BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Interstat) — Tony Neubeck struck out nine over six strong innings and the Indiana Hoosiers rallied with a pair of runs in the sixth to defeat the Washington Huskies 4-2 in a Big Ten Conference baseball opener Friday at Bart Kaufman Field.

Neubeck, the Hoosiers’ top starter, allowed two runs on five hits to earn the win, improving Indiana to 6-7 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Washington fell to 3-10, 0-1.

The most important part of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. Indiana’s Landen Fry broke the deadlock with an RBI double to left field, scoring Carter Hanley, who had walked. Caleb Koskie followed with a run-scoring single down the right field line to plate Fry, providing the Hoosiers with the decisive two-run cushion.

Those runs came against Washington starter Noah Kenney, who was otherwise sharp in a tough-luck loss. Kenney worked six innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits. He struck out seven and did not issue a walk.

Washington’s offense was powered by designated hitter Jackson Hotchkiss, who went 3 for 4 with a home run, a double and both Huskies RBIs. His two-out double in the second inning scored AJ Taggart to open the scoring. Hotchkiss then launched a solo home run to center field in the fourth, his blast accounting for Washington’s final run and giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead at the time.

Indiana answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth. Koskie reached on a single and a Washington error, advanced to third on a flyout and scored on an RBI double from Brayden Ricketts to tie the game 2-2.

The Hoosiers had struck first in the opening inning. Leadoff man Tyler Crouse singled, stole second and scored on an RBI double from Hogan Denny.

After Neubeck departed, the Indiana bullpen sealed the victory. Gavin Seebold was dominant in relief, striking out four over two perfect innings. Jackson Yarberry allowed two hits in the ninth but induced a game-ending groundout with the tying run on deck to record the save.

Washington reliever Carson Boesel provided two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three.

The game was a pitcher’s duel for much of the afternoon, with the two starters combining for 16 strikeouts. Indiana’s late offensive surge and a lockdown effort from its bullpen proved the difference.

The Hoosiers’ win defied early control by Washington, which led for the middle innings behind Hotchkiss’s production. Indiana’s sixth-inning rally, however, shifted momentum permanently.

The teams continue the three-game series Saturday.