Will Moore's heroics deliver season-altering walk-off win for Indiana
Indiana’s freshman third baseman Will Moore didn’t win the game with a towering home run or a moment of bravado.
He won it with a 2-2 swing and a freshman’s poise, lining a two-out walk-off single into left-center that sent Indiana spilling out of the dugout — delivering a 7-6 win for the Hoosiers that maybe, just maybe, can turn the tide on their season.
“I couldn’t feel my legs,” Moore said after the game. “This might be the best feeling of all time.”
Indiana had been quiet through seven innings against Maryland starter Kyle McCoy, a left-hander who diced through the Hoosiers’ lineup with little resistance.
Heading into the bottom of the eighth, Indiana trailed 6-1 and had just four hits. The outlook was bleak.
Then the bats woke up.
Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley and junior second baseman Tyler Cerny jump-started the rally with back-to-back singles.
Hogan Denny knocked them both in to cut the deficit to three. That set the stage for Cooper Malamazian, whose two-run home run brought the Hoosiers within a run and brought the crowd to life.
Next up was Moore. He didn’t try to match the homer. He got on base with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout.
Moments later, he crossed home to tie the game on a Korbyn Dickerson RBI single.
“Just get on base. We need base runners,” Moore said of that eighth-inning at-bat. “That’s really all.”
Head coach Jeff Mercer called it the turning point of the night.
“That’s the most critical at-bat,” Mercer said. “When you’re down by one, getting the next guy on is the hardest thing. It keeps the pressure on.”
The bullpen did its part to keep the door open. Senior left-hander Ryan Kraft threw 4 1/3 innings in relief, allowing two runs on six hits.
He was followed by Jacob Vogel and Ben Grable, who combined for three scoreless innings, with Grable striking out two in the ninth.
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“Everybody did their job tonight,” Kraft said. “So it was really fun.”
With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Indiana had two runners on with two outs and Moore coming to the plate again.
The plan was once againsimple: put the ball in play.
“If it’s anything close, swing,” Moore said. “The last thing I want is to watch something go by for strike three.”
He didn’t. And the Hoosiers erupted.
The hit — clocked at 101 mph off the bat — was Moore’s first of the night and the biggest of his young career.
It marked Indiana’s third walk-off win of the season and second during conference play. All three game-winners have come from underclassmen.
The Hoosiers, who entered the game having lost three of their last four and struggling in close games, hope this one marks a turning point.
“It’s a huge momentum swing,” Kraft said. “We’ve had struggles going late into games down a few runs.”
Mercer echoed the sentiment.
“It’s huge. It’s a big deal,” he said. “To come all the way back, to tie it … and then to get it done with two strikes and two outs was a huge deal.”
With the back third of the season still ahead, the Hoosiers now has something real to build on — and a freshman who didn’t try to do too much, but delivered everything they needed.
