BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A solid day at the plate and on the mound helped Indiana State baseball to their fifth-consecutive victory as the Sycamores knocked off Indiana 7-3 Wednesday night at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington.
 
The Sycamores (12-9) got off to a hot start, scoring one in the first before adding four in the second and two more in the fourth to go out in front 7-1.
 
It was a tough first couple innings for the Hoosier battery as several balls in the dirt had the Sycamores more aggressive on the base paths. Tony Rosselli put ISU on the board after scoring off a wild pitch.
 
IU (14-9-1) answered the Sycamore run with a solo home run in the bottom half to knot the game at one. That was when the Sycamore offense kicked it into overdrive, going for four hits and as many runs in the second. After putting two on to start the frame, Tyler Friis drove in the go-ahead runner from third before Rosselli went for a sacrifice fly to extend the ISU lead to 3-1.
 
Chris Ayers and Dane Giesler each scored a run for the Trees with RBI singles to the outfield.
 
Three doubles in the fourth pushed two more runs across the plate for the Sycamores with Friis, Rosselli and Cody Gardner each going for two bags.
 
Pitching was great throughout the night as ISU starter Ryan Keaffaber went four complete innings, allowing just one run on two hits. The southpaw struck out one and retired the last eight batters he faced.
 
Right-hander Ethan Larrison continued what Keaffaber started on the mound out of the bullpen. Larrison, a junior, retired the first seven batters he saw before Indiana was able to poke a ball through the hole on the left side in the seventh. Prior to the hit, Indiana State had retired the last 15 batters they faced. Larrison went a season best 3.1 innings and struck out seven in the outing.
 
The Hoosiers cut the deficit to 7-3 with a two-run home run in the ninth before Triston Polley struck out the final three batters.
 
ISU was led offensively by Rosselli who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs on a single, double and a sac fly. Friis, Gardner and Huntley also added a pair of runs each for the Trees. Friis scored two runs for the Sycamores on the night.   
 
The Sycamores continue their Big 10 road swing this weekend when they head to Champaign for a three-game series with the Fighting Illini. First pitch Friday is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Illinois Field.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.