2009 College World Series: Day Two

Arizona State, Texas prevail in Sunday CWS action

GAME ONE: ARIZONA STATE VS NORTH CAROLINA

The most exciting first round matchup, on paper, in the College World Series did not fail to live up to its billing. Alex White of UNC and Josh Spence of ASU both were spectacular on the mound, sending the game into extra innings tied at on run apiece. However, UNC’s bullpen failed at the test and ASU ended up erupting for a 5-2 win.

This game was a rarity in the NCAA tournament: A lows scoring game dominated by two starters. Between Spence and White, a capacity crowd was treated to 253 pitches, 16 innings, 20 strikeouts, two pickoffs and only two earned runs! The difference in this game was that the Sun Devils replaced Spence in the 8 th inning with Mitchell Lambson, who pitched the next 3 innings and allowed only one meaningless run in the bottom of the 10 th after the game was all but decided.

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The decisive 10 th inning was surprising for a number of reasons. First off, Arizona State took the lead on an error by North Carolina. Then, UNC closer Brian Moran uncharacteristically allowed a 3 run home run to essentially put the game out of reach. Moran’s poor outing raised his ERA to 2.20, which should tell you how good he has been all year. No doubt this was a bitter defeat for UNC.

This game marked a rapid departure from the previous day’s events, where only one starting pitcher made it out of the 4th inning. We might not see another pitching duel that comes close to this great game in the tournament as both of these teams entered the game with the best staff ERAs of any team left in the NCAA tournament. It was a matter of which competitor would blink. And unfortunately for my tournament favorite, their bullpen blinked first.

GAME TWO: TEXAS VS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Every game for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles has been a shootout in the NCAA tournament, so a one run game featuring only 13 total runs was rather tame by their standards. However, #1 overall seed Texas stood in their way this time and the Longhorns can hit with the best of them. However, it wasn’t the Longhorns’ bats that decided this victory; instead it was a walk off walk in the bottom of the 9th that gave Texas the win.

I sat down to watch this game fully expecting a major shootout. USM hadn’t held an opponent under 6 runs all tournament and Texas could rake with the best of them. However, this game will go down in memory for the lack of hitting on Texas’ part that led to their victory. In the final two innings, the Golden Eagles couldn’t seem to throw any strikes and ended up walking or beaning 7 of the final 11 batters! Texas’ final three runs were all the product of bases loaded walks. Over the course of the entire game, Texas drew nine walks while only getting eight hits! So while the Longhorns may have won the game, the Golden Eagles could fairly say that they beat themselves.

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However, with all of the wildness from the USM bullpen, I’ve neglected to credit the two starting pitchers, who both pitched into the 7th inning. When the starters left the game, it stood 4-3 in favor of the Longhorns. However, Texas closer Austin Wood (remember the guy who pitched 13 inning of no hit relief baseball?) continued to struggle since his marathon effort and allowed 3 runs to give the lead right back to the Golden Eagles. The Longhorns rallied back to take the lead in the bottom of the 8 th thanks to the first bout of aforementioned wildness but USM prevailed again in the top of the 9 th to tie the game and chase Wood. However, Texas’ patience at the plate paid off with a game ending walk.

WHAT THIS ALL MEANS

This leaves us with some interesting games on the docket for Tuesday. First up will be North Carolina and Southern Mississippi at 2 PM EST in an elimination game. North Carolina, despite their first game setback, is still a much stronger team and I will be very surprised if Dustin Ackley and company don’t feast on the weak Golden Eagle pitching. Following that game will be Arizona State and Texas at 7 PM EST. The loser of this game will take on the winner of the UNC-USM game. Arizona State still has plenty of pitching available for their matchup with the Horns so don’t be surprised if they knock of the tournament’s top seed. For more, check out the College World Series schedule & scores page.

THE DAY AHEAD

Monday’s slate begins with a 2 PM EST clash between Cal State Fullerton and Virginia. I, for one, will be shocked if the Titans don’t take care of business and send the upstart Cavaliers packing. After that, the evening game will feature a much anticipated SEC clash between Arkansas and LSU. I said yesterday that I liked LSU in that matchup and my opinion hasn’t changed one bit. Take the Tigers and feel good about it. Enjoy the games!

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By Matt Baxendell
CollegeSports-fans.com Staff Writer

You can contact Matt Baxendell at Matt.Baxendell (at) gmail.com with comments, questions and insults at any time. You can also get updates on all of his articles on Twitter at username MattBaxendell.