Box score

CARY, N.C.-  The UIndy baseball team's run at a national title ended prematurely at the NCAA Division II Championship Tuesday.  The 11th-ranked Greyhounds (46-16) mustered just three hits in a 13-2 loss to the No. 1 Saint Mary's Rattlers, marking the Hounds' second defeat at the double-elimination finals.


Not only were the Rattlers (49-10) the nation's top-ranked team, but they also had Division II Pitcher of the Year Carl O'Neal on the mound.  The All-American came into the day with a 2.27 ERA and a perfect 13-0 record.

The Greyhounds also saw a 5.1 walks-per-game average from the junior right hander, however, and hoped to find the anti-venom in patience.

Things began well for UIndy, as senior Mike Page saw six pitches during his leadoff walk in the bottom of the first.  Page advanced to third on a throwing error and touched home after a wild pitch to give the Hounds the early lead.

Meanwhile, UIndy pitcher JaVaun West had a steller start to his outing.  The all-region hurler retired the first seven hitters he faced, including three via strikeout.

But after St. Mary's pushed across an unearned run in the third to tie it up, the Rattler offense began to click, starting with a two-run jack from first baseman Tyler Migl in the fourth.

West responded by striking out the next two hitters to end the inning, but the nation's top-ranked club tacked on two more runs (one unearned) in the fifth to push the lead to four.

St. Mary's kept the pedal down, building a 7-1 advantage before the Greyhounds earned their first hit -- a Brandon Stevens pinch-hit single in the sixth.

After his no-hitter was broken up, O'Neal went on to pitch eight innings of two-hit ball.  Though he walked seven Greyhounds, he notched eight strikeouts and surrendered just one earned run.

“We just got beat,” said UIndy third baseman Tyler O'Daniel.  “We got out-hit and (O'Neal) threw a good game.  He wasn't doing anything we haven't seen before.  It was just one of those days.  He had our number.”

UIndy got its second run in the bottom of the eighth when O'Daniel's double scored Jake Hartley from first base, but not before the Rattlers broke it open with five runs in the top half of the inning.

St. Mary's goes on to face the loser of this evening's Catawba/Delta State match-up.

One of 12 seniors on the Greyhounds roster, West (8-1) endured his first and only loss of the season Tuesday.  He fanned five in five-plus innings, while allowing seven runs (five earned) and two walks.

As a team, the Greyhounds finished 2012 with a 46-16 (.742) record, with their win total good for second in program history.

Coach Vaught gives a lot of credit to his seniors.

“We have 12 seniors and all of them will get their degree, and all did a great job off the field this year with community service and things.

"We were able to get all of our seniors in (the game) today.  They helped us get here; every one of them helped us get to the World Series.  I'm glad they all got a chance to at least pitch a little bit and bat.  They can take those memories with them.”


Notes:   First baseman Jake Hartley tied the program's single-season record for walks today, matching current Assistant Head Coach Al Ready's 55 BBs from 2000…Tuesday's game featured two head coaches with more than 1,800 combined wins…Today's result marked the sixth straight game at the championship in which the team that scored first lost.