‘We really ignited our fan base’: Historic Indiana State baseball season ends vs. TCU
FORT WORTH, Texas – A memorable Indiana State baseball season came to a sad conclusion two wins shy of a trip to the College World Series.
The Sycamores started fast but a stunning five-run outburst against pitching ace Connor Fenlong in the fourth inning carried TCU to a 6-4 victory and a sweep of the best-of-3 NCAA Division I Super Regional on Saturday evening in front of another record crowd of 8,994 at TCU’s Lupton Stadium.
"I was really proud of the way our guys played, the toughness they showed,'' said Indiana State head coach Mitch Hannahs. “We’ve had success before but this is the first time I really feel we really ignited our fan base. I’ve never seen it like this. Not just that they were winning, but the way they won.’’
Indiana State (45-17), ranked No. 14 nationally and champion of the Missouri Valley Conference and Terre Haute Regional, had not lost two games in a row since mid-March and came into the Super Regional with 37 wins in 41 games.
TCU (42-22), champion of the Big 12 tournament and the Fayetteville Regional, secured its sixth trip to the CWS and its first since 2017.
Indiana State turned to its ace, Missouri Valley Pitcher of the Year Fenlong (11-3) to try to force a Game 3. The 6-4, 225-pound senior from upstate New York has been a workhorse, lasting at least eight innings in nine of his previous 15 starts.
In four of his last five appearances Fenlong had not allowed a run but he departed with two out in the seventh inning after 110 pitches, having allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits with six strikeouts, giving way to save leader Jared Spencer.
"I thought Connor did an amazing job of coming back after the fourth inning,'' said Hannahs. "A lot of guys don't.''
Never overestimate the value of working a walk. TCU’s Brayden Taylor long battle with Fenlong drew a one-out walk to set the stage for a five-run fourth. It seemed to take the edge off Fenlong, who had not allowed a hit through the first three innings.
Cole Fontenelle doubled Taylor to third and Tre Richardson’s high-hop infield single drove in the first Frog run. Kurtis Byrne followed with a similar chop and third baseman Mike Sears’ throw pulled first baseman Miguel Rivera for an error.
Anthony Silva’s RBI single gave TCU its first lead of 3-2. Luke Boyers made it 4-2 with a hustling double and Austin Davis’ infield grounder to third plated the fifth run.
Indiana State wasted no time with a pair of clutch two-out hits in the top of the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Keegan Watson, who accounted for Indiana State’s only run on Friday with a solo home run, grounded a single just beyond the reach of TCU shortstop Silva and Rivera followed with a bloop RBI single to left field.
Randal Diaz led off the game with a single and Adam Pottinger, who saw his streak of reaching base in 36 consecutive games stopped on Friday, drew a walk.
In just two innings the Sycamores had already equaled Friday’s hit total of four and surpassed its run output.
Fontenelle tacked on the sixth TCU with a solo homer into the overflow crowd beyond the right field fence, his 14th of the season and second in as many days.
Indiana State came clawing back with two runs in the sixth. Rivera greeted TCU freshman reliever Ben Abeldt with an RBI double and Grant Magill’s bouncer to first base plated Rivera to bring the Sycamores within two, 6-4.
Rivera led Indiana State's attack with three of its 10 hits.
Pottinger came through with his first hit of the series, a two-out double, but in a key defensive play was picked off second base on catcher Karson Bowen’s throw with Richardson applying the tag. Indiana State had leadoff hits in the final two innings, but the threats died on a double play in the eighth and a fine running catch by TCU centerfielder Elijah Nunez in the ninth.
TCU senior Sam Stoutenborough (5-0) earned the victory. Ben Abeldt relieved in the sixth and Garrett Wright pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.
"I knew Indiana State would be tough,'' said TCU coach Kirk Saarloos. "That's a great team that was ready to play. Hats off to them.''
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana State baseball: Historic season ends vs. TCU in Super Regional
