Here are the results so far from the Super Regionals (national seeds in parentheses):
Friday, June 11:
(4) Vanderbilt 2, (13) E. Carolina 0
(9) Stanford 15, (8) Texas Tech 3
(1) Arkansas 21, N. Carolina St. 2
(5) Arizona 9, (12) Mississippi 3
Saturday, June 12:
(4) Vanderbilt 4, (13) E. Carolina 1 (Vanderbilt to the College World Series)
(9) Stanford 9, (8) Texas Tech 0 (Stanford to the College World Series)
(7) Mississippi St. 9, (10) Notre Dame 8
Dallas Baptist 6, Virginia 5
N. Carolina St. 6, (1) Arkansas 5 (Series tied 1-1)
(3) Tennessee 4, Louisiana St. 2
(2) Texas 4, S. Florida 3
(12) Mississippi 12, (5) Arizona 3 (Series tied 1-1)
Sunday, June 13:
Virginia 4, Dallas Baptist 0 (Series tied 1-1)
(3) Tennessee 15, Louisiana St. 6 (Tennessee to the College World Series)
That leaves the following games for tonight:
(1) Arkansas v. N. Carolina St. (elimination game)
(7) Mississippi St. v. (10) Notre Dame
(5) Arizona v. (12) Mississippi (elimination game)
(3) Texas v. S. Florida
For once, NCSU has shown up in a normal uniform. The Wolfpack look very sharp in gray vests and pants, red undershirts, red numerals, and red caps. I don't like the cartoon wolf logo on the hat -- I don't like that logo at all -- but NCSU disagrees with me.
ReplyDeleteArkansas, the number 1 team in the country playing at home, looks even better: cream jerseys and pants, cardinal numerals, a big cardinal "A" on the front, and cardinal hats with the Arkansas "A."
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 2d, Arkansas gets an error and a two-out double to take a 1-0 lead.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 3d, NCSU gets a walk and a two-run homer from Johnny Butler. The Wolfpack lead 2-1.
ReplyDeleteNCSU still leads 2-1 after 4 1/2 innings. In Starkvegas, Notre Dame leads 6-1 in the fourth.
ReplyDeleteFor this game, Arkansas took Kevin Kopps -- its bullpen ace who went seven innings to beat Nebraska in the regional final -- and let him start. He's been great, giving up only two runs in seven innings. But Arkansas still trails 2-1 going into the bottom of the 7th.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 7th, the Razorback left fielder, Cayden Wallace -- the number-2 hitter -- lofts a home run into the left field seats. We are tied at 2 and they are calling the hogs in Fayetteville.
ReplyDeleteESPN just ran an ad urging people to play tennis. I don't remember the last time I saw anything urging Americans to play tennis.
ReplyDeleteKopps has already thrown 103 pitches in this game, but Arkansas is sending him back out for the 8th, and NCSU greets him with a leadoff single.
ReplyDeleteThe announcers claim that Arkansas has no other good options to pitch, which seems like an odd position for the number-1 seed to be in. Meanwhile, NCSU has bunted its runner to second.
ReplyDeleteNCSU whacks Kopps's 109th pitch to the left field wall, but Wallace makes a leaping catch. Two outs and Arkansas calls a meeting at the mound.
ReplyDeleteArkansas intentionally walks Jonny Butler, which brings up Terrell Tatum, the DH and cleanup hitter with runners on first and second.
ReplyDeleteKopps v. Tatum:
Pitch 1: Ball
Pitch 2: Swinging strike
Pitch 3: Swinging strike
Pitch 4: Ball low
Pitch 5: Swinging strike
Kopps has thrown 114 pitches, but he survives the 8th. Arkansas 2, NCSU 2. They are going absolutely nuts in Fayetteville.
In the final game of regionals, Arkansas and Nebraska were tied at two and Arkansas scored four runs in the bottom of the 8th to blow the game open. Can they do the same here?
ReplyDeleteNCSU brings in Evan Justice, a left-hander who through 45 pitches yesterday.
ReplyDeleteJustice mows down the Razorbacks 1-2-3, and I can't really believe that Arkansas is going to trust its season to a guy who has already thrown 114 pitches.
ReplyDeleteBut they are. Kopps returns to the mound. This is his first start of the year, and he hasn't thrown more than 90 pitches in any of his 33 appearances this season.
ReplyDeleteSure enough, Jose Torres -- NCSU's shortstop and number-5 hitter -- smashes Kopps's 118th pitch of the day into the left field seats, and Fayetteville goes silent. NCSU leads 3-2. The Arkansas manager comes out to replace Kopps, who gets a huge (and deserved) roar from the crowd. But how in the world could the number-one team in the nation ask a pitcher who'd already thrown 115 pitches to start the ninth inning?
ReplyDeleteThe new pitcher is Patrick Wicklander.
ReplyDeleteWicklander retires the first two batters, and then the NCSU third baseman hits a double and advances to third on a wild pitch. Can the Wolfpack get an insurance run?
ReplyDeleteNo, they cannot. The next batter grounds out to short. Wicklander does his job, but the damage is done. Arkansas trails 3-2, and the number-1 team in the country is down to its last three outs.
ReplyDeleteArkansas has 10 appearances in the CWS, including appearances in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2019. NCSU has been there twice: 1968 and 2013.
ReplyDeleteArkansas has the bottom of the order coming up. They start with Charlie Welch, the designated hitter. It was Welch's pinch-hit home run that buried Nebraska in the regionals.
ReplyDeleteWelch grounds out to third. One out.
ReplyDeleteNext up, Casey Opitz, the catcher, batting 8th. He grounds out to short. Two out.
ReplyDeleteArkansas's final chance: the number-9 hitter, Jalen Battles.
ReplyDeleteJustice v. Battles:
Pitch one: Ball low
Pitch two: Foul
Pitch three: Checked swing, a little nibbler in front of the plate. Justice jumps on the ball, throws it to first, and the game is over. NC STATE BEATS ARKANSAS 3 TO 2. The Wolfpack are going to Omaha, and the number-one seed is out.
Arkansas's manager lost this game. That's the worst decision I've seen since Pitino refused to guard the in-bounds pass.
ReplyDeleteCheck out these scores:
ReplyDelete1. Arkansas 21, N. Carolina St. 2
2. N. Carolina St. 6, Arkansas 5
3. N. Carolina St. 3, Arkansas 2
Heartbreak city for Arkansas.
All through the tournament, the Razorbacks had a big banner behind home plate referring to their team as the OMAHOGS. I kept thinking that if I were an Arkansas fan, that would strike me as an obvious jinx.
ReplyDeleteNotre Dame is pounding Mississippi State 9-1 in the bottom of the 8th, so that game will go to a single-elimination contest tomorrow. MSU and Ole Miss are the last two chances for the SEC to get any more teams into the CWS.
ReplyDeleteThe number-one seed has not won the NCAA Baseball Tournament since Miami of Florida turned the trick in 1999.
ReplyDeleteNotre Dame beats Mississippi State 9-1, and that series will go to an elimination game tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIn the third inning, Texas leads South Florida 6-2. In the fourth inning, Arizona leads Ole Miss 5-1.
ReplyDelete