Indiana Baseball: Hoosiers Dominate Michigan State Again, Win 10-4

The top three hitters in Indiana's batting order went wild on Saturday, roughing up Michigan State pitching for a combined seven hits, with four RBIs and five runs scored in the 10-4 rout.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Indiana has the top-ranked offense in the Big Ten, and the Hoosiers have been unleashing every bit of it against Michigan State this weekend. It was more of the same Saturday in IU's 10-4 rout at McLane Field.

The first three hitters in Indiana's lineup did most of the damage on Saturday, when the Hoosiers scored four runs in the third inning and  three more in the sixth to blow the game open. The Hoosiers are now 11-2 on the season and have a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings. Michigan State is 6-8.

Leadoff hitter Drew Ashley reached base four times, with two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch, and he scored all four times. Ashley has now reached base safely in 39 straight games dating back to the 2019 season. Ashley is hitting .420 on the season

No. 2 hitter Grant Richardson was 2-for-5 and No. 3 hitter Cole Barr was 3-for-5, with two doubles and three RBIs. Barr is over .400 too, hitting .405 on the year and Richardson is at .353. Hunter Jessee, who came off the bench, also had two hits

Indiana starter McCade Brown struggled with his control a bit, walking four batters over five innings. But he allowed just one run and three, and he struck out seven Spartans, bringing his total to 43 punch-outs in just 24 innings. He is now 3-1 on the season with a 2.25 earned run average.

He gave up a run in the first, allowing a walk and two singles, but struck out the last two hitters to minimize the damage. He was perfect in the third and fourth innings, and left after five innings with a 5-1 lead, throwing just 76 pitches. Starter Tommy Sommer threw just 73 on Friday, and coach Jeff Mercer said that was by design so that his starters weren't overworked this time of year.

The two teams meet again on Sunday, starting at 1:05 p.m. ET. Gabe Bierman will start for the Hoosiers. He's 1-1 on the season in three starts, with a 3:38 earned run average.

Related stories on Indiana baseball

• HOOSIERS WIN OPENER VS. MICHIGAN STATE: Indiana exploded for four runs in back-to-back innings to blow open the series opener with the Spartans on Friday, winning 8-2. Starter Tommy Sommer is now 3-0. CLICK HERE
• FRESHMEN ADD PUNCH TO LINEUP: Paul Toetz has had a great start to the season and now fellow freshman Kip Fougerousse has had some big hits, too, adding depth to an already strong lineup. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SCHEDULE: Here's the complete 44-game Indiana baseball schedule, with links to the game stories all season long. CLICK HERE