We're at day 2 of the Gary Regional in beautiful downtown Gary, Indiana, and it looks like Valparaiso will be the first team going home from this regional. The Crusaders have been game so far, but a total of seven errors in two games have led to seven unearned runs this weekend out of the 14 runs they have surrendered. You just cannot do that as a No. 4 seed and expect to advance.
So the Wildcats will survive to tomorrow to face off against the loser of our game. That's doubly good for Purdue tonight should it win, as another Kent State-Kentucky game tomorrow in the first game assures we're getting a very tired team in the championship round.
Consider this tonight's open thread. I am once again at the Railcats ballpark in Gary thanks to the generosity of the athletic department and Ben Turner, our baseball SID. Let's get another win to be fully in control toward advancing.
Other regionals of note:
Waco Regional: No. 4 national Seed Baylor stays alive by eliminating Texas-Arlington 11-6.
Palo Alto Regional: Big Ten brother Michigan State goes 0-2 with an 8-2 loss to Fresno State.
Houston Regional: Priairie View A&M is the first team out with a 4-2 loss to Sam Houston State. again, the first team Purdue would face in Omaha would be the Waco/Houston Super Regional winner.
Coral Gables Regional: Miami showed zero interest in actually playing while hosting, losing to Missouri State (whom Purdue beat)12-2. The Hurricanes become the first to go 0-2 since 2007 and just the seventh since the tourney expanded to 64 teams. Kentucky has every right to be pissed.