BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana State rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth inning and Hunter Small and Jack Armstrong shut the Hoosiers' offense down late in relief as the Sycamores topped Indiana on Tuesday night at Bart Kaufman Field, 5-4.
 
Trailing 3-2 after Indiana (10-14) took the lead in the bottom of the seventh on Jake Hanley's RBI double, the Sycamore (11-13) offense went to work on IU reliever Jackson Yarberry (0-3). Caden Miller and Mason Roell both drew walks to put the Sycamores on the base paths with one out, and Jorge Cartagena made the free runners count with a double down the left field line scoring pinch-runner Caleb Niehaus from second to tie the game up at 3-3.
 
IU turned the ball over to Kaden Jacobi and the right-hander promptly threw a pitch to the backstop allowing Roell to score on the wild pitch and put the Sycamores ahead 4-3. Colin Sander followed with a sacrifice fly to left field deep enough to score Cartagena and put Indiana State ahead 5-3.
 
Small (1-2) retired the Hoosier offense in order in the bottom of the eighth. After the Sycamores did not add insurance in the ninth, the Indiana State reliever ran into trouble in the ninth as IU put runners on the corners with one out following Owen ten Oever and Hogan Denny singles.
 
Jack Armstrong (S, 1) entered the game and recorded the second out on Jake Hanley's sacrifice fly allowing ten Oever to score and cut the deficit to 5-4. The final out came on Caleb Koskie's grounder to third with Indiana State second baseman Colin Sander holding his foot on second base long enough to record the final fielder's choice to secure the Indiana State win.
 
The Sycamores rallied back from an early 2-0 deficit as IU built an early lead on a Koskie RBI double in the first and Landen Fry's RBI single in the fourth inning. Indiana State evened the game in the top of the fifth as the Sycamores took advantage of an IU error to plate two runs courtesy of back-to-back RBI singles off the bats of Andrew Ortiz and Carter Beck, setting the stage for the late inning scoring.
 
Andrew Ortiz finished with three of Indiana State's seven hits in the game as the Sycamore outfielder recorded his second consecutive three-hit game. Carter Beck added two hits and an RBI, while Mason Roell singled, walked twice, and scored two runs.
 
Indiana State utilized nine pitchers on the mound on Tuesday night wrapping up the evening with Small and Armstrong. Small worked 1.2 innings allowing two hits and a run while striking out four, while Armstrong retired both batters he faced. Spencer Johnsen, Colby Morse, Owen Roberts, Breyllin Suriel, Brady Banker, Trevor Fenters, and Jaxon Sparks combined to go the first 6.2 innings on the mound allowing six hits and three runs in shutting down the IU offense.
 
Hogan Denny and Cole Decker had two hits apiece for the Hoosiers as Indiana combined for nine hits overall in the game. Jake Hanley and Caleb Koskie both doubled, while Denny added a stolen base in the loss.
 
IU utilized seven pitchers in Tuesday's game with Jackson Yarberry taking the loss after allowing three hits and three runs while striking out two over 1.1 innings of work. Conner Linn worked 3.0 shutout innings in the start, while Ivan Mastalski, Michael Sarhatt, Reagan Rivera, Kaden Jacobi, and Jacob Vogel also pitched in the contest.
 
How They Scored

• Indiana took the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Caleb Koskie connected on an RBI double to left field scoring Hogan Denny to put the Hoosiers ahead early.
• The Hoosiers made it a 2-0 game in the bottom of the fourth as Caleb Koskie scored on Landen Fry's RBI single to right field.
• Indiana State answered in the top of the fifth as the Sycamores tied the game up at 2-2. Andrew Ortiz singled home Mason Roell for the first run, while Carter Beck connected on an RBI base hit bringing home Nomar Garcia to even the score.
• IU went back ahead in the bottom of the seventh inning as Mateo Noto scored on Jake Hanley's RBI double to left center field to give the Hoosiers the 3-2 lead.
• The Sycamores took the lead with a three-run rally in the top of the eighth inning. Jorge Cartagena drove in the first run with an RBI double to left field scoring Caleb Niehaus. Mason Roell scored on a wild pitch, and then Colin Sander brought home Cartagena on a sacrifice fly to put Indiana State head 5-3.
• Jake Hanley drove in the final IU run with a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Owen ten Oever in the bottom of the ninth inning to provide the final margin. 

News and Notes

• Indiana State improved to 4-1 against the Big Ten in the 2026 season following Tuesday's win over the Hoosiers.
• The Sycamores have topped Penn State (twice), Illinois, and Indiana so far on the year with games against Purdue (two), Illinois, and Indiana still to play in 2026.
• Indiana State recorded its second consecutive win in Bloomington, Ind. against the Hoosiers after taking the 7-5 victory on April 15, 2025, before tonight's 5-4 win at Bart Kaufman Field.
• The two-game winning streak marked the first time Indiana State has won back-to-back games in Bloomington since the Sycamores won three in a row over the Hoosiers from 2015-17.
• Andrew Ortiz continues to swing the hot bat recording his second consecutive three-hit game and third overall in his career.
• Carter Beck posted his team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the season.
• Mason Roell reached base in three of his four plate appearances in the game after connecting on a single and drawing two walks.
• Indiana State utilized nine pitchers in Tuesday night's game, one shy of their season-high 10 pitchers used last Wednesday, March 18, against Illinois.
• Hunter Small recorded his first win in the Indiana State Blue & White after throwing 1.2 innings while striking out four in relief.
• Jack Armstrong recorded his first save as a Sycamore after retiring the final two outs of the game in the ninth inning. 

Up Next
Indiana State is back in Missouri Valley play this weekend as the Sycamores head to Emory G. Bauer Field at Valparaiso University for a three-game series scheduled to run March 27-29 in Valparaiso, Ind. All three games will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend, while Sunday's series finale is set to be picked up by ESPN+.
 
Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now
Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood.
 
Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed.
 
The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.