BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers picked up an 8-1 win over the Indiana State baseball team on Wednesday evening from Bart Kaufman Field, scoring five runs in their final three innings at the plate to cruise to victory.

Indiana State drops below the .500 mark for the first time since March 16, falling to 17-18 on the season with their fifth consecutive loss. No. 17 Indiana moves to 31-8 overall with their fifth straight win.

Indiana jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as four of their five hitters that came to the plate reached base. Scott Donley (single) and Michael Basil (fielder's choice) each drove in runs in the opening frame.

Junior Owen Conway tallied Indiana State's first hit of the game in the second inning, rolling a one-out single through the left side of the infield before moving to second base on redshirt sophomore Jacob Hayes' single to shallow center. The Sycamores cut the Hoosier lead in half on their third consecutive hit in the inning as junior Mike Fitzgerald drove a double deep into the gap in left-center. Indiana State would load the bases with one out in the inning, but Indiana was able to escape the early jam without any further damage.

Indiana's Chad Clark picked up a pair of two-out RBIs on his next two trips to the plate, knocking a single to center in the fourth and a single to left in the sixth. The Hoosiers added two runs in the seventh inning, including a solo home run by Kyle Schwarber, and took advantage of an Indiana State fielding error for two more runs in the eighth.

Seven pitchers took the mound for Indiana State on Wednesday with redshirt senior Tyler Fehringer (1-2) taking the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in the first inning. IU's Will Coursen-Carr (2-0) picked up the win behind six innings on the mound, allowing one run on five hits.

Fitzgerald led the Sycamores with a pair of hits and a RBI double. Senior Robby Ort saw his 10-game hitting streak come to end behind a 0-for-4 night at the plate.

The Sycamores are now 4-2 this season against teams from the Big Ten Conference and 4-2 against nationally ranked opponents.

Indiana State takes a break from Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, traveling to UT Martin for three games. Each game of the weekend series can be heard live online for free through GoSycamores.com.