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GAMECOCKS FALL 2-1 TO ARKANSAS AT COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Omaha, Neb. – The
Arkansas Razorbacks scored twice in the first four innings and held on
for a 2-1 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in a winner’s bracket
game at the College World Series on Monday night. The loss drops
Carolina (46-18) into a Wednesday night elimination game against Kent
State (47-19) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Golden Flashes eliminated
Florida by a 5-4 score earlier in the day. The winner of that contest
would have to defeat Arkansas twice to advance to the championship
round. The loss snaps Carolina’s NCAA-record 22-game postseason
winning streak and also ends the Gamecocks’ 12-game winning streak at
the College World Series.
Arkansas got on the scoreboard first
in the top of the first inning. Tim Carver led off with a single to
right, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, went to third on a
groundout and scored on Dominic Ficociello’s RBI double in the
left-centerfield gap.
The Razorbacks made is 2-0 in the top of
the fourth inning. Brian Anderson walked, stole second and scored on a
two-out single by Matt Vinson.
Carolina cut the lead in half in
the bottom of the fifth inning. Chase Veragson led off with a walk, was
sacrificed to second by Dante Rosenberg and scored on Evan Marzilli’s
two-out triple to deep centerfield. Marzilli had two hits in the
contest and has four in two games at the College World Series including
three extra-base hits.
The Gamecocks were limited to just four
hits on the night and were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring
position, stranding seven runners on base. Arkansas wasn’t much better,
collecting just six hits and going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring
position while leaving seven runners on base. Both teams committed one
error.
Gamecock starter Colby Holmes (7-2) was tagged with the loss.
He lasted 3.2 innings on a very warm night, allowing four hits and two
runs, both earned with two walks and two strikeouts. He allowed the
leadoff batter to reach base safely in all four innings that he worked,
with two scoring.
Southpaw Tyler Webb was outstanding in his
longest relief outing of the season. He worked 5.1 scoreless innings,
allowing just two hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Arkansas
starter Ryne Stanek (8-4) worked the first six innings for the win. He
allowed three hits and one run with three walks and three strikeouts
while throwing 91 pitches, 58 for strikes.
Barrett Astin pitched the final three frames, allowing one hit for the save.
“It
was a heck of a college baseball game,” said South Carolina head coach
Ray Tanner. “(Ryne) Stanek and (Barrett) Astin were very good
tonight. I thought our hitters battled hard up there. But their
stuff was very special. At least from where my vantage point, I
thought they were very good. Of course, Tyler Webb came in for us
and just battled his rear end off and gave us a chance to maybe get
something going but we just weren’t able to get any runs against their
pitching staff. But a great game, and like I said, Stanek and
Astin were very special.”
South Carolina Game Notes
*-South
Carolina had won 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament games and 12 straight
MCWS games, prior to Monday's loss. Both are all-time NCAA records.
*-South
Carolina has gone 27-2 over the past three seasons in the NCAA
Tournament, the best three-year NCAA Tournament record of any team in
history (must appear in tournament at least two of the three years to
qualify).
*-South Carolina is 8-3 all-time in its second game of
the MCWS. The Gamecocks had won their second game in Omaha in five
straight trips, last losing in 1985 to Oklahoma State.
*-South Carolina has a 1.77 ERA in the NCAA Tournament this season (66.0 IP, 13 ER).
*-South Carolina’s bullpen has a combined 1.21 ERA in the 2012 NCAA Tournament (three runs allowed in 22.1 innings).
*-Starter
Colby Holmes had a streak of 13.2 consecutive scoreless innings snapped
with Arkansas’ first-inning run. He had given up just two combined hits
over his previous two starts with 12 strikeouts and two walks.
*-After
his first-inning walk, Christian Walker has now drawn six bases on
balls without a strikeout in four games against Arkansas this season.
*-His
RBI triple in the fifth gave Evan Marzilli 21 multi-hit games this
season. The triple was his seventh career extra-base hit in the MCWS
(also six doubles). It was his first career triple in the NCAA
Tournament.
*-Reliever Tyler Webb tossed the longest relief
outing of his career for the Gamecocks, hurling 5.1 shutout innings of
relief with four strikeouts. It was his longest outing overall since a
7.1-inning start against Southern Illinois on Feb. 26, 2011. Over his
last four outings, Webb has fanned 14 in 11.0 innings of work, allowing
just four hits.
*-Webb became the fifth pitcher since 2000 to
toss at least 5.1 scoreless innings of relief in a MCWS game. The
others were: Matt Price of South Carolina (5.2 against Virginia on June
24, 2011), Taylor Jungmann of Texas (5.2 against Arizona State on June
16, 2009), Tommy Boss of Florida (5.2 against Arizona State on June 23,
2005) and Matt Campbell of South Carolina (5.1 against Clemson on June
19, 2002).
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