Kentucky baseball falls to Indiana, will face elimination game Sunday vs. West Virginia
Kentucky baseball will face an elimination game Sunday in its NCAA Tournament regional after falling 4-3 to Indiana on Saturday night at Kentucky Proud Park.
The energy of a UK record crowd (6,094) was not enough to propel the Wildcats, who were playing as the visiting team in the game, as Indiana rallied from a two-run deficit with a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Here is what you need to know about the game.
Turning point
Dominant to that point in the game, Kentucky starter Zack Lee appeared to run out of gas in the seventh inning.
Lee surrendered a double and hit a batter with one out. After getting a second out on a flyout to right field, Lee recorded two quick strikes on Indiana catcher Peter Serruto. Kentucky’s dugout complained as close calls on the next two pitches were ruled balls before Serruto launched a three-run home run over the right field fence. Lee was over 100 pitches at the time, marking just the second time this season he had passed the century mark for pitches thrown in a game.
On the mound
The game started on an inauspicious note for Lee, the Wildcats’ most effective starter during the regular season, as Indiana shortstop Phillip Glasser deposited his first pitch over the center field fence, but Lee was dominant from there until apparently running out of gas in the seventh. Lee retired 18 of the next 20 Indiana batters after Glasser’s home run, striking out nine along the way.
He was ultimately tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits in seven innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.
At the plate
While Indiana’s eighth-inning home run will be remembered as the blow that decided the game, Kentucky’s own inability to cash in on earlier scoring opportunities played a pivotal role in the outcome.
The Wildcats had two runners on in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings without scoring. Kentucky left eight men on base in the game and ran into two more outs on the bases. UK did score two runs in the seventh inning, but only after back-to-back defensive miscues from Indiana second baseman Tyler Cerny and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases.
Kentucky mounted one last rally in the top of the ninth inning thanks to back-to-back hit-by-pitches, but catcher Devin Burks flew out to the warning track in right field and second baseman Emilien Pitre just missed a home run that was foul by a few feet down the left field line before popping out to shortstop to end the game.
No Kentucky batter recorded multiple hits in the game. Burkes did walk twice and drove in a run with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
What’s next
Kentucky will face West Virginia in an elimination game at noon Sunday. The winner of that game plays Indiana at 6 p.m. needing to beat the Hoosiers twice to advance to a super regional. If the Kentucky-West Virginia winner beats Indiana in the Sunday night game, the two teams will play again on Monday.
NCAA TOURNAMENT LEXINGTON REGIONAL
When: Friday through Monday
Where: Kentucky Proud Park
Tickets: UKBaseballTix.com
Teams: Kentucky, Ball State, Indiana, West Virginia.
Format: Double-elimination At stake: Winner advances to NCAA Tournament’s 16-team super-regional round next week.
LEXINGTON REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday
Game 1: Kentucky 4, Ball State 0
Game 2: Indiana 12, West Virginia 6
Saturday
Game 3: West Virginia 13, Ball State 5
Game 4: Indiana 5, Kentucky 3
Sunday
Game 5: West Virginia vs. Kentucky, Noon (ESPNU)
Game 6: Winner Game 5 vs. Indiana, 6 p.m. (TV TBA)
Monday (if necessary)
Game 7: Same teams as in Game 6, time TBA (TV TBA)
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