NCAA Baseball Lexington Regional: Indiana State 13, Illinois 2
Junior Brennyn Cutts pitched a complete game and Indiana State used a big third inning as the Sycamores beat Illinois 13-2 in an elimination game of the Lexington Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Cutts allowed just two earned runs and eight hits in his big effort. The right-hander walked two and struck out five while earning his seventh win of the season against just one loss.
The game was scoreless after two innings before Indiana State broke the game open with seven runs in the top of the third. The Sycamores loaded the bases, then got an RBI single from Randal Diaz before Parker Stinson doubled in a pair of runs to make it 3-0.
After ISU loaded the bases again, Dominic Listi was hit by a pitch, scoring Diaz to make it 4-0. A Grant Magill groundout scored Stinson, extending the lead to 5-0. The final blow of the inning was a two-run double by Adam Pottinger that knocked in Listi and Mike Sears, capping a seven-run third inning.
Indiana State would add a run in the top of the sixth inning when Luis Hernandez hit his 23rd home run of the season, a solo shot to left field that extended the lead to 8-0.
Illinois got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning when Brody Harding singled to right field, scoring Vytas Valincius, making it 8-1.
ISU would strike another blow in the top of the eighth inning when Sears hit a grand slam to right-center field, making it 12-1. The Sycamores added a run in the top of the ninth when Riley Iffrig doubled to right field, scoring Magill.
Illinois got a solo home run from Ryan Moerman in the bottom of the ninth to finish the scoring.
Indiana State moves into the regional final where they will meet the home team, Kentucky, at 6 p.m. on Sunday night. If ISU wins that game, it would force a winner-take-all regional title game on Monday.
