Live Game Blog – NCAA Regional Friday – West Virginia

3-seed Indiana opens up NCAA regional action against 2-seed West Virginia at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington

By Carl James @jovian34 June 2nd, 2023

Bottom 9th: Indiana 12, West Virginia 6 (FINAL)

Bothwell back out. Two quick groundouts has the Hoosiers one out away from the Saturday winner’s bracket. Bothwell strikes out the last batter. HOOSIERS WIN!!!!

Top 9th: Indiana 12, West Virginia 6

A disengagement gets a ball count and helps Glasser work a one-out walk. Whalen also walked prompting a West Virginia pitching changes. The Hoosiers would really like to get at least one insurance run in this inning. Taylor pulls the ball on the ground getting both runners into scoring position. Tibbitts rips a triple to right field scoring both insurance runs. Mathison gets an RBI single and Josh Pyne goes yard to double up West Virginia with three outs to go. A pitching change and two walks gets another runner into scoring position. Indiana fans, who have been drowned out by the much larger West Virginia contingent most of the game are getting loud.

Bottom 8th: Indiana 7, West Virginia 6

Bothwell struck out Barry. White worked a one-out walk and Leonard ripped a double to right to get the tying run into scoring position. An RBI groundout plates the run but Glasser looks back the runner on second. Bothwell strikes Tucker out on three pitches.

Top 8th: Indiana 7, West Virginia 5

Carter Mathison hits a rocket to left field that was misplayed and allowed him to get to second on a double. Pyne got Mathison to third with a groundout up the middle. Jessee drives Mathison in with a sacrifice fly. Cerny

Bottom 7th: Indiana 6, West Virginia 5

Wetherholt doubles to the right center gap. Bothwell strikes out Wallace. ⭐ Glasser dives to rob a single on a liner for the second out. Bothwell is throwing his over hand fastball at 92mph. A fly out to center strands the runner.

Top 7th: Indiana 6, West Virginia 5

Whalen flies out and Taylor strikes out. Tibbitts flies out to foul territory on a great catch by Caleb McNeely.

Bottom 6th: Indiana 6, West Virginia 5

Risedorph strikes out Berry and gets a week ground out with the help of a solid flip play by ⭐Cerny. A two-out single is followed up with an RBI double to right and the runner gets to third on the throw with two outs. After the replay review Ty Bothwell is the new Hoosier pitcher. A strikeout on a check swing ends the threat.

Top 6th: Indiana 6, West Virginia 4

A one out walk of Jessee on Traxel’s 100th pitch, forces a West Virginia pitching change. David Hagaman is the new Mountaineer pitcher. It took him six pitches to throw a strike, but he gets out of the jam with a strikeout and weak contact.

Bottom 5th: Indiana 6, West Virginia 4

Jessee tracks down a well hit ball in left for the first out. A walk and single threat is ended with a double play saved by a great stretch by ⭐ Brock Tibbitts.

Top 5th: Indiana 6, West Virginia 4

A pair of bunts and a throwing error plate a run. A sac fly plates one more and Whalen is still on third base with less than two outs. Traxel strikes out Pyne for hist fourth K with a runner on third a less than two outs. It doesn’t matter as a wild pitch allows Whalen to score anyway.

Bottom 4th: Indiana 3, West Virginia 4

Braden Barry smokes a Risedroph pitch to the right field wall for a lead off triple. Risedorph then gets Sam White to check swing for a strikeout. A foul pop up to Tibbitts makes it two outs. Risedorph then walks nine-hole hitter Sauve to bring up Tevin Tucker. A “little league” steal attempt to second base succeeds when the throw home is wide of the plate.

Top 4th: Indiana 3, West Virginia 3

Now we get to see how the Hoosier offense responds to Sinnard’s injury. Pyne swings at the first pitch which is a deep out to left center. Jessee grounds out to shortstop. Cerny is also out on a hard hit ball. That was Traxel’s quickest inning.

Bottom 3rd: Indiana 3, West Virginia 3

Dayne Leonard leads off the inning with a single up the middle, giving Sinnard his first runner on the bath paths to deal with while pitching. Sinnard throws a pitch way short and a mound visit to examine Sinnard’s arm ensues. Sinnard is removed from the game. Brayden Risedorph is the new Hoosier pitcher. On a full count, Risedorph plunks Logan Sauve. A sac bunt puts the two runners into scoring position for West Virginia’s All-American, J.J. Wetherholt, who is also hit by a pitch to load the bases. Risedorph walks Wallace to force in a run. A sacrifice fly ties up the game. Ryan Kraft is throwing in the Hoosier bullpen. A fly ball keeps the game tied.

Top 3rd: Indiana 3, West Virginia 1

Bobby Whalen leads the inning off with a double to the right center gap. Taylor smokes a fly ball to right for an out that gets Whalen to third with only one out. Tibbitts takes Traxel full, but strikes out. That is third time Traxel has gotten a strikeout with less than two out and a runner on third. A wild pitch plates Whalen. Hoosiers are capitalizing on Mountaineer mistakes. Mathison flies out to left on Traxel’s 65th pitch.

Bottom 2nd: Indiana 2, West Virginia 1

Luke Sinnard gets his fourth strike out, then a quick fly out. His fifth strike out ends a 1-2-3 inning.

Top 2nd: Indiana 2, West Virginia 1

Carter Mathison continued the process of working Traxel, earning a full count walk. Traxel got ahead to Josh Pyne who hit a ground ball that should have been an easy fielders choice but was thrown away, getting both in scoring position with no outs. Jessee earned a four pitch walk, but Tyler Cerny and Peter Serruto struck out. Phillip Glasser ripped a single up the middle scoring Mathison and Pyne. Jessee was thrown out trying to get to third. Traxel is up to 50 pitches now.

Bottom 1st: Indiana 0, West Virginia 1

Landon Wallace blasted a two out home run. Luke Sinnard struck out the other three batters in the inning.

Top 1st: Indiana 0, West Virginia 0

Phillip Glasser grounds out to second base to start the game. West Virginia’s Blaine Traxel pitching from lower arm slots had to work to Bobby Whalen who was fouling off multiple two strike pitches, before legging out an infield single up the middle. Devin Taylor fouled off a two-strike pitch as well. West Virginia deployed an extreme infield shift to Taylor. He fouled off another pitch before striking out. Traxel got behind to Brock Tibbitts, but struck him out as well.

Pregame

Starters

Indiana

  1. SS Phillip Glasser
  2. CF Bobby Whalen
  3. RF Devin Taylor
  4. 1B Brock Tibbitts
  5. DH Carter Mathison
  6. 3B Josh Pyne
  7. LF Hunter Jessee
  8. 2B Tyler Cerny
  9. C Peter Serruto

Pitcher: RHP Luke Sinnard

West Virginia

  1. SS Tevin Tucker
  2. 2B J.J. Wetherholt
  3. LF Landon Wallace
  4. RF Caleb McNeely
  5. 1B Grant Hussey
  6. CF Braden Barry
  7. 3B Sam White
  8. C Dayne Leonard
  9. DH Logan Sauve
  10. RHP Blaine Traxel

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