Hart, Wilhite Lift Hoosiers Past Western Carolina, 3-2
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Led by a complete game effort by senior
Kyle Hart, Indiana Baseball handed the Western Carolina Catamounts a 3-2 loss on Friday afternoon in the Hoosiers' home opener of the 2016 campaign.
Senior
Brian Wilhite's two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning helped cap off Hart's complete game, six-strikeout effort. The lefty went the distance for the second time in his career with the Hoosiers.
The Catamounts threatened in the top of the second as two reached base, but Hart shut down the threat with his third punch out of the game. Western Carolina tried again in the top of the fifth to break the scoreless ballgame, but freshman catcher
Ryan Fineman fired a throw to nail the Catamount baserunner trying to steal second.
Wilhite provided Hart with the game's first run support in the bottom of the frame, as a sacrifice fly to left field score freshman
Scotty Bradley, who singled up the middle. Junior
Austin Cangelosipushed Bradley 90-feet from home with his second double of the young season.
Western Carolina put up a two-spot in the top of the seventh to take a brief lead and tagged Hart with his only two runs of the contest. Wilhite's two-run blast in the bottom half of the stanza put IU up for good, 3-2. It was the first time the Hoosiers' shortstop went yard this season and the third time of his career.
After facing the minimum in the eighth inning, capped off by a caught-looking strikeout to end the half inning, Western Carolina threatened Hart for a one-out triple in the top of the ninth. After a walk put runners on the corners, the Catamounts tried a safety squeeze, but a bang-bang play nailed the runner out at the plate, 1-2. Freshman
Luke Miller ended the game with a play at the plate, as the right fielder cleanly fielded a Catamount single and fired the ball to Fineman, who applied the tag.
IU and Western Carolina will play a double header on Saturday, with first pitch of game one set for 12:05 p.m. from Bart Kaufman Field.
Go Hoosiers!
Boxscore within:
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