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Owls’ Series opener a hoot

Louisville's Daniel Burton is out at second base as Rice's Aaron Luna throws on to first. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review
Louisville's Daniel Burton is out at second base as Rice's Aaron Luna throws on to first. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

After leaving town quietly last year, Rice opened the College World Series with a statement Friday.

Danny Lehmann doubled in the go-ahead run in a six-run eighth inning, and the Owls had 19 hits to rally for a 15-10 victory over CWS newcomer Louisville on Friday at Omaha, Neb.

Lehmann not only gave Rice the lead, he ended a CWS-record streak for scoreless innings at 25 2/3 when he singled in the Owls’ first run in the third inning.

“We came in here with a stigma,” Rice coach Wayne Graham said. “I knew our kids could hit. They sure proved it today.”

The Owls (55-12), the No. 2 national seed, will play Sunday against North Carolina. The Cardinals (46-23) will face Mississippi State Sunday.

Rice, with a team ERA of 2.83, figured it had the arms to quell Louisville’s potent offense. But Louisville, which had scored 77 runs in eight NCAA tournament games, took leads of 5-0 and 10-4 before Rice pitchers Scott Lonergan and Bobby Bramhall combined to hold the Cardinals scoreless through the last four innings.

Rice used a three-run fifth inning and home runs by Joe Savery in the sixth and Aaron Luna in the seventh to get to 10-9.

“Coming back from six runs down, that’s something not a lot of people – including people on the team – probably thought we could do,” Savery said.

Bramhall (7-2) kept it a one-run game in the eighth after he intentionally walked Chris Dominguez to load the bases with one out. Bramhall struck out Pete Rodriguez after running the count full, then got Derrick Alfonso to fly out to end the threat.

North Carolina 8, Mississippi St. 5: The Tar Heels cobbled together a six-run sixth inning to beat the Bulldogs.

The Tar Heels (54-13) spotted the Bulldogs (38-21) a 4-0 lead before rallying with four hits, two hit batters, a walk and an error to chalk up their fifth come-from-behind victory in six NCAA tournament games.

The Tar Heels, who entered the sixth down 4-2, sent 11 batters to the plate against MSU starter Justin Pigott (7-7) and two relievers. A fielding error by third baseman Russ Sneed and Benji Johnson’s RBI double tied it, then John Lalor hit Reid Fronk with a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run.

Tim Federoff’s sacrifice fly and Dustin Ackley’s two-run single gave Carolina a four-run lead.

Adam Warren (11-0), normally a starter, turned in the longest relief performance of his career after starter Robert Woodard got roughed up. Warren allowed three hits while holding the Bulldogs scoreless in 4 1/3 innings.