DaytonDailyNews.com

OXFORD — Tracy Smith said his Indiana University baseball program is "a work in progress." The former Miami University baseball coach just wishes his Hoosiers could have shown more progress Wednesday night.

Five different Miami pitchers held Indiana to one unearned run on four hits as the RedHawks defeated the Hoosiers 10-1 at McKie Field.

"Honestly, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of games in which we just came out, rolled over and didn't give an effort," said Smith, who is in his second season as Indiana's head coach. "Unfortunately, one of those times was tonight."

The loss was the eighth straight for the Hoosiers (14-23), a young team with 19 freshmen on its roster.

"Our greatest challenge is to make the players understand what it takes to win baseball games," said Smith, who guided Miami to eight 30-win seasons in nine years.

Miami, meanwhile, snapped its own three-game losing streak and improved its record to 20-16.

"It was just one of those games where we played all-around, good baseball," Miami coach Dan Simonds said. "It was nice to see a couple of our freshmen step up. We're trying to get them some experience so they can grow into a role even before this season ends."

Freshman starting pitcher Nick Kurash allowed two hits and no runs while striking out six. Winning pitcher (and Edgewood High School graduate) Chase Stewart, another freshman, retired five of the six batters he faced. Freshman Reece Asbury pitched a perfect seventh.

The freshmen also showed themselves on offense.

Miami took control in the bottom of the fourth inning when the second of three Indiana errors and a two-run double by freshman right-fielder Gary King enabled Miami to score three runs and take a 4-0 lead.

The Hoosiers threatened in the top of the fifth after Kurash gave up a walk and single. He was relieved by Stewart, who faced two batters and got two outs with the help of a diving catch in center field by senior Brandon Hillier.

Four consecutive hits, including a run-scoring triple by Chris Nadeau, led to two more Miami runs in the fifth inning, and the RedHawks crossed the plate three more times in the sixth, with the help of a two-run double by Eric Darlage. Freshman Jason Cisper's first collegiate hit, a run-scoring single in the seventh, made it 10-0.

Darlage, Nadeau and Josh Hula each collected three hits for the RedHawks.

Billy O'Conner's run-scoring single with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, preceded by a couple errors, prevented Miami from recording a shutout.

The RedHawks will return to Mid-American Conference action Friday at home in the first of a three-game series against Bowling Green, starting at 6:30 p.m.