After the Wildcats’ third game against Indiana, baseball coach Paul Stevens was handed a page with the day’s box scores. He tore off the bottom half — the part detailing the pitchers’ performances — as if they were too painful to look at.
The pitching in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader was nothing to be proud of, especially when compared to J.A. Happ’s nine-inning shutout Friday afternoon.
The Hoosiers (18-9, 2-2 Big Ten) had just two hits. Happ walked one batter and fanned 12.
“Pretty incredible — I think that’s a pretty good statement, and I think that sums it up,” Stevens said. “It isn’t as much how I perceive things, but how people on the field, people in the stands, but most of all, how their hitters (perceive things).
“And I think their hitters thought (Happ) was pretty dang incredible today. He just went through those guys, and I was very, very proud of the way he handled himself.”
Happ lowered his overall ERA to 1.99 in 45.1 innings pitched. He faced 29 batters, just two more than the minimum for a full game, and threw 126 pitches.
“I usually go about 100 or 110, but (Stevens) said that in the Big Tens, we’re going to push a little farther, so that was all right,” Happ said. “My arm was feeling fine.”
In Saturday’s second game, four pitchers — Dan Konecny, Chris Hayes, Julio Siberio and Jon Mikrut — gave up 10 runs in seven innings against the Hoosiers.
NU (11-11-1, 2-2) eked out a 12-10 win in Saturday’s second game, but starting pitcher Konecny said he felt like he let his team down. The senior gave up five runs in 3.1 innings.
Hayes came in to relieve Konecny five pitches into the fourth inning. Hayes gave up three more hits before Siberio was sent in to end the inning.
Konecny, the Cats’ top starting pitcher for most of last season’s Big Ten games, said he deserved to start the third game based on his performance so far this season. After Saturday’s game, Konecny had a 9.87 ERA.
“I like throwing this game,” Konecny said. “They think I’m the No. 3 pitcher. (The opposing players) look at my ERA and think, ‘This guy is probably awful.’ It’s a good way to let a lot of pressure off.”
Stevens said he was pleased with Siberio’s 1.2 innings in Saturday’s second game. The sophomore struck out two batters and walked one. The Hoosiers got one hit off him but scored no runs.
“Siberio looked awesome,” Stevens said. “Boy, he looked good. Julio came in and got a couple of their really good hitters.”
Siberio walked Seth Bynum and struck out Kevin Mahar, two players Stevens pointed out as being Indiana’s strongest hitters.
Siberio also pitched two innings in Sunday’s game.
“I started pitching more in Florida,” Siberio said. “The more I throw, the more comfortable I get and the more confidence I get.”
Freshman George Kontos pitched the first seven innings of Sunday’s game.
Kontos began his collegiate career by pitching a scoreless seven and two-thirds innings during the March 23 game against Stetson, but Sunday his inexperience proved to be a weakness.
If Stevens had looked at Sunday’s box score, he would have seen that Kontos struck out seven Hoosiers and walked six.
On a team that prides itself on its pitching, Happ’s performance was the most dominant of the weekend — and probably the only pitching line Stevens will want to remember.
