NCAA tourney roundup: Saturday, June 8
A full slate of games Saturday in the NCAA baseball tournament's Super Regional round brought road upsets and thrilling finishes, but most of all it brought teams a little bit closer to Omaha.
LSU punched the first ticket to the College World Series with an 11-1 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday evening. Second baseman JaCoby Jones, selected by the Pirates in the third round of the First-Year Player Draft, tallied four hits, scored three runs and socked his sixth homer of the year.
UCLA followed suit with a 3-0 triumph over Cal State Fullerton. Pitcher Nick Vander Tuig, a sixth-round pick by the Giants, tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Before those decisive games, the afternoon included several games that featured tight outcomes and several players now drafted by Major League clubs.
North Carolina, the No. 1 national seed, picked up a walk-off win over South Carolina when freshman Skye Bolt singled home the winning run in the ninth inning of a 6-5 thriller. Third baseman Colin Moran, selected by the Miami Marlins with the No. 6 overall selection in the Draft, went 2-for-4 with two runs and a defensive gem as the Tar Heels supported starter Kent Emanuel (third round, Houston Astros) after he lasted only into the third inning.
Meanwhile, three home teams were upset, including No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt, a 5-3 loser to Louisville. The Cardinals scored three in the seventh inning against Vandy starter Kevin Ziomek (second round, Detroit Tigers). Dace Kime (third round, Cleveland Indians) was the winning pitcher with 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Two other road teams won their openers. Indiana moved to within one victory of its first trip to the CWS with a 10-9 win over Florida St. at Tallahassee, Fla., and Mississippi St. took an 11-6 victory over Virginia at Charlottesville, Va.
Outfielder Hunter Renfroe, selected No. 13 overall by the San Diego Padres, had a huge game for Mississippi State, going 4-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs, but he was outshined by another draftee. Leadoff man and shortstop Adam Frazier (sixth round, Pittsburgh Pirates) went 6-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs.
In Raleigh, N.C., North Carolina State beat Rice 4-3. Austin Kubitza (fourth round, Detroit Tigers) took the loss for Rice, allowing two runs in seven innings of work.
In the Corvallis Super Regional, Kansas State scored once in the ninth to tie Oregon State and four times in the 10th to win the contest.
Here are Saturday's results and Sunday's schedule:
NCAA Baseball Championships
Super Regionals
Saturday's scores
Baton Rouge Super Regional
LSU 11, Oklahoma 1
Fullerton Super Regional
UCLA 3, Cal State Fullerton 0
Chapel Hill Super Regional
North Carolina 6, South Carolina 5
Sunday's schedule
South Carolina at North Carolina
Raleigh Super Regional
North Carolina St. 4, Rice 3
Sunday's schedule
Rice at North Carolina State
Nashville Super Regional
Louisville 5, Vanderbilt 3
Sunday's schedule
Louisville at Vanderbilt
Tallahassee Super Regional
Indiana 10, Florida St. 9
Sunday's schedule
Indiana at Florida State
Charlottesville Super Regional
Mississippi St. 11, Virginia 6
Sunday's schedule
Mississippi State at Virginia
Corvallis Super Regional
Saturday's schedule
Kansas State 6, Oregon State 2