KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - With a trip to the championship game of the Knoxville Regional on the line, Indiana faced perhaps its biggest challenges of the season, top-seeded Tennessee.
The Volunteers entered the weekend as the No. 1 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and they showed why in a commanding 12-6 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Flame throwing righty Connor Foley got the start for Indiana and after making it through the first inning unscathed, Tennessee -- one of the top offenses in the nation -- got to the sophomore in the second.
A pair of two-run homers off of Foley in the second put the Volunteers on top early in the ball game.
Foley struggled with free passes all evening long, especially in the second inning. The Jasper, Indiana native issued three of his seven walks -- a new career-high for Foley -- in the top half of the second frame.
"Connor, it wasn't that he wasn't competitive," Mercer explained. "The free bases were what did us in. It's something that he has to battle and get better at. You're playing a great team and they make you pay for those mistakes."
After walking in a run with one away in the third, Foley was pulled in favor of lefty Ryan Kraft.
Two batters into Kraft's relief appearance, the junior surrendered a grand slam that put Tennessee up 9-0.
Indiana's offense didn't remain dormant throughout the entire contest, as the Hoosiers put up six runs on the night.
"I thought we did a good job overall," Mercer said. "We were competitive, tough and put balls in play and used the whole field. Offensively, I thought we were fine. We just left too many guys on base."
A singular run in the fourth and a two-spot in the eighth joined Devin Taylor' three-run jack in the third inning as the Hoosiers' scoring for the night.
Following the 12-6 loss to Tennessee on Saturday, Indiana will take part in an elimination game at 12 p.m. on Sunday against Southern Miss, the team the Hoosiers opened the regional with a win against.
"Obviously you're in do-or-die mode now," Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer said postgame. "This is a mature group that's been through the battle. You have to show up and compete."
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