West Virginia baseball faces Indiana in the first round of the Lexington Regional with the winner getting to play host Kentucky on Saturday.
The Mountaineers come into Friday night’s game on a five-game losing streak, but have not played since May 25. Indiana comes into this game having gone 1-2 in the Big Ten Tournament. The Mountaineers are giving the ball to Blaine Traxel, while the Hoosiers are going with Luke Sinnard.
West Virginia is going to a lineup similar to what they did in the final game of the Big 12 Tournament, moving McNeely and Hussey up towards the middle, and dropping Barry and Leonard.
West Virginia Lineup:
Tevin Tucker- SS
JJ Wetherholt- 2B
Landon Wallace- LF
Caleb McNeely- RF
Grant Hussey- 1B
Braden Barry- CF
Sam White- 3B
Dayne Leonard- C
Logan Suave- DH
Blaine Traxel- SP
Indiana Lineup:
Phillip Glasser- SS
Bobby Whalen- CF
Devin Taylor- RF
Brock Tibbitts- 1B
Carter Mathison- DH
Josh Pyne- 3B
Hunter Jessee- LF
Tyler Cerny- 2B
Peter Serruto- C
Luke Sinnard- SP
First Inning
Indiana: Wetherholt makes a nice play to help secure the first out. Whalen reaches on an infield single but is left stranded following back-to-back strikeouts from Traxel.
WVU: Tucker and Wetherholt both go down on strikes, while Wallace hits a solo home run. McNeely strikes out to end the inning
End 1: WVU 1, Indiana 0
Second Inning
Indiana: Indiana loads the bases with no outs following a walk, error, and a walk. The hoosiers score two on a rbi single from Glasser but the Mountaineers get the runner at third to end the top half of the inning.
WVU: Mountaineers go three up three down for the inning
End 2: WVU 1, Indiana 2
Third Inning
Indiana: Whalen leads the inning off with a double for the Hoosiers. Taylor advances Whalen to third with a flyout to right center. Whalen reaches home on a wild pitch from Traxel.
WVU: Leonard reaches with a leadoff single. Hoosiers pitcher Luke Sinnard had to leave the game due to injury and was replaced by Brayden Risedorph. Suave reaches on a hit-by-pitch and Tucker advances the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Wetherholt reaches on a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with one out. Leonard is able to reach home after Wallace is walked. McNeely hits a fly ball to right field to score Suave and send Wetherholt to third. Hussey hits a fly out to end the inning
End 3: WVU 3, Indiana 3
Fourth Inning
Indiana: Traxel retires the Hoosiers in order with two flyouts and a groundout.
WVU: Barry leads the inning off with a triple. White and Leonard are put out but Suave reaches on a walk. Barry is able to steal home after some stellar baserunning from Suave that also sees him steal second. Tucker hits a fly out to center to end the inning
End 4: WVU 4, Indiana 3
Fifth Inning
Indiana: Serruto reaches on leadoff single and Glasser follows it up with a bunt down the third base line for a single. Indiana scores one on a throwing error from Traxel. Taylor hits a sacrifice fly to center to bring Glasser home and advance Whalen to third. Whalen reaches home on a wild pitch from Traxel. Traxel is able to end the inning following a strikeout and a groundout into the shift.
WVU: Wallace reaches on a walk with one out. McNeely hits a single into center but the inning ends on 6-3 double play from Hussey.
End 5: WVU 4, Indiana 6
Sixth Inning
Indiana: Following a walk with one out, Traxel exits the game and is replaced by David Hagaman. Cerny reaches on a walk but Hagaman gets out of the inning with a strikeout and a groundout to Hussey.
WVU: Leonard hits a two out single into right field and is brought home on a rbi double from Suave that saw him reach third on the throw home. Risedorph was pulled from the game and was replaced by Ty Bothwell. The inning ends on a strikeout from Tucker
End 6: WVU 5, Indiana 6
Seventh Inning
Indiana: Hagaman goes 1-2-3 for the inning.
WVU: Wetherholt leads off with a stand up double but is left stranded following a strikeout, lineout and a fly out.
End 7: WVU 5, Indiana 6
Eighth Inning
Indiana: Mathison leads the inning off with a ball hit into left field that is misplayed by Wallace and turns it into a double. Pyne advances the runner with a groundout and then Jessee scores the runner with a sacrifice fly to left field.
WVU: Ellis Garcia came in to pinch hit for Sam White and was able to draw a walk with one out. Leonard hits a one out double for his third hit of the night that also sees Garcia advance to third. Suave hits a groundout to short but Garcia is able to reach home. Leonard is left stranded at second following an inning ending strikeout from Tucker
End 8: WVU 6, Indiana 7
Ninth Inning
Indiana: Serruto lead the inning off with a strikeout, but Glasser and Whalen followed that up with back-to-back walks. West Virginia chose to pull Hagaman for closer Carlson Reed. Taylor advanced the runners with a groundout into the shift. Tibbits hits a two rbi triple into right field and is then brought home by Matthison with his rbi single into left field. Pyne follows that up with a two run home run. Carlson Reed is pulled in favor of Noah Short. Jessee and Cerny are able to draw walks but Short closes the top half with a strikeout on Serruto
WVU: The Mountaineers go three up three down to end the inning and the game.
End 9: WVU 6, Indiana 12
