Arizona reaches CWS finale
Arizona reaches CWS finale
By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
OMAHA, Neb. — Arizona coach Andy Lopez couldn’t imagine taking a hotter team to the College World Series finals.
That’s where the Wildcats are heading after their 10-3 victory over Florida State on Thursday. They’ll go into the best-of-three championship round Sunday coming off nine straight wins and 16 in their last 18 games.
“I’m not sure we’re invincible. In fact, I’m quite confident we’re not,” Lopez said. “We’re playing good baseball. But, honestly, we’ve done that for more than a weekend or so.”
Florida State gave the Wildcats lots of help, committing three of their four errors in Arizona’s six-run first inning.
Freshman starter Brandon Leibrandt was pulled after he recorded just one out for the Seminoles, who used eight pitchers to tie a CWS record for a nine-inning game.
Robert Refsnyder and Bobby Brown homered in a span of three at-bats in the fourth as the Wildcats built their lead to 10-1.
“About the easiest way to sum it up is say we got taken to the woodshed today,” FSU coach Mike Martin said.
Kurt Heyer (13-2) worked 7 1-3 innings while taking the national lead for wins as the Wildcats (46-17) won Bracket 1.
Arizona will be playing for its fourth national championship and first since 1986 after losing in regionals the past two years. The Wildcats did not qualify for the NCAA tournament in 2009.
“Having the experience of losing and feeling what it feels like to go back on a charter plane and nobody talks, it’s a depressing feeling,” Refsnyder said. “I think we’re on a mission this year, myself and Kurt and the other juniors, to really get to the College World Series, and now we’re in the position to win a national title. That’s what we came here to do.”
SOUTH CAROLINA 2
ARKANSAS 0
Freshman Jordan Montgomery and Matt Price combined on a three-hitter to lift two-time defending national champion South Carolina to a 2-0 victory over Arkansas.
South Carolina (48-18) and Arkansas (46-21) will play again Friday night to decide which team goes to the best-of-three finals against Arizona starting Sunday.
Arkansas beat South Carolina 2-1 on Monday, snapping the Gamecocks’ record 22-game winning streak in the NCAA tournament.
The Gamecocks’ runs Thursday came in the second inning on Tanner English’s double and Chase Vergason’s single.
Montgomery (6-1) struck out six and walked one in his first outing since June 3.
Randall Fant (2-3) lasted 1 1-3 innings, allowing four hits and both runs.
SOUTH CAROLINA 4
KENT ST. 1
Michael Roth pitched a two-hitter and South Carolina eliminated Kent State.
The game had been postponed by rain Wednesday.
Grayson Greiner and Chase Vergason hit consecutive RBI singles in the second inning to erase Kent State’s 1-0 lead. LB Dantzler homered in the third against Tyler Skulina (11-3).
Kent State (47-20) finished 1-2 in its first CWS appearance.
Roth (9-1) struck out eight and walked none.