UNLV vs IU, Game 2: IU's bullpen falters again in the 10th in 13-12 loss.

[ptrich]

IU is the home team and it will be RHP Aidan Decker-Petty on the mound for IU with Schuyler behind the plate. The Rebels will counter with RHP Sam Simon.

The batting order is the same in the first four positions and Wiggins is the DH today and batting in the 5th spot. Dickerson, Hanley, Pyne, and Schuyler round out the batting order.

T1st:

D-P got the leadoff hitter on a groundout to Cerny and a liner to Pyne got the 2nd out. A groundout retired the side.

B1st:

Taylor struck out swinging to leadoff. Denny walked on a 3-2 count to put a runner on. Cerny hit into a DP to end the inning.

End of 1st: IU 0 UNLV 0

 

[ptrich]

T2nd:

D-P faced the middle of the order and he got flyouts for the first two outs. A groundout retired the side and D-P has thrown just 14 pitches over the first two inning.

B2nd:

It was the 4 thru 6 hitters up with Oliver leading off and he flied out. Wiggins lined out and Dickerson walked on a 3-1 count to put a runner on with two outs.

Hanley singled to LF to put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. Wow, Mercer in the 2nd inning is pinch hitting Brenzewski for Pyne.

Pinch hitting for Pyne in the 2nd was a major surprise, but it paid off with Brenzewski clubbing a 3-run homer to RF to give IU a 3-0 lead. A groundout ended the inning.

End of 2nd: IU 3 UNLV 0

 

[ptrich]

T3rd:

D-P faced the bottom of the order. Malamazian replaced Pyne/Brenzewski at 3rd. Not a good start for D-P in this inning as he gave up a leadoff single and then moved the runner to 2nd on a WP.

D-P then gave up a double to score the runner from 2nd to make it 3-1. After breezing through the top and middle of the order, the bottom of the order gave D-P some heartburn.

D-P then gave up a 3-2 walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs and that was it for D-P as LHP Ryan Kraft came in out of the bullpen in relief. Kraft really struggled in his previous appearance in the tournament.

A SAC bunt moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd with one out. A triple to RF evened the score at 3-3 with the Rebels threatening to take the lead with a runner on 3rd and one out.

A groundout got the 2nd out with the runner scoring from 3rd to give UNLV a 4-3 lead.

A single put a runner on with two outs and the runner stole 2nd.

Kraft then walked a batter on a full count to put runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs.

Mercer pulled Kraft for RHP Jacob Vogel as Kraft struggled again in his 2nd appearance of the season. Vogel had an excellent season in long relief last season and here's hoping that continues into this season.

Vogel got a lineout to finally retire the side.

B3rd:

It's the top of the order up for IU with Taylor leading off. Taylor walked on a full count, but Denny, Cerny and Oliver all went down in order to end the inning.

End of 3rd: UNLV 4 IU 3

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

It's game 4, but Kraft.....woof

 

[Radio Zero]

Thanks for the inning-by-inning. Can’t listen today.

 

[ptrich]

T4th:

I don't get it. Vogel was outstanding last season in long relief, yet Mercer brought him in for just one hitter and then replaced him with RHP Will Eldridge.

Eldridge got the leadoff hitter for the first out, but then hit a batter and walked the next batter to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. UNLV is at the top of their order.

A single loaded the bases with one out, but Eldridge got a K for two outs.

Eldridge then hit his 2nd batter of the inning to give UNLV a gift run to make it 5-3. Pulling Vogel for Eldridge has been a disastrous move in this inning.

A single scored two more runs to make it 7-3, UNLV. A flyout finally retired the side.

B4th:

IU's mostly dormant bats have to wake up if they want a win in this tournament. It's the 5 thru 7 batters up for IU with Wiggins leading off. Wiggins walked on a full count to leadoff, but Dickerson Kd swinging for the first out.

Hanley singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.

Mercer pinched hit Will Moore for Malamazian. An attempted pickoff by the pitcher went into the outfield for an error with the runners moving to 2nd and 3rd and one out.

Moore Kd for the 2nd out and Stadler came in to pinch hit for Schuyler and he walked on a 3-1 count to load the bases with 2 outs. It was the top of the order up with Taylor at the plate.

UNLV went to the bullpen and brought in RHP Alex Overbay.

Taylor tripled down the RF line to clear the bases and make it 7-6, UNLV. Welcome to the new season, Devin. Denny got the final out to end the inning.

End of 4th: UNLV 7 IU 6

 

[ptrich]

T5th:

It's the 6 thru 8 batters up and Mercer brought in RHP Ben Grable who struggled in his first appearance of the season. Grable got the first two batters on a flyout and groundout. He then gave up a single with two outs, but got a K to retire the side. A much better outing for Grable after his first appearance.

B5th:

It's the 3 thru 5 hitters up with Cerny leading off. Cerny Kd swinging and Oliver grounded out. Wiggins walked on a full count to put a runner on with two outs. Dickerson Kd to end the inning.

End of 5th: UNLV 7 IU 6

 

[ptrich]

T6th:

It's the top of the order up for UNLV and Mercer brought in LHP Anthony Gubitosi, a transfer from Delaware, in his first appearance of the season. He put them down in order to include a K.

B6th:

It's the bottom of the order up with Hanley leading off. Hanley Kd looking. Will Moore doubled down the LF line to put a runner in scoring position with one out.

Stadler walked on four pitches to put runners at 1st and 2nd and one out, and we are at the top of the order with Taylor up.

Taylor flied out to CF with Moore taking 3rd to put runners on the corners with two outs.

Denny Kd to end the inning.

End of 6th: UNLV 7 IU 6

 

[ptrich]

T7th:

Gubitosi faced the middle of the order and he Kd the leadoff batter. A flyout got the 2nd out, but he then gave up a single to put a runner on. A groundout retired the side as Gubitosi has pitched well in his two innings so far.

B7th:

It's the 3 thru 5 hitters up with Cerny leading off. Cerny singled to leadoff.

Oliver walked on a full count to put runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs.

Cerny moved to 3rd on a passed ball with runners now on the corners and no outs. Wiggins Kd for the first out.

A balk scored Cerny to tie the game with Oliver taking 2nd on it. Dickerson Kd for the 2nd out and the balk couldn't have come at a better time since we haven't been able to make contact with the ball after having runners on the corners with no outs.

Hanley flied out to end the inning.

End of 7th: IU 7 UNLV 7

 

[ptrich]

T8th:

It's the 8 thru 1 hitters up for Gubitosi and he got the leadoff hitter on a flyout. A groundout got the 2nd out with the top of the order up. A walk on a 3-2 count put a runner on with two outs.

A flyout retired the side as Gubitosi has had three straight impressive innings.

B8th:

It's the 8 thru 1 hitters up with Moore leading off. UNLV went to the bullpen and brought in RHP Will Marquart who we saw in the first game of the tournament. Moore walked on a full count.

A SAC bunt by Stadler moved Moore to 2nd with one out. Taylor was intentionally walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd and one out.

Denny Kd looking on a full count and now we need Cerny to come through with two outs.

A passed ball moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd and two outs. Cerny Kd looking and with runners in scoring position, we had back-to-back strikeouts looking to end the inning. Mercer and the players have been irate over the calls by the ump the entire tournament.

End of 8th: IU 7 UNLV 7

 

[ptrich]

T9th:

RHP Drew Buhr replaced Gubitosi and he faced the 3 thru 5 hitters. Bad luck hit as the leadoff batter hit a weak grounder to SS that allowed him to reach 1st. Buhr was great in his first appearance of the season earlier.

A flyout got the first out with the runner holding at 1st. A shallow flyout got the 2nd out. The runner on 1st stole 2nd but the throw by Stadler easily beat the runner, but they ruled Oliver didn't get the tag down and it was reviewed.

The call was upheld with a runner now in scoring position with two outs.

A ball hit to Buhr was an infield single to put runners on the corners with two outs. Both runners have reached by hitting weak infield balls.

A double scored two runs and the two weak infield singles to the inning have killed us. There is a runner at 2nd with two outs. A flyout retired the side.

B9th:

It's the 4 thru 6 hitters up with Oliver leading off and IU needs two runs to avoid an 0-4 start. Oliver Kd on three pitches to leadoff. Wiggins walked on a full count to put the tying run at the plate with one out.

Dickerson singled to put runners at 1st and 2nd with one out and Hanley at the plate.

Hanley singled to score Wiggins to make it 9-8, UNLV, and runners on the corners with one out. Moore was at the plate.

Moore reached on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 9-9 as Dickerson scored, and there are two outs.

Stadler got an infield single to put runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs and Taylor at the plate and a chance to win the game. Taylor flied out on a full count to end the inning and send it into extra innings.

End of 9th: IU 9 UNLV 9

 

[ptrich]

T10th:

It's the 9 thru 2 hitters up and IU brought in LHP Matthew Bohnert as IU hopes the 10th goes better for them than how it ended with Xavier earlier.

Not a good start as Bohnert walked the No. 9 hitter on a full count to leadoff and now we have the top of the order up. A single put runners at 1st and 2nd and no outs.

Mercer goes to the bullpen and brings in RHP Henry Brummel. a freshman out of Pontiac, IL, and you would assume here comes the SAC bunt attempt.

A walk on a 3-1 count loaded the bases with no outs and for the 2nd time in the tournament our pitching has fallen apart in the 10th inning. Putting a freshman on the mound in this pressure situation in his first appearance of the season kind of makes me wonder.

A GS homer put UNLV up 13-9 and IU is on their way to an 0-4 start to the season. There is still no one out. A flyout and a K got two outs before a single put another runner on. I believe Heft who hit the homer was the one who homered on us in the 1st inning of the first game with UNLV. A flyout retired the side.

B10th:

It's the 2 thru 4 hitters up for IU with Denny leading off. Denny walked to give IU some life to start the bottom of the inning.

Cerny Kd for the 3rd time in the game for the first out. Oliver Kd for the 2nd time in the game for two outs and IU has Kd 14 times in the game and Denny, Cerny and Oliver have accounted for half of those Ks. Dickerson has added three more of the Ks.

Wiggins walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd and two outs.

Dickerson homered to LF to make it 13-12, UNLV, with two outs. Hanley was IU's last chance to get that tying run and he grounded out to end the game.

Final: UNLV 13 IU 12

 

[Radio Zero]

Well that was a gut punch.

 

[ptrich]

Well, we had two games that went into extra innings and our bullpen fell apart in both of them. We used 9 pitchers and Grable rebounded from a bad outing in his first appearance to have a good inning and Gubitosi, the Delaware transfer, pitched great for three innings. Mercer pulled Vogel after facing just one batter and brought in Eldridge which blew up in Mercer's face and resulted in a disastrous inning for us as he gave up three earned runs. Vogel had been great in middle relief last season and didn't get the chance to do it again.

We were outhit 14 to 10 so at least we had some offense in this game. We played an error-free game which was a plus after the way we were fundamental unsound in the first three games.

Man, do we have some work to do to get back on the right track.