorted in another unearned run to make it a 3-1 score.
A run-scoring single from Craig Dedelow got the run back in the subsequent half inning. Goose eggs for both squads went up on the board through the next three innings until IU broke through again in the seventh. Travis drove in his team-leading seventh RBI of the season. Indiana was able to add on more insurance run in the top of the ninth, courtesy of a steal home from Schwarber.
