Busby, Draft picks star at College World Series

June 18th, 2017

Dylan Busby did everything he could for Florida State in the Seminoles' College World Series opener, and the Pirates had to like what they saw.
FSU fell to Louisiana State, 5-4, after LSU rallied late, but Pittsburgh's third-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft had a huge game. Busby went 2-for-5 with a home run -- his 15th of the season -- and drove in three of the Noles' four runs to bring his RBI total to 65.
The 21-year-old third baseman, ranked as the Draft's No. 185 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, was taken by the Pirates 88th overall, and he's brought his power bat to the college game's biggest stage.

Here's a look at the rest of the action from Day 1 in Omaha:
Game 1: No. 1 Oregon State 6, Cal State Fullerton 5
In the first game of this year's College World Series, Oregon State rallied from a 5-1 deficit, scoring four runs in the sixth inning to tie the game and taking the lead in the eighth.
Drew Rasmussen wasn't about to give it up. The 21-year-old right-hander, the 31st overall pick in the Draft by the Rays, fired a shutdown ninth inning with two strikeouts to close out the Beavers' win. Rasmussen, MLB Pipeline's No. 98 Draft prospect, has only recently returned from Tommy John surgery, but he looked sharp Saturday.

For Cal State Fullerton, shortstop Timmy Richards -- drafted by the Nationals in the 24th round -- launched a three-run homer in the first inning. Center fielder Scott Hurst, the No. 94 overall pick by the Cardinals in Round 3, made a terrific leaping catch crashing into the left-center-field wall.

Game 2: No. 4 Louisiana State 5, Florida State 4
In the nightcap, LSU scored twice in the eighth inning to beat FSU by a run. The go-ahead hit came off the bat of outfielder Greg Deichmann. The 22-year-old was the 43rd overall Draft pick by the A's and rated the No. 63 Draft prospect.

Right-hander Alex Lange, the No. 30 overall pick by the Cubs and the 23rd-ranked Draft prospect, started for the Tigers. The 21-year-old struck out eight in six innings, allowing four runs. Fellow righty Jared Poche, a ninth-round pick by the A's, pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. Earlier, catcher Michael Papierski, a ninth-round pick by the Astros, homered for LSU.

For Florida State, beyond Busby's performance, shortstop Taylor Walls set a school record by reaching base in a 14th straight plate appearance. The 20-year-old was a third-round pick by the Rays, taken 79th overall, and rated the Draft's No. 85 prospect.

What's next
Oregon State and LSU move on in the winner's bracket, and will match up against one another on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
Cal State Fullerton and Florida State drop into the elimination bracket, and they will play Monday at 2 p.m. The loser of that game is eliminated.