San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Hoosiers rebound, eliminate Tigers
AUSTIN — The good news for Texas Southern to cap another successful season under coach Michael Robertson: The Tigers averaged seven runs per game over their final four contests.
The bad news for TSU: They scored all 28 of those runs in the last two games of the SWAC Tournament. The first two games of the NCAA tournament were another story.
Second-seeded Indiana eliminated fourth-seeded TSU 6-0 on Saturday afternoon at DischFalk Field. The Tigers failed to score a run in their two losses in the Austin Regional, including a 10-0 setback to host Texas on Friday night.
“The last couple of days are not indicative of the type of program or team that we have, or the type of season that we had,” Robertson said. “… We just couldn’t hit the right way – the way we were taught to hit.”
TSU has made three of the last four NCAA tournaments under Robertson, but has failed to win a game in that span. The Tigers entered the NCAA postseason with a winning record, but with the two losses wound up 27-28. Still, Robertson said TSU has plenty to be proud of moving forward.
“If we stay the course, we’re definitely built to win again,” Robertson said. “This program is in good shape, and is definitely headed in the right direction.”
For their part, the Hoosiers (39-18) move on to this afternoon in playing the loser of Saturday night’s Texas-Texas A&M game. Hoosiers starter Pauly Milton threw all nine innings against the Tigers, in saving the bullpen for what Indiana coach Chris Lemonis hopes is a long Sunday at the ballpark.
“We didn’t even have to crank anyone up (in the bullpen),” Lemonis said. “Milto was that dominant.”
Milty allowed four hits and two walks while striking out 10. Indiana understandably isn’t accustomed to the June heat in Texas — temperatures reached almost 100 degrees on Saturday afternoon — but Milty thrived in it.
“The heat kind of helped to an extent, in keeping me loose,” Milty said. “I didn’t have to worry about heating up and slowing down. It was kind of heated up the whole time.”
The Hoosiers will need to win the early game Sunday to play again on Sunday night, in trying to come through the losers’ bracket after dropping their opener to third-seeded Texas A&M 10-3 on Friday.
“Those games happen, we can’t really worry about them,” Indiana catcher Ryan Fineman said of the seven-run loss to the Aggies. “It sucks that it had to happen in that big of a game, but you just get past it and let it go.
Meantime, TSU will have the offseason to mull another strong showing, and its future. The Tigers started six seniors and three juniors on Saturday, but Robertson vowed TSU is stocked for the long run based on some recent strong recruiting classes.
“This is just a start,” Robertson said.
TSU relied on four pitchers against the Hoosiers, including starter Aron Solis, who allowed four runs over 41⁄ innings. Chris
3
Suarez allowed two more runs over the next 32⁄ innings to
3 account for all of the Indiana runs.
“I had 100 percent confidence in this team,” Solis said of whether he believed the TSU offense would finally get rolling in the NCAA tournament. “I thought they were going to give me run support, and I never had any doubt in my team. … It was great to play with a group of my brothers that always had my back. It was amazing this year.”