May 29, 2015
Indiana Press Conference | Radford Press Conference
NASHVILLE — Indiana’s Kyle Hart pitched seven innings of one-run ball and Craig Dedelow went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead the No. 3-seeded Hoosiers to a 7-1 win over No. 2-seeded Radford in the opening game of the Nashville Regional at Hawkins Field.
Indiana’s offense racked up 13 hits in the win, and every player in the starting lineup produced at least one hit or scored a run. The Hoosiers’ defense also shined, turning a triple play in the first inning and playing errorless ball in the victory.
Indiana (35-22) will be back in action on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Friday night’s Vanderbilt-Lipscomb game. Radford now drops to the elimination bracket, and will play on Saturday at 3 p.m. against the Vanderbilt-Lipscomb loser.
Radford (43-14) came into Friday’s opener having won 15 straight games, 19 of the past 20, and 37 of the past 43. But the momentum didn’t carry over into Friday’s game against Hart and the Hoosiers.
Hart (5-0) limited Radford to five hits and one unearned run in his seven innings, finishing with six strikeouts and no walks. He lowered his ERA from 1.48 to 1.21.
Nick Ramos, Brad Hartong, Scott Donley, Logan Sowers and Dedelow — the No. 2 through 6 hitters in the Indiana lineup — finished with two hits each. The five Hoosiers combined to go 10-for-22 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Brian Wilhite also drove in a pair of runs.
Radford starter Michel Boyle (10-3) took the loss, allowing four runs (all earned) on seven hits in six innings. Boyle, who finished with two walks and two strikeouts, saw his personal eight-game winning streak come to an end.
Josh Reavis and Chris Coia had two hits each for the Highlanders.
Indiana took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Hartong delivered an RBI single after Casey Rodrigue’s one-out triple, and the Hoosiers extended the lead to 4-0 with three more runs in the fourth. Wilhite had a two-run double during the rally, and Ramos capped it with a run-scoring triple. The Hoosiers padded their advantage with more runs in the seventh, highlighted by Dedelow’s towering two-run homer to right field, to build a 7-0 lead.
Radford squandered a golden scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first, when a bizarre sequence spoiled the Highlanders’ chance for a big inning. Shan Johnsonbaugh and Josh Reavis opened the frame with back-to-back singles, putting runners on the corners with no outs. But Indiana escaped the inning by recording three outs on only one pitch. After Radford’s Patrick Marshall struck out looking, Radford attempted a delayed double steal, but both runners were gunned down on the bases, with Reavis being thrown out at second and Johnsonbaugh getting caught in a rundown between third and home to end the inning.