SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Nathan Lukes was 3 for 3 and drove in three runs and Sacramento State scored three times in the eighth inning to break a tie and beat Arizona State 5-4 in an elimination game Saturday.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Nathan Lukes was 3 for 3 and drove in three runs and Sacramento State scored three times in the eighth inning to break a tie and beat Arizona State 5-4 in an elimination game Saturday.
Sacramento State reliever Alex Palsha withstood a late rally for the Hornets.
Pinch-hitter Ryan Ybarra hit a two-run home run off in the ninth inning to bring the Sun Devils (33-24) within a run, but Palsha (6-1) froze Trever Allen with a 3-2 curveball for the final out of the game, the first NCAA Division I regional victory in program history for the Hornets (40-23).
Jordan Aboites (5-3) took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks while recording just one out in the eighth. David Del Grande hit a two-run single off Aboites to break a 2-2 tie after Rhys Hoskins led off with a walk and Will Soto reached on an error.
Sacramento State, the regional’s fourth-seeded team, will play Cal Poly in another elimination game today.
PEPPERDINE 2, CAL POLY 1
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Pepperdine got the tying run on base when two of Cal Poly’s outfielders collided on a fly ball in the seventh inning, and the Waves scored the go-ahead run on a dropped pop fly two batters later to beat the host Mustangs 2-1 on Saturday night in the San Luis Obispo regional.
Pepperdine’s Aaron Brown (12-1) outdueled Cal Poly’s Casey Bloomquist (12-2), allowing just one run and three hits, while striking out four and walking four. Eric Karch needed only six pitches to earn his 15th save for the Waves (41-16).
Aaron Barnett tripled to left center when Cal Poly (46-11) left fielder Zach Zehner collided with center fielder Jordan Ellis as they each tracked the deep fly. Hutton Moyer drove in Barnett with a double off the wall in right and scored when Mustangs first baseman John Schuknecht could not hold on to an over-the-shoulder attempt on Manny Jefferson’s popup.
OKLAHOMA ST. 13, CAL STATE FULLERTON 7
STILLWATER, Okla. — Tanner Krietemeier had three hits and drove in five runs, including an RBI single during a five-run fifth inning, as Oklahoma State rolled to a 13-7 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in an NCAA regional contest.
Following their 8-0 win over Binghamton on Friday, the top-seeded Cowboys (47-16) have totaled 21 runs to advance to today’s regional championship game.
Cal State Fullerton (33-23), which entered the postseason leading the nation in ERA (2.03), surrendered 10-plus runs for the first time since February 2012 and saw its eight-game winning streak snapped.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 6, LONG BEACH ST. 3
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ben Boykin hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to lead the College of Charleston to a 6-3 victory over Long Beach State on Saturday night in the Gainesville regional of the NCAA tournament.
The Cougars (43-17) will face the winner of an elimination game Sunday between Long Beach State and North Carolina. Long Beach State (33-25) defeated North Carolina 6-1 in the opening game of the regional Friday.
Long Beach State led 2-1 in the top of the sixth after Ino Patron scored on a sacrifice fly by Michael Hill. But the Cougars scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth when Blake Butler scored from third on Carl Wise’s sacrifice fly, Brandon Murray scored on a throwing error and Boykin homered.
VANDERBILT 7, OREGON 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bryan Reynolds had three hits and drove in two runs, and Vanderbilt used a five-run fifth inning to take control of the game and beat Oregon in the Nashville regional.
The Commodores (43-18) are a win away from returning to the super regionals and will face either Oregon or Xavier today. They shut out the Musketeers 11-0 on Friday.
Carson Fulmer (6-1) went eight innings to earn the win, striking out five, walking two and allowing just three hits.
Reynolds, an All-Freshman SEC selection, ignited Vanderbilt’s fifth-inning barrage with an RBI single. Rhett Wiseman added a ground-rule double that drove in two runs to open up a 6-0 lead.
INDIANA 4, STANFORD 2
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Sam Travis homered and drove in two runs, Joey DeNato pitched into the eighth inning and Indiana held off Stanford 4-2 at the Bloomington regional Saturday.
Stanford (31-24) will play Youngstown State in an elimination game today. Indiana (44-13) will face the winner tonight.
Travis finished with three hits and two RBIs, including a solo home run in the fifth. He also broke a 1-1 tie in the third on an RBI single, scoring Nick Ramos.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 9, SAN DIEGO ST. 2
LAFAYETTE, La. — Seth Harrison was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Michael Strentz’s early three-run homer helped Louisiana-Lafayette beat San Diego State 9-2 in an NCAA tournament elimination game Saturday, keeping the nation’s No. 1-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns alive in the Lafayette regional.
Carson Baranik (11-1) went 6 1-3 innings and combined with reliever Matt Plitt on an eight-hitter.
WOMEN’S CWS
BAYLOR 7, FLORIDA STATE 2
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jordan Strickland hit a pair of two-run homers, Heather Stearns and Whitney Canion combined on a five-hitter and Baylor beat Florida State in a Women’s College World Series elimination game.
Baylor (48-15) advanced to play Kentucky later Saturday in another elimination game.
Florida State’s national player of the year, pitcher Lacey Waldrop, struggled for a second straight game. After giving up 10 hits in a 3-0 loss to Oregon, Waldrop (38-7) surrendered six hits to the Bears in four innings, including three in a three-run second inning highlighted by Strickland’s first homer.
BAYLOR 8, KENTUCKY 7
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kaitlyn Thumann doubled and scored on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning as Baylor rallied from a seven-run deficit to stun Kentucky 8-7 on Saturday night in an elimination game in the Women’s College World Series.
Baylor (49-15) advanced to play fifth-seeded Florida today. The 13th-seeded Bears would have to beat Florida (52-12) twice to advance to the best-of-three finals.
OREGON 4, OKLAHOMA 2
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kailee Cuico hit a key two-run single, Janie Takeda added two RBIs and top-seeded Oregon held off defending national champion Oklahoma 4-2 on Saturday night in an elimination game in the Women’s College World Series.
Oregon (56-8-1) advanced into the semifinal round against second-seeded Alabama (52-11) and will need to beat the Crimson Tide twice today to reach the best-of-three championship series.
Oklahoma (51-13) had its bid to qualify for a third straight championship series end with the loss.
OKLAHOMA 3, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 1
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kelsey Stevens allowed six hits, Brittany Williams hit a two-run first-inning double and defending NCAA softball champion Oklahoma beat Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1 on Saturday in an elimination game in the Women’s College World Series.
Callie Parsons added an inside-the-park home run in the sixth for Oklahoma (51-12).