ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech ended its recent history of upset
losses in the NCAA super regionals by beating College of Charleston
12-3 Saturday, completing a two-game sweep to earn its first
College World Series berth since 2002.
Whit Robbins and Jeff Kindel hit two-run homers and Lee Hyde
gave up six hits and two earned runs in eight innings as Tech
(50-16) earned its third CWS berth, all in 13 seasons under coach
Danny Hall. In Hall's first season in 1994, Tech lost in the CWS
championship game.
Joey Friddle hit a home run for Charleston (46-17), but the
Cougars didn't have enough power to keep up with the Yellow
Jackets. Tech has hit 10 homers in five NCAA Tournament games,
including four in the super regional. Robbins had three hits and
drove in three runs.
Hyde (6-0), a left-hander drafted in the fourth round of last week's first-year player MLB draft
by the Atlanta Braves, retired 11 straight batters before issuing a
one-out walk in the seventh. Of his six hits allowed, three didn't
leave the infield.
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South Carolina 15, Georgia 6
ATHENS, Ga. -- South Carolina homered eight times, including
a record-tying five in a row, to rout host Georgia 15-6 Saturday in the
first game of their NCAA super regional.
Already leading 3-0 on Andrew Crisp's homer in the first inning,
South Carolina (41-23) got consecutive homers in the second from
Neil Giesler, Justin Smoak, Phil Disher, Crisp and Robbie
Grinestaff to take a 9-0 lead.
Starter and loser Mickey Westphal (7-2) gave up the first three
and reliever Stephen Dodson the other two. All five came with two
out in the inning.
South Carolina tied the collegiate record set by Eastern
Illinois against Morehead State in the fifth inning of their game
April 10, 1998.
South Carolina's James Darnell and Grinestaff added three-run
homers to put Georgia (45-21) in a must-win situation in Sunday's
game. Georgia never has lost an NCAA elimination game in Athens.
South Carolina pitcher Harris Honeycutt (7-0) became the first
Gamecock pitcher to solve Georgia this year. The Bulldogs swept the
Gamecocks in a three-game SEC series here in early May.
Clemson 6, Oral Roberts 5
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Stan Widmann's two-out, two-run single in
the eighth inning put Clemson ahead for good and lifted the Tigers
into the College World Series.
Widmann's hit capped a second straight late-game rally for
Clemson (52-14) against the Golden Eagles. Tyler Colvin had a
walk-off grand slam in the ninth in the Tigers' 11-8
come-from-behind victory Friday.
Down 5-3 heading into the eighth, Taylor Harbin's RBI single cut
into the lead. After a walk to power-hitting Andy D'Alessio loaded
the bases, Widmann hit a rising liner to left out of reach of
shortstop Tim Torres that brought home Colvin and Harbin.
Widmann rounded first, then pumped his fist in celebration as
the crowd cheered loudly at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Reliever David Kopp (6-1) earned the win for Clemson while
Golden Eagles reliever Erik Crichton (5-1) suffered the loss.
Rice 10, Oklahoma 4
HOUSTON -- Rice's Brian Friday and Josh Rodriguez hit
consecutive home runs in a four-run first inning to lead the Owls
to a 10-4 win over Oklahoma Saturday in the opener of a
best-of-three NCAA super regional series.
The Owls (54-10) and Sooners meet Sunday in the second game of
the series at Rice's Reckling Park. A third game, if necessary,
would be played Monday.
Rice roughed up Oklahoma starter Steven Guerra for six earned
runs in just 1 2/3 innings. The Owls, who led 4-0 after one inning
and 6-2 through the second, hit four home runs off Sooner pitching.
After Rice leadoff hitter Tyler Henley was hit a by a pitch in
the first inning, Greg Buchanan delivered a single to right. One
pitch later, Friday ripped his three-run shot just inside the pole
down the left field line. Oklahoma head coach Sunny Golloway
disputed the home run call, but replays showed Friday's blast to be
fair.
Rodriguez then crushed another Guerra pitch well beyond the wall
in left-center field for a 4-0 lead. Oklahoma (44-21) cut the lead
to 4-2 on a run-scoring single by center fielder Joseph Hughes and
an error by shortstop Friday. However, Rice continued to pound
Oklahoma pitching and finished with 14 hits, including
seventh-inning home runs from Aaron Luna and Danny Lehmann.
Eddie Degerman (13-1) allowed three earned runs and struck out
eight in 6 2/3 innings. Guerra (11-4) suffered the loss.
A Rice win Sunday would send the Owls to their fifth College
World Series and first since Rice won the title in 2003.
Mississippi 11, Miami 9
OXFORD, Miss. -- Zack Cozart and Mark Wright homered to help
Mississippi rally from a six-run deficit and beat Miami in Game 1
of the Oxford Super Regional.
Wright's game-tying three-run drive capped a six-run fifth
inning and Cozart's RBI single one inning later put the Rebels
ahead to stay.
They helped the surging Rebels (44-20) win their ninth straight
and move within one victory of their first College World Series
berth since 1972.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Sunday night.
Miami led 9-3 before the Rebels tied it by scoring six runs with
two outs in the fifth.
Craig Rodriguez (5-3) worked 4 1-3 innings in relief of starter
for the win.
Garrett White pitched two innings and gave up one hit for his
11th save.
Andrew Lane (1-1) allowed hits to three of the four batters he
faced in his first loss since 2003.
North Carolina 8, Alabama 7
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Chad Flack hit a three-run homer in the
eighth inning and a two-run shot in the ninth, lifting North
Carolina over Alabama and into the College World Series.
Flack's two-out shot over the right-field fence in the bottom of
the ninth sent the Tar Heels (50-13) to Omaha for the first time
since 1989.
Alabama (44-21) appeared poised to avoid a sweep in the
best-of-three series.
Alex Avila's three-run homer in the top of the ninth off closer
Andrew Carignan (2-3) gave the Crimson Tide a 7-6 lead.
That came after Flack's three-run shot over the left-field
scoreboard in the eighth gave the Tar Heels their first lead of the
game.
Cal St. Fullerton 9, Missouri 1
FULLERTON, Calif. -- Cal St. Fullerton pitcher Lauren
Gagnier took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and struck out nine
as the Titans earned their 14th trip to the College World Series.
The entire team ran out of the dugout and piled on one another
in the middle of the infield, celebrating a dominant weekend in
which they scored 16 runs and held Missouri to just two in two
games. Fullerton (48-13) will start a three game series against
North Carolina on Friday in Omaha, Neb. North Carolina upset
fourth-seeded Alabama in dramatic fashion earlier in the day.
Fullerton's offense spotted Gagnier a three-run lead before he
ever took the mound and used two big innings to prevent Missouri
(35-28) from ever coming close.
Nathanial Culp (11-6) took the loss for Missouri.
Oregon State 4, Stanford 3
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Dallas Buck pitched eight strong innings
to help Oregon State beat Stanford.
Oregon State catcher Mitch Canham doubled in Bill Rowe for the
go-ahead run in the eighth and junior Kevin Gunderson pitched the
ninth for his 17th save.
Stanford junior Greg Reynolds (7-6), the No. 2 pick in the major
league draft, allowed seven hits and struck out nine. But the
6-foot-7 junior walked in one run and balked in another.
Buck (12-2), a third round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks,
struck out six and walked two.<