For the third straight year in a row IU has begun its NCAA Tournament run with a loss. The latest, following NC State in 2017 and Texas A&M in 2018, is Illinois State.
Elijah Dunham got the Hoosiers off to a quick start by hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, but the IU bats fell quiet soon afterward. The next time the Hoosiers scored they were chasing a five-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Redbirds roughed up Hoosier ace Pauly Milto, scoring seven runs on the senior in under six innings on 14 hits.