Dzierwa, named to the Golden Spikes midseason watch list, turned in his worst start of the season in what became his second straight loss. After starting the season flawlessly with six consecutive wins, Dzierwa has struggled in Big Ten play as of late.

On Sunday, the Hoosiers got to Dzierwa early as Devin Taylor knocked a single into the outfield. He later scored Indiana’s first run on a single to right, tying the game at 1. Taylor, the junior center fielder, ranks second on his team in home runs with 10 and is just one shy of tying Indiana’s career home run record at 47.

MSU’s Dzierwa allowed eight hits, four earned runs and three walks while striking out five. Despite the tough outing, Dzierwa still leads the Big Ten in ERA, now sitting at 1.89.

To this point, Dzierwa has heavily relied on his ability to work around even the best hitters, with his biggest strength being the strikeout. With an 11.25 K/9 rate, he typically moves through opposing lineups quickly — but when he struggles to locate, trouble follows. Too many pitches were left over the plate, and the Hoosiers teed off.

Indiana added its second run in the third inning following back-to-back fielding miscues by shortstop Randy Seymour, putting two runners on. Errors and other defensive mishaps have plagued the Spartans all season — they rank second-to-last in the Big Ten in fielding percentage, averaging nearly 1.5 errors per game.

The Hoosiers didn’t let up, tacking on runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings to build a 6-2 lead.

In the fourth, Hogan Denny led off with a single up the middle. Dzierwa then issued a walk, and an infield single to Seymour at shortstop loaded the bases. With one out, Indiana’s OPS leader, Taylor, singled through the left side to bring home two runs.

In the next inning, with runners on first and second, Dzierwa made an uncharacteristic mistake — a balk — moving both runners into scoring position. With two strikes on the next batter, Indiana’s Tyler Cerny stole home to give the Hoosiers a 5-2 lead.

In the sixth, Tate Farquhar entered in relief, but Indiana continued to produce. A trio of singles added another run to make it 6-2. Farquhar finished with 2 2/3 innings pitched, allowing four hits, one earned run and one walk.

Offensively, MSU struggled to string together momentum, never scoring more than a single run in any inning. In the first, the Spartans struck first on a Caleb Berry single to right, but both Sam Busch and Will Shannon popped out to end the threat.

Busch collected his only hit of the day in the third — a single to right that brought home JT Sokolove. The hit briefly gave MSU a 2-1 lead, but it was the last time the Spartans would be in front.

In the final innings, MSU looked to build on its increasing momentum, but they ultimately came up short. In the seventh, MSU scored on a throwing error when Seymour stole second base. In the ninth, Seymour doubled to left, and Noah Bright, pinch-hitting, followed it up with a double of his own, scoring a run. Next up was Sokolove, who beat out an infield single to put runners at the corners. 

That brought up Ryan McKay, the team’s leading hitter and recent Big Ten Co-Player of the Week. Batting .350 on the season, McKay represented the go-ahead run. But on this day, he couldn’t deliver — flying out to center to end the game. McKay finished 0-for-4.

With the rainy weather behind them, MSU will return to the diamond for a doubleheader against Indiana on Monday, April 6, with a chance to win the series. First pitch is scheduled for noon and will stream live on Big Ten Plus.