IU’s season ends in 14-9 loss to Kentucky
by Mike Miller
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tim Herrin dropped his head before the ball had cleared the fence, recognizing Riley Mahan’s big swing to right field for what it was.
The dagger.
Top-seeded Kentucky hit three home runs, including Mahan’s sixth-inning grand slam, to swing past No. 2 Indiana, 14-9, in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament elimination game at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
It was the end of the line for the Hoosiers (34-24-2), who made habit this season of answering adversity and responding when their backs were against a wall. But against the pitching of Wapahani graduate Zack Thompson, a former priority recruiting target for coach Chris Lemonis, Indiana was unable to match Kentucky and one of the most potent lineups in the nation.
“Tough ending to a good season for our guys,” Lemonis said. “Tip your hat to Kentucky. Their offense got rolling and it was hard for us to stop. Their starting pitcher was really good early in the game. I thought that was the difference maker, just slowing down some momentum so that their offense could go.”
The Wildcats, who blew it open with six runs in the sixth, collected 18 hits. Seven players posted multi-hit performances against Indiana pitching, which surrendered the most runs since allowing 21 to Louisville on April 17, 2012.
Indiana mashed four home runs of their own and scored eight runs over the final three innings. But on an afternoon when Kentucky hitters were at their best, it was still far from enough.
The Wildcats’ lineup features seven hitters with at least 100 career hits, and leads the loaded Southeastern Conference in nearly every major statistical category.
On Sunday, Kentucky showed exactly what makes it great.
“That’s what that lineup does. They just expand the game really, really quick,” Lemonis said. “It was 4-1 there starting the sixth with one out. The next thing you know they just get it going pretty quick. You’ve gotta tip your hat to those guys. It’s a really good offense.”
Thompson matched the production of his lineup with another strong start against the Hoosiers. The right-hander, who struck out 10 Hoosiers in a win over IU on May 9, finished with seven strikeouts and only one walk during his seven innings on Sunday. Between a two-out single by Logan Sowers in the first and Austin Cangelosi’s leadoff double in the fifth, Thompson retired 10 consecutive batters.
Thompson, an 11th round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays last June, said afterwards that Indiana recruited him as hard as any team during his high school years. But he chose Kentucky — a decision the Hoosiers were certainly wishing had gone the other way after they experienced his mid-90s fastball and assortment of off-speed pitches for the second time this season.
“The (velocity) was there. He was amped up for the regional atmosphere,” Cangelosi said. “You just kind of have to lay off the ball in the top of the zone. It just looks belt high, then that rotation with his velocity — a guy throwing that hard, you can’t beat him like that. He had a good breaking ball. You miss your pitch — he’s got some plus-plus stuff and you’re going to be in trouble.”
The Hoosiers touched Thompson for three home runs, including a leadoff solo shot by Tony Butler in the bottom of the first. They added two more in the seventh — a solo homer from Sowers and a two-run blast by Cangelosi — but by then, it was too little too late.
Indiana starter Cal Krueger had arguably been IU’s best starter down the stretch of the regular season, but he couldn’t tame the Cats.
Krueger struggled with his command in an abbreviated outing Sunday, lasting only 3 1/3 innings. The Wildcats jumped on him early with three singles in the first, including a run-scoring base hit to right by Mahan. After Butler’s blast in the bottom half, Marcus Carson answered with a solo homer to go ahead 2-1.
Kentucky wouldn’t trail again.
In the fourth, Cole Kottam smacked a one-out solo home to dead centerfield before Connor Heady poked an RBI single to left field to give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead. Krueger left after walking the bases loaded, yielding to left-hander B.J. Sabol.
The Indiana reliever initially kept the Wildcats from breaking the game open, inducing a 6-4-3 double play ball to end the threat. The three-run deficit was the biggest hole IU had faced in the postseason, spanning both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
There would be no climbing back. Not all the way, at least.
And especially not after Kentucky’s big sixth inning.
That’s when the Cats got to Sabol, putting runners in scoring position after a ground-rule double by Heady with one out. Sabol was pulled for Cameron Beauchamp, who allowed a two-run double down the left field line to Tristan Pompey that made it 6-1 Kentucky.
Then Mahan followed moments later with his grand slam off Herrin, breaking the game open and effectively ending Indiana’s season.
The Hoosiers did most of their damage in junk time, finishing with 10 hits on the day. During a five-run, two-out rally in the ninth, Craig Dedelow also cranked a two-run homer, while Luke Miller provided a two-run single and Christopher Lowe added a run-scoring single.
It was another example of IU battling back, just like it had so many times this year.
This time, however, it wasn’t enough against a Kentucky team that was at its best with the season on the line.
“This group had a high character so they wouldn’t quit, I can tell you that,” Lemonis said. “They just kept banging away. We have been pretty hot offensively. (Thompson) was the only guy that I felt like has slowed us down a little bit. … Really proud of our guys. Very resilient group, a group that had bounced back all year and just a joy to coach.”
http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2017/06/ius-season-ends-in-14-9-loss-to-kentucky/
Go Hoosiers!