College World Series: Anteaters dispatch ASU, take aim at Beavers
That team with a funny nickname is serious about winning a national championship.
The UC Irvine Anteaters won in their final at-bat for the third time in four games on Tuesday night, knocking off Arizona State 8-7 in 10 innings in an elimination game at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The hero this time was Ollie Linton, whose bases-loaded single completed their comeback from four runs down in the eighth inning and extended their first appearance in the CWS.
After beating Texas in the regionals, Wichita State in the super regionals and neighborhood rival Cal State Fullerton and then Arizona State (49-15) in the CWS, the Anteaters take aim at defending national champion Oregon State.
The Anteaters (47-16-1) must beat the Beavers on Wednesday and again Thursday to win their bracket and reach the best-of-3 championship round.
“The 2007 UC Irvine Anteaters don’t want to take their uniforms off,” coach Dave Serrano said. “It’s going to take someone to do something special to eliminate us from this. We’ve had seven victories in the postseason, and each one has gotten better.”
UC Irvine became the first team in the CWS’ 61-year history to win extra-inning games on consecutive days. It beat Cal State Fullerton 5-4 in 13 innings on Monday in a 5-hour, 40-minute game, the longest in CWS history.
“I said yesterday was one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of, not realizing today would top that,” Serrano said.
Matt Morris singled, Bryan Petersen was intentionally walked and Sean Madigan singled to load the bases with one out in the 10th against ASU reliever Mike Leake.
The pro-Irvine crowd began chanting “Let’s Go Eaters” as Linton walked to the plate. After he sent Leake’s 2-2 pitch into right field to break the 7-7 tie, then was mobbed by teammates near first base as the fans’ chants turned to “Oll-ie, Oll-ie.”
North Carolina 3, Louisville 1: Starter Luke Putkonen combined on a three-hitter as the Tar Heels (55-14) eliminated the Cardinals (47-24).
North Carolina had only three hits but scored twice on a throwing error.
North Carolina, the 2006 national runner-up, meets Rice on Wednesday. The Tar Heels must beat the Owls twice to win their bracket and return to the best-of-3 championship series.
All of North Carolina’s scoring came with two outs in the second. Seth Williams hit a run-scoring single to tie it, and the go-ahead runs came in when Garrett Gore grounded to third, and Chris Dominguez threw wide of first base.