NCAA SUPER REGIONALS

[LarryD]

South Carolina 5, North Carolina 4|

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Freshman Michael Campbell knows he’s in the lineup for his defense. He showed South Carolina he’s got a little pop in his bat as well.
Campbell had a two-run, game-winning single and assisted on a putout at home that saved the tying run as the Gamecocks opened the NCAA Super Regional with a 5-4 victory over North Carolina on Friday.
‘‘Sometimes you’ve got to step up and make the big hit,’’ Campbell said. ‘‘I knew I wasn’t going to go down with runners on second and third in this super regional.’’
The next inning, Campbell showed why he has started 55 of 63 games for South Carolina (43-20) this year and, with one more win, could start the in College World Series next week.
With a runner on first and two outs, North Carolina’s Wes Moyer roped a liner all the way to wall in left. Coach Mike Fox never hesitated in waving pinch runner Justin Webb around third. But Campbell slid to stop the ball, made a perfect relay to shortstop Justin Harris, who threw to catcher Landon Powell in plenty of time to end the inning.
‘‘When that ball went into the corner, I knew it was going to be hard to come up with,’’ South Carolina coach Ray Tanner said. ‘‘He went to the knee, threw right to cut off man. Just a great play.’’
Starter David Marchbanks (15-2) and reliever Chris Hernandez held the Tar Heels (42-22) to four hits and no runs the last seven innings.
Powell added a homer and three RBIs for the Gamecocks, who can make the CWS for the second straight year with another victory in the best-of-3 series.
Powell’s power got the Gamecocks started. He came into the season as one of the country’s best power-hitting catchers and a surefire high draft pick. But the junior’s power numbers were off during the year and he wasn’t chosen until the second day of the Major League Draft this week, going in the 25th round to the Chicago Cubs.
Powell said he wasn’t trying to prove something to big league executives who passed on him. ‘‘I just want to help the Gamecocks,’’ he said. ‘‘That other stuff can wait.’’
Here Powell showed his worth on a dreary, rain-filled day. He drove in the Gamecocks’ first three runs, including a two-run shot in the first that carried the scoreboard in right center.
The teams meet again Saturday, although the forecast calls for a full day of rain. If North Carolina wins that one, a third game would take place Sunday for the trip to Omaha, Neb.
Marchbanks allowed four runs in the first two innings and appeared on the verge of collapse. Moyer had a long two-run homer in the Tar Heels’ three-run second that put them ahead 4-2.
But he allowed only one runner past third — when Webb was erased by Campbell’s stop and Harris’ throw — the next four innings. Hernandez, who threw a complete-game five-hitter to start the NCAA regional at Atlanta last week, proved he’s just as good coming out of the bullpen.
North Carolina had leadoff runners on its last three innings and could not score. Greg Mangum made it to second in the ninth for the Tar Heels. But their top two power hitters, Jeremy Cleveland and Sean Farrell, both grounded out to third to end the game.
‘‘We always have confidence in ourselves, it just didn’t happen today the way we’d like it,’’ said Cleveland, who has 19 homers. ‘‘Usually, somebody’s going to step up and get a big hit with two outs. ... Everybody’s contributed, but today no one stepped up.’’
Junior Daniel Moore (7-3) got the loss.
Hernandez had his second save for South Carolina.
It’s the third time in four seasons the Gamecocks have won the opening super regional game at home. The fans here have seen both sides, though. South Carolina lost the next two games in 2000 to send Louisiana-Lafayette to the CWS. Last year, it needed a game-three ninth-inning rally to get past Miami and go to Omaha.
Tanner thinks that experience, positive and negative, will help this week. ‘‘Does that mean North Carolina can’t win the next two? Not at all,’’ he said. ‘‘But it toughens us a little bit. One of the great things is we’re battle tested.’’

[LarryD]

South Carolina 14, North Carolina 4|


COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Landon Powell may have lost his swing in the middle of the season, but never his focus. Now, Powell’s revived bat has South Carolina back in the College World Series.
Powell homered twice Saturday and three times in the NCAA super regional as the Gamecocks knocked out North Carolina with a 14-4 victory to reach the CWS for the second straight year.
At one point earlier this season, Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner wondered if his club would qualify for the Southeastern Conference’s postseason tournament, let alone the NCAAs. Powell’s lack of production — he had three homers through April — was a big reason why. Powell wouldn’t give up on himself or the team.
‘‘It’s one of those games where one day things go horribly and the next day they’re awesome,’’ said Powell, who went 11-of-16 in his past five NCAA games with four homers and 10 RBIs. ‘‘That’s what baseball’s all about. You got to keep playing every day and play hard.’’
Brian Buscher had two homers and six RBIs for South Carolina, which will make its seven CWS appearance.
The Gamecocks (44-20) were the national runners-up in Omaha last year, losing to Texas in the championship game. And with Powell showing the power stroke everyone expected, they could be a threat again this year.
‘‘We hit some rocks at the beginning of the year,’’ Buscher said. ‘‘I’ve always been told, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’’
Powell was the 6-foot-3 catcher, who with the help of agent Steve Boros, tried to do an end-run around the major league draft coming out of high school. He slumped in his junior season with only six home runs — half his total from a year ago. Once seen as a certain high draft pick, Powell ended up a 25th round pick of the Chicago Cubs this past week.
But at the NCAAs — and particularly against North Carolina (42-23) — Powell has lived up to his prep-shcool promise.
‘‘It was frustrating’’ to not hit to his potential, Powell said. ‘‘But I never lost faith in myself or what I could do.’’
On Saturday, Justin Harris and Buscher had consecutive singles in the third inning before Powell sent his shot high over the left field wall, clearing some softball stands an estimated 400 feet away. The blast put the Gamecocks up for good, 4-2.
Then in the ninth with the Gamecocks ahead 10-4, Buscher hit a three-run shot and Powell followed with a homer to right.
Adam Kalkhof (7-2), the first of seven pitchers used by North Carolina, gave up four runs in 2 1-3 innings for the loss. The Tar Heels were looking for their first College World Series trip since 1989.
‘‘North Carolina will be back in this position again, I promise you that,’’ senior catcher Ryan Blake said. North Carolina lost in an NCAA regional at Sarge Frye Field in 2002.
The Gamecocks will meet either Stanford or Long Beach State at Rosenblatt Stadium on Friday. Stanford won the first game of its best-of-three super regional, 5-1, on Friday.
Starter Steven Bondurant (7-3) lasted 6 2-3 innings for South Carolina. He worked out of two-on two-out jams in the third and sixth innings. He gave up a bases-loaded single to Ryan Blake in the seventh as the Tar Heels had their best chance to rally. But reliever Aaron Rawl quickly got Wes Moyer on a hard liner to third baseman Buscher.
Rawl pitched himself into trouble in the eighth walking the bases full with one out. Again, North Carolina could not capitalize as cleanup hitter Sean Farrell grounded into a double play to end the threat.
Matt Campbell struck out Wes Moyer to end the game, then threw his glove high in the air as Powell charged and gave him a massive bear hug. There was none of the drama of last year when South Carolina needed a game three, ninth-inning rally to get past Miami in its super regional.
‘‘I’ve always been told there’s a very few steps between the outhouse and the penthouse,’’ South Carolina’s Tanner said.
The Tar Heels came in as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top-hitting team, but could not break through against the Gamecocks. North Carolina’s one and two hitters, Greg Mangum and Chad Prosser, combined to go 1-of-16 for the series. Jeremy Cleveland, the team’s best hitter with 19 homers and 64 RBIs, had no homers and drove in only one run.
‘‘It was disappointing. We needed to get more timely hits,’’ Cleveland said. ‘‘Hits come and go and we just didn’t get them when we had to.’’
Cleveland did have four hits over two games to finish with 103 hits and break the 1997 single-season school record of Brian Roberts, the Baltimore Orioles infielder who transferred from North Carolina to South Carolina during his college career.

[LarryD]

fsu-texas rained out today.

[mathmajors]

I would have loved State to have beaten Miami in that first game. It probably would have gone to a 3rd game. The 6th inning of the first game was unfrigginbelievable.

[vpkozel]

Originally posted by LarryD
fsu-texas rained out today.

Sorry Larry.... Guess this means no ACC teams :mad:

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Texas coach Augie Garrido got his record and a ticket back to the College World Series, bidding for a fifth championship and second straight for the Longhorns.

But win No. 1,428 didn't come without plenty of suspense.

Texas pitcher Huston Street's 12th postseason save sent UT to Omaha.
Closer Huston Street recorded his 12th postseason save as the defending national champions eliminated top-seeded Florida State 6-5 Monday night -- a victory that gave Garrido the NCAA wins record, eclipsing former Texas coach Cliff Gustafson's mark.

"It's about a number and a moment in time,'' said Garrido, who has tried to downplay any attention on his achievement. "When you dig into it, it's about relationships.''

Last year's College World Series MVP with four saves, Street struck out three of the first five hitters he faced and got Tony Richie to ground back to the mound with two runners on base to end the game.

"It was a championship type of game,'' said Garrido, who also won three national titles earlier in his coaching career at Cal State Fullerton. He is in his 35th season as a college coach, and at age 64, shows no sign of slowing down.

"Street needs to have a street named after him,'' Florida State coach Mike Martin said. "What a great display of competitiveness.''

Richie had driven in three runs for the Seminoles, including one with his 12th home run of the season. His seventh-inning single scored Tony McQuade for the game's final run.

Taylor Teagarden and Curtis Thigpen homered on successive pitches in the third inning as the Longhorns (48-18) grabbed a 5-2 lead, sending Florida State starter Matt Lynch (13-4) to his earliest exit of the season.

Lynch, who came into the game with a 42-7 career record at Florida State, had been bothered in recent days with a blister on his pitching hand but told coaches he was OK to make the critical start.

J. Brent Cox (6-0) pitched three innings of relief after taking over for starter Justin Simmons.

"They were better than we were,'' Martin said. "They played great baseball.''

Texas will meet Miami on Saturday in its first-round CWS game in Omaha, Neb. The Longhorns are making a record 30th CWS appearance.

Florida State (54-13-1), which has never won a CWS title, has been eliminated in three straight super regional tournaments, including the last two at home as the NCAA's top-seeded team.

Stephen Drew, the Seminoles' leadoff hitter, did not play because of a hamstring injury suffered in Sunday night's game when he slipped rounding second base.

"I feel bad about their injuries,'' Garrido said. "It made it seem like it just wasn't meant to be for them.''

[UNCCTF]

Agreed, mathmajors. I would've really liked for State to have gone to the CWS. Man, did Miami blow them up in that 11th inning or what?