Mason Moore Punches Kentucky's Ticket to Second Super Regional in Program History

Kentucky is headed to Baton Rouge.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the second time in program history, Kentucky baseball is headed to a Super Regional. 

In what was a tense affair in front of a sold-out Kentucky Proud Park crowd that totaled 6,794, the Wildcats protected home turf against border-rivals Indiana in a 4-2 thriller, winning the NCAA Tournament Lexington Regional win-or-go-home finale. 

Three doubles from Devin Burkes, Hunter Gilliam and Ryan Waldschmidt broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth, finally breaking Indiana starting pitcher Ty Bothwell, who had allowed just one hit through five innings. 

After Kentucky starter Darren Williams minimized damage as he labored through 4.0 innings, head coach Nick Mingione turned to trusty reliever Mason Moore, who continued his breakout postseason by firing 5.0 more scoreless innings on Monday night, shutting down the Hoosier bats in the biggest spot of the season.

Indiana got the tying run up to the plate with two outs, but all CF Bobby Whalen could collect was a groundout to second. Indiana out-hit the Cats 9-6, but failed to capitalize on multiple early scoring chances, going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Burkes was the only Wildcat with multiple hits, while Gilliam led the way with two RBIs. 

"I'm just trying to come through for my team. That's all it is," Burkes said. "That's all you've got to do in big situations. It's fun."

The victory gives Kentucky, the No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the season series over the Hoosiers, three games to one. The Wildcats, who lost to the IU on Saturday, won three elimination games in a row to take the Regional crown.

"That is what we dreamed and hoped of one day, that we would see all those people in there," Mingione said of the electric atmosphere postgame. "Our student-athletes would get a chance to celebrate and win a championship. So I'm super thankful for them and proud of our team."

Indiana proved scrappy from the jump, taking a 1-0 lead before Williams could record an out. Shortstop Phillip Glasser led off the game with an infield single after fouling off four pitches. After falling behind 0-2, Whalen fought a pitch off, then executed a hit-and-run, serving a double into the right-center gap, scoring Glasser from first. 

In total, the Hoosiers fouled off nine pitches in what was a 24-pitch frame for the UK starter. Following a mound visit from pitching coach Dan Roszel, Williams stranded Whalen on third, striking out back-to-back batters, limiting the damage to one. 

Kentucky didn't have to do much to strike back in its first time up at bat, however. Indiana sent Bothwell to the bump, just three days removed from throwing 48 pitches against West Virginia.

Following a leadoff single from Jackson Gray, a pair of walks loaded the bags for second baseman Émilien Pitre. He and Gilliam each did a job, serving a couple of sacrifice flies, scoring two runs to put UK ahead, 2-1. 

Williams' stress-filled day on the mound was just getting started. Indiana got its leadoff man on base in all four innings it faced the Maysville, Ky. native. The Hoosiers tied the game 2-2 in the top of the second, though they could've easily taken the lead. 

With the bases loaded and nobody out, IU catcher Peter Serruto poked a nubber behind the 3B bag. Jase Felker ranged back to field the ball, meanwhile, lead-runner Josh Pyne didn't immediately take off for home plate, allowing Felker to make an easy throw to Burkes for the first out of the inning. 

Glasser reached on a fielder's choice to score the run, but Williams again held the Hoosiers to one, getting Whalen to ground out, ending the threat.

"Our ability to minimize -- Darren, he'll keep you on the edge of your seat, won't you? We're at UT a couple weeks ago, it's like, man, he'll keep you on there," Mingione said of his starter. "But he gave us everything he had. What a warrior. What a warrior Darren Williams is. And Mason was fantastic."

Indiana RF Devin Taylor was credited with a double to begin the top of the third, as Gray lost sight of the shallow flair in center via the sun. An errant pickoff attempt from Williams then moved Taylor to third with no outs, beginning the Houdini act from the righty. 

It was a strikeout of 1B Brock Tibbitts and a foul out behind home plate from DH Carter Mathison that quickly sat two down. Pyne then smashed a liner right at Pitre, who hardly had to move to record the final out of the frame, which was somehow a scoreless one for IU. 

Kentucky needed it to be, too, because Bothwell turned into an entirely different pitcher following his shaky first inning. The crafty lefty's next four innings saw just 14 batters and zero hits. He fanned three in the third, stranding a runner that reached due to an error from Pyne at third base.

Still tied, Mingione went to the lights-out Moore in the fifth. The right-hander, who recorded 15 outs in 14 batters faced in the Regional opener vs. Ball State on Friday, didn't skip a beat, collecting his first three outs of the evening on just seven pitches. 

UK finally got to Bothwell in the sixth, as Burkes and Gilliam smoked near-mirror-image doubles down the left-field line, breaking the tie. After a walk, Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer went to the bullpen, bringing in Brayden Risedorph. 

"(Bothwell) competed with a bunch of pitches in the zone," Gilliam said. "And I think the third time through, you put in so much time and you put in so much work -- and Devo is the king of work. And we get after it. It was just I think good things happen to good people and we both got good swings off in a big-time moment. It was good to see."

Waldschmidt greeted the freshman with another RBI double, scolding the third pitch of the AB to the wall, over the head of Whalen in right-center, scoring Gilliam. That was all the offense Moore needed for the rest of the night. 

All Indiana could muster was four harmless singles and a walk, as the sinker-baller struck out five. 

"He's special," Mingione said of Moore. "And if you were to go back and look at our season, he's right in the middle of a lot of our wins. And he's super talented. The bowling ball is exactly what it's like trying to hit it."

"I was just out there throwing," Moore said. "I knew I had a job to do. And we knew they'd be attacking early, swinging early. I have trust, I have faith in the defense. I knew my job was to go out there, attack the strike zone, let our defense make plays."

Kentucky will now head to a familiar ballpark for its Super Regional this weekend, as the No. 5 overall seed LSU Tigers await in Baton Rouge.

The Wildcats went to Alex Box Stadium for a series back in April, winning one of three games, which included a one-run loss in a rubber match. Super Regionals will take place from June 9-12 as the Cats are one step closer to reaching the College World Series for the first time in program history.

"Omaha, you're two wins away now," Williams said.

Game recap of Kentucky's 4-0 win over Ball State can be found HERE.

Game recap of Indiana's 5-3 win over the Wildcats can be found HERE.

Game recap of Kentucky's 10-0 win over West Virginia can be found HERE.

Game recap of Kentucky's 16-6 win over Indiana can be found HERE.

• For a complete preview of the action this weekend in Lexington, click HERE.
• For some UK baseball postseason lore, click HERE.
• Everything Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said about the draw HERE.
• More on Mingione HERE.
• More on Kentucky's pitching staff heading into the postseason HERE.
• Find out which Kentuckians are returning to their home state to play HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.