NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin worried when Kumar Rocker came off the mound after a first inning when the freshman pitcher hit Duke center fielder Kennie Taylor with a pitch near the left eye.
Taylor returned to the Duke dugout after a trip to a hospital for tests.
Rocker settled down and pitched the eighth no-hitter in NCAA tournament history striking out a career-high 19 as Vanderbilt beat Duke 3-0 on Saturday night to force the Nashville Super Regional to a deciding third game.
Corbin called Rocker's reaction after hitting Taylor the pivotal moment, something most players can't rebound from during a game. Corbin said he was glad to see Taylor was OK.
"For Kumar, when he came off the field you could tell he was a little bit shaken,'' Corbin said. "When he comes in, he slams my hand every time. He comes in, and he didn't. I was thinking I hope he can get through that moment and he did.''
Rocker tied his previous career best through five innings with 10 strikeouts, and he retired 13 of 15 Duke batters throwing 99 mph in the first inning and 97 mph in the ninth. He struck out four in the fifth with one of the batters he struck out reaching first base on a third strike wild pitch. Rocker walked only two and threw 131 pitches with 89 of those being strikes.
"Whenever we got that one run, I was like 'All right. I got to go shut 'em down so like we can keep this game rolling, we can get out of here with a win,''' Rocker said. "Got past that inning, and I just kept rolling from there.''
Rocker (10-5) had not thrown more than 105 pitches in a game, but Corbin said the 6-foot-4, 255-pound pitcher deserved to finish. Rocker struck out the side swinging in the bottom of the ninth. He walked off the mound and bumped fists with catcher Philip Clarke before being mobbed by teammates.
"The eighth [inning] was the one I had to get over,'' Rocker said. "The ninth came. I said 'I'm here, I might as well do it.'''
Said Clarke: "I have the best view of Kumar pitching in the whole park, so just try not to take that for granted, just try to work with him and help him get whatever he needs to reach that milestone. It's pretty awesome.''
It was the first no-hitter in the NCAA tournament since Florida's Jonathon Crawford blanked Bethune-Cookman on June 1, 2012, and the first since the super regional round was instituted in 1999. It also was the first no-hitter by a Vandy pitcher since Doug Wessel did it to Belmont on April 19, 1971.
Rocker also set a school record for strikeouts in an NCAA tournament game, topping David Price's 17 against Austin Peay on June 1, 2007. Price, now with the Boston Red Sox, noted Rocker was trying to keep the Commodores' season alive.
Taylor returned to the Duke dugout after a trip to a hospital for tests.
Rocker settled down and pitched the eighth no-hitter in NCAA tournament history striking out a career-high 19 as Vanderbilt beat Duke 3-0 on Saturday night to force the Nashville Super Regional to a deciding third game.
Corbin called Rocker's reaction after hitting Taylor the pivotal moment, something most players can't rebound from during a game. Corbin said he was glad to see Taylor was OK.
"For Kumar, when he came off the field you could tell he was a little bit shaken,'' Corbin said. "When he comes in, he slams my hand every time. He comes in, and he didn't. I was thinking I hope he can get through that moment and he did.''
Rocker tied his previous career best through five innings with 10 strikeouts, and he retired 13 of 15 Duke batters throwing 99 mph in the first inning and 97 mph in the ninth. He struck out four in the fifth with one of the batters he struck out reaching first base on a third strike wild pitch. Rocker walked only two and threw 131 pitches with 89 of those being strikes.
"Whenever we got that one run, I was like 'All right. I got to go shut 'em down so like we can keep this game rolling, we can get out of here with a win,''' Rocker said. "Got past that inning, and I just kept rolling from there.''
Rocker (10-5) had not thrown more than 105 pitches in a game, but Corbin said the 6-foot-4, 255-pound pitcher deserved to finish. Rocker struck out the side swinging in the bottom of the ninth. He walked off the mound and bumped fists with catcher Philip Clarke before being mobbed by teammates.
"The eighth [inning] was the one I had to get over,'' Rocker said. "The ninth came. I said 'I'm here, I might as well do it.'''
Said Clarke: "I have the best view of Kumar pitching in the whole park, so just try not to take that for granted, just try to work with him and help him get whatever he needs to reach that milestone. It's pretty awesome.''
It was the first no-hitter in the NCAA tournament since Florida's Jonathon Crawford blanked Bethune-Cookman on June 1, 2012, and the first since the super regional round was instituted in 1999. It also was the first no-hitter by a Vandy pitcher since Doug Wessel did it to Belmont on April 19, 1971.
Rocker also set a school record for strikeouts in an NCAA tournament game, topping David Price's 17 against Austin Peay on June 1, 2007. Price, now with the Boston Red Sox, noted Rocker was trying to keep the Commodores' season alive.
