Indiana was cruising on Thursday afternoon through the first six innings behind a solid effort from starting pitcher Luke Sinnard.
But once the IU ace left, the wheels came off at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
Trailing 4-1 going into the seventh inning, No. 3 seed Iowa posted four runs in the top half to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The Hawkeyes put up four more in the top of the ninth to take a bottom of the ninth IU rally out of the equation. Iowa pulled away and won it 9-4.
No. 2 Indiana will play Michigan in a Friday elimination game that will start at around 3 p.m. ET. If Indiana (41-17) wins that game they’d have to beat Iowa twice on Saturday to advance to the Sunday final.
Brock Tibbits doubled in the first inning to push two runs across for IU. The Hoosiers scored a run on a wild pitch in the second, and got another on a Phillip Glasser single in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead.
Sinnard went six innings and gave up five hits and an unearned run while striking out five. He got out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the first without allowing a run. But the IU bullpen allowed six hits, four walks and eight earned runs over the last three frames.
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