BLOOMINGTON, IND — There was no need for walk-off heroics this time. It was smooth sailing for the Indiana University baseball team Saturday night as the top-seeded Hoosiers breezed past Austin Peay 15-6 to remain unbeaten entering the final round of the double-elimination Bloomington Regional at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Governors (46-14), the No. 2 seed, came in as winners of a nation-leading 16 consecutive games, but they now drop into the losers’ bracket and will meet Valparaiso, a 5-4 winner over Florida, today at 1 p.m. to determine who will face IU (45-14) in the regional final tonight at 7. The Crusaders (32-27) won their first tournament game since 1966.
“We’re just thanking our lucky stars,” said IU coach Tracy Smith, “because, clearly, Austin Peay was playing some of the best baseball in the country coming into this game. We knew we were going to have our hands full.”