Fast start lifts Razorbacks over Red Raiders
Arkansas put their foot on the throttle against Texas Tech early on in the game. They held on to this momentum, which gained them 2-0 in this years’ College World Series.
The Razorbacks jumped out to a fast start in the top half of the first inning when Eric Cole singled into left field. He was followed by Casey Martin’s double that put both runners in scoring position. After back-to-back strikeouts from Texas Tech starter, Davis Martin, Dominic Fletcher hit what looked like a routine pop fly into right field. Texas Tech center fielder, Cody Farhat, and right fielder, Gabe Holt, collided when chasing the fly-ball. The ball was not caught, which resulted in two Arkansas runs in the first inning.
The bats didn’t cool down, however. Jared Gates began the second inning with a lead-off solo home run to extend the Razorback lead to three runs. Then in the fourth inning, Fletcher hit a solo shot of his own, followed by an RBI-single by Jax Biggers, getting Arkansas to a 5-0 lead.
Arkansas starter, Kacey Murphy, had a tremendous showing for the Razorbacks. He went 4.2 innings, giving up two hits and striking out seven. The two runs that Murphy gave up came in the fifth inning off of one hit. A dropped third strike put Michael Davis on base for the Red Raiders, followed by a Farhat Walk. Murphy almost got out of the inning but a huge, two-RBI double into right field from Brian Klein cut the Texas Tech deficit to 5-2.
In the eighth inning, Arkansas got a pair of RBI singles from Fletcher, and Carson Shaddy lifted Arkansas’ lead back to five runs, making it 7-2. With that hit and RBI from Dominic Fletcher, he became the first player since the College World Series moved to TD Ameritrade Park to have four hits and four RBI’s in a single game.
Texas Tech hadn’t run out of gas yet, however. A ninth inning rally began formulating after the Red Raiders began the inning with a walk from Cameron Warren, a double from Michael Davis, and a two-RBI single from Farhat, bringing the score to 7-4. Matt Cronin would force three-straight outs to close it out for Arkansas and he would put them in the driver’s seat for the rest of the tournament.
Dominic Fletcher had four hits and four RBI’s along with a home run. Jared Gates tacked on a home run, as well. Klein and Farhat each had two RBI’s for Texas Tech.
Texas Tech will play Florida on Thursday at 7 p.m. in an elimination game. Arkansas awaits the winner of the Texas Tech/Florida matchup, and is scheduled to play on Friday at 7 p.m.
Game of back-and-forth rally’s ends with Oregon St. on top, eliminating UNC
A rematch of Game One of the 2018 College World Series did not disappoint. It was filled with rallies and big hits, ending with Oregon State advancing and North Carolina eliminated.
Oregon State showed early on that they were ready to play. In the top of the first, Cadyn Grenier and Adley Rutschman each hit a pair of solo home runs to jump out to a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, Trevor Larnach hit an RBI double down the left field line to extend the lead to 3-0.
North Carolina came to life in the bottom half of the third. After a sacrifice groundout, bringing the score to 3-1, Brandon Riley hit a two-RBI double to tie the game back up to 3-3.
In the fifth inning, Ike Freeman had an RBI-single that gave them their first lead. The following inning, Brandon Martorano led off with a triple into center field. Then Kyle Datres pulled a shot down the left field line, hitting the foul pole, which resulted in a two-run home run. This brought the score to 6-3. North Carolina seemed to possess all the momentum and it looked like Oregon State would be heading home earlier than expected – until the last two innings.
Rutschman, who has 77 RBI’s on the season, blasted a ball into deep center field which cleared the bases—tying the game at 6-6. Brett Daniels for North Carolina walked three straight batters, resulting in another run, giving them a 7-6 lead heading into the ninth.
Oregon State shut the door in the top half of the ninth after Trevor Larnach’s RBI single, followed by Tyler Malone’s two-run home run, making it a 10-6 lead for Oregon State. Jack Anderson topped it off with an RBI single and Oregon State defeated North Carolina 11-6.
Rutschman went 3-5 with 4 RBI’s for Oregon State. Datres went 3-5 with 2 RBI’s. Both had solo home runs.
Oregon State takes on Mississippi State, who has yet to lose, at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Written by Matt Kirkle
