Posted by Brian Bennett
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Hello again from Jim Patterson Field, where Indiana and Vanderbilt are getting ready to play an elimination game.
Just based on the way each team played Friday, you'd have to favor Vanderbilt today. Indiana was clearly rattled by the large crowd and the pressure of the program's first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996. The Hoosiers committed three errors and lost to host Louisville, 8-2.
The Commodores got off to a shaky start against Middle Tennessee State, but they played well enough to win the rest of the way before falling just short, 5-4.
But the Hoosiers would appear to have the advantage on the mound. Junior Matt Bashore, who struck out 101 batters in 90.2 innings this season, is a potential first- or second-round pick in the June 9 amateur draft. Vandy will counter with a freshman, Sonny Gray, who had a 5.14 ERA this season.
Indiana has made a few changes to its starting lineup, but coach Tracy Smith said on Friday night that the team wouldn't be doing a lot scouting of Vanderbilt before the game.
"Hoosiers don't watch much tape," he said, adding that his philosophy is for the players to focus on themselves instead of the opponent.
Louisville had the fifth-largest crowd among regional sites on Friday night. It will be interesting to see how the crowds are today because traffic around the stadium could be a mess. There's a Kenny Chesney concert next door at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, and Churchill Downs is running a couple of blocks away. There's also an NCAA track and field regional just down the street.
Here are your starting lineups:
INDIANA (32-26)
CF Brian Lambert
1B Jerrud Sabourin
C Josh Phegley
DH Alex Dickerson
LF Kipp Schutz
RF Evan Crawford
3B Vince Gonzalez
2B Tyler Rogers
SS Jake Dunning
LHP Matt Bashore
VANDERBILT (34-26)
SS Brian Harris
CF Jonathan White
1B Curt Casali
RF Steven Liddle
C Andrew Giobbi
DH Aaron Westlake
LF Joe Loftus
3B Jason Esposito
2B Riley Reynolds
RHP Sonny Gray
ESPN.com Staff
