LEXINGTON, Ky. – Indiana State's season came to an end on Sunday night as the Sycamores fell to No. 2 national seed and Lexington Regional host Kentucky in the Regional Final, 5-0.
 
The Sycamores' (44-15) season comes to an end as Indiana State wraps up 2024 following Sunday's loss. Kentucky (43-14) advances to the NCAA Super Regional Round and is projected to host the winner of Oregon State/UC Irvine next weekend in Lexington, Ky.
 
Indiana State advanced to the regional final on Sunday night following their 13-2 afternoon win over Illinois as the Sycamores eliminated the Fighting Illini in a rematch of the opening game of the tournament for the two teams. Kentucky topped both Western Michigan and Illinois to clear the winner's bracket in the regional before topping the Sycamores to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Kentucky took the lead in the top of the first inning as the Wildcats took advantage of an errant pickoff throw to advance Emilien Pitre into scoring position. Devin Burkes put UK on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field with Pitre sliding in ahead of the throw to take the 1-0 lead.
 
The Wildcats added to the lead in both the second and third innings as Ryan Nicholson homered against ISU starter Cole Gilley (3-1), while Nolan McCarthy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to stretch the lead to 3-0.
 
ISU threatened in the middle frames against UK starter Mason Moore (9-0) as the Sycamores put two in scoring position in the third, and additional runners in both the fourth and fifth innings. However, the UK defense kept Indiana State off the board highlighted by the play of UK shortstop Grant Smith laying out and catching a fly ball in shallow left field to keep it a 3-0 ballgame.
 
Pitre added to the Kentucky lead in the seventh inning driving a two-run home run over the left field wall scoring Smith to make it a 5-0 margin.
 
The Sycamores' final threat at the plate came in the bottom of the eighth inning as Parker Stinson led off the inning with a single and Mike Sears drew a walk putting two on with one out. UK reliever Cameron O'Brien kept ISU off the board with a pair of strikeouts to escape the jam before setting the Sycamores down in order in the ninth to close out the contest.
 
Randal Diaz had two of Indiana State's five hits in the contest to continue his 32-game hitting streak in the season finale. Sears added his 20th double of the season, while Stinson and Riley Iffrig also added hits in the loss.
 
Gilley went the first 1.2 innings allowing two hits and two runs (one earned) while walking two and striking out one. Jacob Pruitt worked 4.2 innings in relief allowing six hits and three runs while striking out a pair. Simon Gregersen struck out three over the final 2.2 innings of hitless relief.
 
Eight different players connected on hits for Kentucky highlighted by Nicholson and Pitre's home runs.
 
Moore went 6.0 innings allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six to claim the win. Jackson Nove went 0.2 innings before O'Brien went the final 2.1 frames striking out five to secure the regional win.
 
Indiana State's Randal Diaz, Dominic Listi, and Brennyn Cutts were all recognized on the Lexington Regional All-Tournament team as voted on by the media members.
 
How They Scored

• ­Kentucky took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Emilien Pitre advanced to third on an Indiana State error before scoring on Devin Burkes' sacrifice fly.
• Ryan Nicholson added to the UK lead in the top of the second with a solo home run to right field to put the Wildcats ahead 2-0.
• UK added to the lead in the third as Nolan McCarthy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded scoring Nick Lopez to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
• Pitre provided the final 5-0 scoring margin in the top of the seventh inning with a two-run home run into the UK bullpen beyond the left field wall.

News & Notes

• Randal Diaz extended his hitting streak to 32 consecutive games and his on-base streak to 38 contests to close out the 2024 season.
• Diaz's 32-game hitting streak is the longest in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era at Indiana State.
• Mike Sears' 20 doubles tied J.C. Baker (1999) and Robby Ort (2012) for the sixth-most in a single season in Indiana State baseball history.
• Sears finished the 2024 season with 45 extra-base hits among his 57 hits in the 2024 season. The mark included setting ISU's single-season home run record with 24 home runs, while adding 20 doubles and a triple.
• Randal Diaz's 91 hits marked him the first Indiana State player to eclipse the 90-hit threshold since Clint Barmes recorded 93 hits over 248 at-bats in the 2000 season.
• Sears finished the season winning the team's overall RBI title with 77 RBIs to top Luis Hernandez (76).
• Indiana State's pitching staff combined to post 592 strikeouts over the course of the 2024 season, surpassing the previous school record of 538 set back in 1985.
• The Indiana State 2024 senior class combined to post 148 wins over the last four years, including an 89-30 mark over the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
• The Senior Class participated in three NCAA Regionals (2021, 2023, 2024) and advanced to the program's first NCAA Super Regional (2023) in program history.
• Also included in the 2024 Senior Class' legacy is winning back-to-back MVC Regular Season titles for the first time in program history, as well as winning the 2023 MVC Tournament Championship.
• Indiana State was shutout for the first time since April 23, 2022, a span of 139 consecutive games in which the Sycamores had scored at least one run. The streak snapped the previous best mark set from May 1, 1982, to May 27, 1984, a stretch of 122 consecutive games. 

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