2009 College World Series: Day Three

Virginia, LSU prevail Monday CWS action

GAME ONE: CAL STATE FULLERTON VS VIRGINIA

A traditional powerhouse faces off against an upstart in a CWS elimination game, yet it is the powerhouse who extends their losing streak on the big stage to 5 games and gets sent packing early. Virginia rode a strong pitching effort and timely offense to a 7-3 win, their first ever at the College World Series and eliminated Cal State Fullerton.

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Cal State Fullerton came into the elimination game confident as they sent All-American Daniel Renken to the mound. That confidence was further buoyed by an early 2 run lead but was quickly shattered in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Renken allowed 4 runs in the 2 nd inning and finished up allowing 6 runs in 6 innings pitched, making him the 2nd All-American that UVA knocked around in the NCAA Tournament, the first being San Diego State’s Stephen Strasburg (maybe you’ve heard of him?). Virginia used 5 pitchers but had to escape a bases loaded jam in the 9 th inning to preserve the victory.

GAME TWO: LOUISIANA STATE VS ARKANSAS

The only conference rematch at this year’s World Series should have shown plenty of familiarity between two rivals. However, the only familiarity that appeared was the result: a 9-1 LSU bludgeoning of the Razorbacks for the 3rd time in 4 tries this year.

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This game looked like a mismatch from the start. Beginning with a first inning, 3 run home run by LSU’s Mike Mahtook, the Tigers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and put the game away in the 6th inning thanks to two more big flies. Even worse for the Razorbacks, SEC Pitcher of the Year Louis Coleman was on the mound and on his game, improving his record to 14-2 thanks to six strong innings on the mound. LSU’s bullpen kept Arkansas from having any hope and put the Tigers in excellent position to advance in the tournament.

WHAT THIS ALL MEANS

With Cal State Fullerton’s elimination, the tournament is now down to seven teams and Bracket One is now down to three. Meanwhile, Virginia and Arkansas face off this Wednesday in another elimination game. The winner of that game faces the daunting task of having to defeat LSU twice to move on to the finals, especially if it a drawn out affair which requires the services of a lot of pitchers. Neither team will beat LSU twice with tired arms.

Speaking of LSU, the Tigers have been excellent thus far in the tournament, bashing 18 runs in two games and never really facing any major pressure situations. LSU can sit on their laurels and rest up, knowing full well that they’re in the driver’s seat to get to the finals. The Tigers rolled into Omaha as one of the tournament favorites and have done absolutely nothing to dispel that notion. Bracket One is now LSU’s to lose. For more, check out the College World Series schedule & scores page.

THE DAY AHEAD

Tuesday’s slate begins with a 2 PM EST clash between North Carolina and Southern Mississippi. As UNC was my favorite in the tournament and boasts such strong pitching, I will be very disappointed if they don’t defeat USM to stay alive in Omaha. After that, the evening game will feature a huge game between Arizona State and Texas. Coming into the tournament, Texas hadn’t impressed me very much outside of a marathon win against Boston College and their 7-6 win over USM only reinforced that belief. I expect ASU to get great pitching and knock off the #1 overall seed in the tournament. 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.