SOUTH CAROLINA EDGES ARKANSAS, 3-2 AT THE CWS FRIDAY
Gamecocks Advance to Championship Series for Third Straight Year
OMAHA, NE – The South
Carolina Gamecocks rallied from an early two-run deficit to defeat the
Arkansas Razorbacks, 3-2 at the College World Series in front of an
announced crowd of 22,184 at TD Ameritrade Park Friday night.
The
Gamecocks (49-18) will advance to play Arizona (46-17) in the best-of-3
championship series that begins Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will carry
the first game of the series before it moves to ESPN for game 2 on
Monday and the “if necessary” game on Tuesday.
Arkansas (46-21)
jumped on Carolina starter Colby Holmes with a run in the top of the
first. Tim Carver led off with a single to deep short, moved to second
on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Matt Reynolds’ RBI single to left.
The
Gamecocks wasted a great scoring opportunity of their own in the bottom
of the first. With one out, Evan Marzilli walked, Christian Walker
singled and LB Dantzler walked to load the bases before Adam Matthews
grounded into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.
After both
teams went down in order in the second, Arkansas got on the board again
in the third. Jake Wise was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and
Carver doubled off the glove of Marzilli in center, ending Holmes’
night. Wise scored on a Reynolds’ sacrifice fly, his second RBI of the
night, to make is 2-0 in favor of the Razorbacks.
The Hogs
threatened again in the fourth off reliever Tyler Webb. Bo Bigham
walked, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a
single by Matt Vinson. But Webb struck out Wise and induced a fly ball
from Carver to end the inning without any damage.
Webb was
outstanding in relief for the Gamecocks. He worked 4.0 scoreless
frames, allowing just two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. In
two games against the Razorbacks in Omaha, Webb hurled 9.1 shutout
innings, allowing just four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
The
Gamecocks finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Tanner
English singled to center to lead off the inning. After a stolen base
and a one-out walk to Chase Vergason, Joey Pankake delivered an RBI
single to center. Marzilli walked to load the bases and Walker followed
with another walk, forcing in Vergason with the tying run and ending
the night for Razorback starter DJ Baxendale. Dantzler popped out in
foul territory and Matthews fanned to end the Carolina uprising.
Carolina
tallied the game-winning run in the seventh. With one out, Pankake and
Marzilli coaxed walks. Walker popped out, but LB Dantzler kept the
inning alive with a single off the pitcher’s glove. Matthews, batting
for the third time in the game with the bases loaded, walked on a 3-2
pitch to force in Pankake with go-ahead run. With Michael Roth
pinch-hitting, Marzilli tried to score when the ball got away from the
catcher, but was tagged out at the plate to keep the Razorbacks within
one.
Matt Price (5-4) worked the final three frames for Carolina
to earn the win. He allowed just one hit with no runs while fanning
five. It was his fifth career CWS win, the most in history.
Baxendale
worked 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two runs with a career-high
five walks he fanned two batters. Colby Suggs (7-1), the third of four
Razorback pitchers, was tagged with the loss.
The Gamecocks will
advance to the championship round of the College World Series for the
third consecutive season. Carolina defeated UCLA in two games to win
the title in 2010 and swept Florida in two games last year to win their
second-straight crown.
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