NASHVILLE -- Indiana State surrendered each of their first four runs with two outs to No. 2 nationally-ranked Vanderbilt before the Commodores broke a close game open late as the Sycamores fell 8-5 on the second day of the NCAA Nashville Regional. While the Sycamores were the home team on the scoreboard the game was held at Vanderbilt's Hawkins Field and the game was a complete sellout of over 3,500 fans.
 
ISU fell to 42-17 on the season while Vanderbilt improved to 51-10. With their win, Vanderbilt reaches the Nashville Regional Championship Game while Indiana State and Ohio State will battle it out on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET for the right to face the Commodores.
 
Sycamore starting pitcher Collin Liberatore went six and a third innings against Vanderbilt surrendering four runs on five hits while fanning eight. All four of the runs which he gave up to the Commodores came with two outs. Liberatore fell to 10-2 on the season but now has 80 strikeouts on the season.
 
Jake Means, Jarrod Watkins, Clay Dungan and CJ Huntley each recorded multiple of hit in the contest. Huntley led the way with a 3-of-4 showing, including a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Roby Enriquez drove in the Sycamores' run in the bottom of the first inning. Dungan and Means each added an RBI in the ninth inning. The Sycamores scattered 12 hits in the contest while Vanderbilt recorded nine.
 
In a game where the Sycamores were the home team on the Commodores' Hawkins Field, ISU was able to jump out to an early lead following a perfect inning from right-hander Collin Liberatore to open the game. Indiana State picked up back-to-back singles from seniors Clay Dungan and Jake Means before both runners were moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Roby Enriquez brought home the leadoff man in Dungan with an RBI groundout to shortstop to put ISU on the scoreboard. 
 
Liberatore was solid again in the second, recording the first two outs of the frame before Vanderbilt rallied for a trio of runs to take a lead. Stephen Scott singled to center, Harrison Ray worked a walk to put a runner in scoring position. Ty Duvall singled to right field to knot the game at one before Julian Infante doubled in a pair of runs with a ball to the gap in left center.
 
The Commodores tacked another two-out run in the top of the fifth inning when Austin Martin led off with a walk and after recording a pair of outs including a spectacular sliding over-the-shoulder catch by Dungan in shallow left field ranging from his shortstop position, Philip Clarke was hit by a pitch. Then with runners at first and second, Pat DeMarco doubled off the high wall in left field to score Martin and stretch the lead out to 4-1.
 
The Sycamores brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning after a ground ball reached the right field wall off the bat of Jarrod Watkins and then Roby Enriquez hit a high chopper towards first base. Enriquez hustled out of the batter's box and sold out by diving towards the bag to beat the Vandy pitcher Kumar Rocker and put runners at the corner with a two-out opportunity. Rocker bounced back to strike out Chris Ayers to end the threat and keep the Vandy lead at 4-1.
 
In the top of the ninth inning, Ethan Paul drilled a two-run double with the bases loaded to stretch the Vanderbilt lead out to 6-1. Vanderbilt's Stephen Scott reached on a fielder's choice for the second out of the frame but the Commodores' JJ Bleday crossed the plate to extend their advantage out to 7-1. Harrison Ray singled up the middle with two outs to score Paul from third base to which pushed Vanderbilt ahead 8-1.
 
The Sycamores kept the pressure on when CJ Huntley led off the bottom of the ninth inning with his second home run of the season. That big fly cut the Vanderbilt lead down to 8-2. Max Wright, Ellison Hanna and Brandt Nowaskie all reached to load the bases. Then Clay Dungan drove in Wright to further whittle the Commodore cushion down to 8-3.
 
Jake Means battled at the plate with the bases loaded and appeared to ground into a fielder's choice after Vanderbilt's Ethan Paul made a tremendous diving stop. But as he stood up to fire to second base, the ball went wild into right field which allowed Nowaskie and Hanna to score as ISU found itself down just 8-5. That brought the tying run to the plate with runners on first and second and no one out. A strikeout and double play ended the Sycamore rally with the tying run at the plate for each of the final two at bats.
 
NEXT UP
The Sycamores will face off against Ohio State on Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m. ET with a berth into the Nashville Regional Championship Game on the line. The winner of the game between the Sycamores and Buckeyes will take on host Vanderbilt in that Nashville Regional Championship Game Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET to try and force a winner take all Championship game Monday.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.