STARKVILLE, Miss. — Cesar Salazar hit a game-winning, two-out single in the 11th inning to cap an improbable comeback and Arizona rallied to beat Mississippi State 6-5 on Saturday night and advance to the College World Series.
Arizona (44-21) is headed to Omaha for the first time since winning the national title in 2012. The Wildcats trailed 5-1 going into the eighth inning, but Ryan Aguilar’s three-run home run jolted the team’s offense awake.
“I try to pride myself on knowing what to say,” Arizona Coach Jay Johnson said. “But right now I’m just speechless.”
Arizona added another run in the ninth to force extra innings and then Salazar, a freshman catcher, smacked a bouncing ball through the right side of the infield for the deciding hit in the bestof-three series.
“I knew he was throwing a lot of sliders, so I was sitting on a slider,” Salazar said. “I got my pitch and executed.”
Mississippi State (44-18-1) got two solo home runs from Brent Rooker and 5 1/3 solid innings from starter Austin Sexton.
But the Bulldogs’ bullpen failed to hold the lead. Ryan Rigby gave up the three-run home run, Reid Humphreys the tying run and Blake Smith the game winner.
Mississippi State was cruising after Rooker’s second home run of the night in the eighth inning put the Bulldogs up 5-1. But Arizona’s Aguilar quieted the crowd of 13,452 with his three-run shot over the right field wall.
Mississippi State still led 5-4 going into the ninth, but Alfonso Rivas hit a game-tying single. The Bulldogs were able to send the game into extras when Smith managed to coax a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
“We achieved a lot,” Mississippi State coach John Cohen said. “But we wanted to get to Omaha.”
GAINSVILLE, FLA.
FLORIDA STATE 3, FLORIDA 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Drew Carlton pitched a two-hitter, Taylor Walls had an RBI double and Florida State beat rival Florida in the opening game of their NCAA super regional series.
The Seminoles (41-20), who had lost five in a row and 10 of 12 against the Gators, can clinch a spot in the College World Series with a victory today or Monday. No one should count out Florida (50-14) in the best-of-three series, though.
The Gators will have their ace on the mound for Game 2 and one of the top picks in the Major League Baseball draft — 6-foot-7 left-hander A.J. Puk — waiting to start a potential deciding game.
Still, Florida Coach Kevin O’Sullivan opting to go with sophomore righthander Alex Faedo over No. 1 starter Logan Shore raised eyebrows. Faedo (13-2), who had won his last seven starts, walked 3 and allowed 3 hits and 2 earned runs in 4 innings — his shortest outing of the season.
Carlton (8-3), meanwhile, was dominant. He retired the final 19 batters.
COLUMBIA, S.C.
OKLAHOMA STATE 5,
SOUTH CAROLINA 1
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Thomas Hatch held South Carolina to four hits over seven innings, Ryan Sluder and Collin Theroux homered and Oklahoma State moved a victory away from its first College World Series trip since 1999 with a victory in the NCAA Tournament’s super regional. Sluder’s shot to left led off the third inning and was about all the support Hatch (8-2) needed to shut down the Gamecocks (46-17) at Founders Park. Theroux added a three-run home run in the ninth to ice things.
A win today sends the Cowboys (40-20) back to Omaha.
Trey Cobb gave up a ninth-inning homer to Dom Thompson-Williams and had runners on first and second. But he struck out DC Arendas to end the game and earn his fourth save.
LUBBOCK, TEXAS
TEXAS TECH 3,
EAST CAROLINA 1 (13)
LUBBOCK, Texas — Eric Gutierrez singled in two runs in the top of the 13th inning and Texas Tech beat East Carolina to even the Lubbock Super Regional at a game apiece.
The winner in Game 3 today will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Gutierrez, the 2016 Big 12 Player of the Year, ended an 0-for-16 spell that dated to the second game of the Lubbock Regional last week. He was 0 for 9 against ECU before his single in extra innings.
Texas Tech relief pitcher Robert Dugger completed his longest outing of the season after coming on in the eighth inning with two runners on base and no outs. He retired 15 of the next 18 batters through 5 innings of work while striking out 5.
Both teams relied on their pitching and defense to stave off multiple threats throughout the afternoon. East Carolina had 12 hits and stranded 14 runners, and Texas Tech had seven hits and stranded 15.
CORAL GABLES, FLA.
BOSTON COLLEGE 5, MIAMI 3
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Junior righthander Mike King was drafted by the Miami Marlins and earned Boston College’s first-ever Super Regional victory all in the same day as the Eagles defeated the Miami Hurricanes.
It was the Eagles’ first victory at Mark Light Field since 2010. The Eagles are 2-14 here all-time.
King, who allowed 9 hits, 4 walks and 3 runs in 6 innings, was drafted in the 12th round at the same time he was helping the Eagles (35-21) avoid elimination against No. 3 national seed Miami (49-12).
The teams will play the deciding game of the best-of-three series today. The winner advances to the College World Series.
LOUISVILLE, KY.
UC SANTA BARBARA 4,
LOUISVILLE 2
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Austin Bush hit his fourth postseason home run, Shane Bieber allowed just one run in seven innings and UC Santa Barbara beat Louisville in their super regional opener.
Clay Fisher, J.J. Muno and Kyle Plantier knocked in runs for the Gauchos (41-18-1), which handed second-seeded Louisville (50-13) just its second home loss in 38 games.
UC Santa Barbara can clinch its first College World Series berth today.
The Gauchos answered Blake Tiberi’s solo home run in the second inning with Fisher’s RBI double in the third. Bush’s home run led off the fourth and Muno’s RBI single in the fifth made it 4-1.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
TEXAS A&M 7, TCU 1
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — J.B. Moss hit the first of his team’s four home runs on the second pitch of the game and Kyle Simonds pitched 7 2/3 innings in the Aggies’ victory over TCU. Simonds allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks and while striking out 6 for Texas A&M (49-15), which forced today’s deciding game.
Sports on 06/12/2016