team. But I’m not going to lie to you guys. That was the mostimportant baseball moment of my life.”

“The bats came to life midway through the game,” Mainierisaid. “Ochinko’s home run was the big knock. It was nice to winthe first game of the College World Series for once. This is thefirst time we’ve done that in a long time.”

The Cavs continued to battle by scoring a run in the top of theseventh, but the Tigers proved too resilient. LSU dented thescoreboard three more times in the bottom of the eighth, with twoof the tallies coming on left fielder Ryan Schimpf’s home run aftersecond baseman D.J. LeMahieu had singled.

“He (Virginia’s Tyler Wilson) left a pitch up, a changeup, and Iput a good swing on it,” said Schimpf, who made an outstandingdiving catch in the outfield to end a Cavalier rally. “It wasn’t eventhe biggest spot of the game, though. Sean’s home run was big,too.”

The matchup pitted two close friends, Mainieri and Virginiahead coach Brian O’Connor, against one another. O’Connorserved as an assistant coach under Mainieri at Notre Dame priorto joining the Atlantic Coast Conference school nearly sevenyears ago. Their friendship, however, had little to do with the out-come. O’Connor’s club had its chances by equaling LSU in hitswith 14. The problem centered on turning those hits into runs,with Virginia leaving 14runners stranded overthe course of the con-test.

“It was a great col-lege baseball game upuntil the eighth,”O’Connor said. “Theywere very aggressive.You play a team likeLSU and not make theplays, they’ll burn you.Give LSU credit. Weleft 14 runners onbase. LSU made theplays. We couldn’tcome up with the bighit. But I’m proud ofour club. We showedresiliency. Our teamhas tremendous pride,and we’ll be ready toplay on Monday.”

Game Two • LSU 9, Virginia 5

Having opened the NCAA Tournament with five straight vic-tories to extend its winning streak to 10 games, LSUarrived at Rosenblatt Stadium playing as well as any team

in the country. Head coach Paul Mainieri’s club featured one of thenation’s best pitching staffs as well as a relentless offense that com-bined power and speed to make the Southeastern Conferencechamps as formidable a foe as any in Omaha.

The Tigers maintained their winning ways with a 9-5 victory overVirginia, although the formula was somewhat different than usual.LSU starting pitcher Anthony Ranaudo, who entered the game witha 10-3 record and a 2.95 ERA, had an inconsistent outing and didnot make it out of the fourth inning prior to being replaced afterallowing two runs on five hits and four walks. Mainieri used fivepitchers, including starters Austin Ross and Louis Coleman, to earnthe important triumph.

“That was a game we haven’t had for most of the season, wherewe had a subpar performance from our starting pitcher,” Mainierisaid. “Our defense made some great plays to keep us in the game,then our offense came to life and gave us some separation.”

Virginia, making its first-ever trip to the College World Series, hadthe third-seeded Tigerson the ropes midwaythrough the game. TheCavaliers plated tworuns in the top of thefifth to take a 4-3 leadbefore the Tigersroared back with threein the bottom of theframe. First basemanSean Ochinko tookMatt Packer deep witha three-run blast to putLSU back on top.

“It was good to beable to help the teamand drive in someruns, even though Istruck out three timestoo,” said the junior,who clubbed his eighthroundtripper of theseason. “I was justhappy to help the

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

College World Series Coverage by Bill Ballew

Game One • Arkansas 10, Cal State Fullerton 6

The Arkansas Razorbacks went cold as the season came to aclose, which made Andy Wilkins’ hot streak even more important.While his team struggled down the stretch by losing 10 of its last

13 games prior to the NCAA tournament, the sophomore first sacker start-ed to carry the club at the plate. Wilkins batted at a .593 clip (16-for-27)with nine extra-base hits—including four home runs—and 17 RBI in his firstsix tournament outings, including a powerful performance in the lidlifter ofthe College World Series that gave Arkansas a 10-6 triumph over No. 2seed Cal State-Fullerton.

Wilkins keyed a five-run fourth inning with a three-run blast to give theRazorbacks a 9-2 advantage. The first baseman added a sacrifice fly andan RBI single to finish the game with five ribbies while putting the Titans inan unenviable position in their sixth visit to Omaha since 2001.

“We’re trying to keep it going in the post-season,” Wilkins said. “I’m defi-nitely trying to do whatever I can to help our ballclub.”

Wilkins was not the only standout forArkansas. Third baseman Zack Cox had a run-scoring single after Wilkins’ sacrifice fly in the firstinning to give the Razorbacks an early 2-0advantage. In the third, after shortstop BenTschepikow singled for the second time in asmany at-bats in the game, Cox drove a two-outhome run deep into the right-field bleachers togive Arkansas a 4-0 lead. The Titans cut the leadin half in the bottom of the frame before theRazorbacks broke the game open in the fourth.

Ironically, most of the Arkansas run productioncame with the help of two-out hits. All five runs inthe fourth frame were plated after Cal StateFullerton retired two batters. When Wilkins drovein left fielder Chase Leavitt in the eighth to givethe Razorbacks a 10-4 lead, it marked the 30thtwo-out RBI for Arkansas thus far in the postsea-son.

“I think any time that a team is playing well it isgoing to drive in runs with two outs,” saidArkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. “It’s just

winning baseball. Timing. Confidence.”Hitting was not the lone key to Arkansas’ victory.

Starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, who improved to 8-3 onthe season, threw six impressive innings before turning themound duties over to reliever Mike Bolsinger, who earnedthe save by working the last three frames. Keuchel workedthrough some tight spots while scattering four hits and awalk. The Titans also stole three bases in the game, butKeuchel did not let his opponents’ aggressiveness affecthis performance.

“They’re a good base-running team,” Keuchel said. “Weknew they were good at the little stuff. I was more focusedon the hitters, and I told Coach I would throw over to first.We did a good job of holding them today.”

Despite trailing 10-4 entering the bottom of the eighth,the Titans never quit. Cal State Fullerton loaded the baseswith no outs on singles by shortstop Christian Colon andcenter fielder Josh Fellhauer and left fielder Gary Brown’swalk. Colon scored on a fielder’s choice by right fielder

Khris Davis, but Bolsingersilenced the rally when hecoaxed catcher DustinGarneau to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Van Horn earned his firstvictory in the CWS in sevengames. While everyone associ-ated with the Razorbacks waspleased with that accomplish-ment, the more important featcentered on starting this trip toOmaha on the right foot. “As ateam we never talked about it,”Cox said of getting the win forthe head coach. “We werefocused on Cal State Fullertonand getting our first CollegeWorld Series win.”

Bo Bigham

Josh Fellhauer

Tyler WilsonSteven Proscia

Keith Werman

D.J. LeMahieu Sean Ochinko

Dallas Keuchel

Christian Colon

Mitchell Lambson in the eighth.Two shutout frames from thereliever set the stage for extrainnings, which led to White’sdeparture. UNC reliever ColinBates retired MacPhee on a pop-up before giving up a single toshortstop Drew Maggi. BrianMoran then took the hill for theTar Heels, and center fielderJason Kipnis lofted a fly ball toright field. Gore lost the ball in thesun before dropping it.

“I’m not sure what happened,”said North Carolina head coachMike Fox. “The wind picked upthere. I feel bad for Garrett. Ithappens.”

Ramirez followed with a hardsingle to left-center field that plat-ed Maggi with the go-ahead run.Left fielder Kole Calhoun thendelivered the death-blow with athree-run opposite field homer togive the Sun Devils a 5-1 advan-tage.

“I got the 1-1 pitch up in thewind, and the wind took over,”Calhoun said. “I was trying tohave a better at-bat than my onebefore, and it wasn’t hard. (CoachPat Murphy) told me to take whathe gives me, and I did and hit itinto left-center. Fortunately it gotup in the air.”

“I commend White and thewhole team,” Murphy said. “Whiteand UNC competed and turned itup a notch. It was pretty special.I’m proud of our guys; we hung inthere and it wasn’t pretty. I’mproud of Kole. He is the definitionof competition; he’s a great com-petitor. It was a different gameand I’m proud of our guys.”

Game Three • Arizona State 5, North Carolina 2

North Carolina, the most experienced team in the2009 College World Series, faced off againstthe event’s youngest team, Arizona State. What

transpired was one of the best pitchers’ duels seen atRosenblatt Stadium in years that was decided with a cou-ple of quirky plays in the 10th inning that gave the SunDevils the 5-2 victory.

The Tar Heels’ Alex White, who was making his fourthcareer start in the CWS, scattered seven hits and threewalks for one run over nine innings while matching hiscareer-best with 12 strikeouts. White dodged trouble inthe first and fifth innings and gave up a run in the second.ASU designated hitter Johnny Ruettiger doubled with twoouts and scored two batters later when second basemanZack MacPhee produced a two-base hit.

Otherwise, the Sun Devils had little success againstWhite, the fifteenth overall pick in the 2009 Major LeagueBaseball draft, taken by the Cleveland Indians. After sur-rendering a run and three hits in the first two innings,White allowed only four hits the rest of the way. He threw131 pitches, including 87 for strikes, and picked off tworunners.

“Obviously this was a tough game,” White said. “Ithought we played well, and so did they. I spotted my fast-ball well and that is the biggest thing with me. This is atough loss, but the good thing is that we get to playagain.”

Arizona State starter Josh Spence was equally effec-tive for the Sun Devils. A third-round draft pick of the LosAngeles Angels of Anaheim, the junior lefthander workedout of trouble in the first and fourth frames and heldNorth Carolina scoreless until the bottom of the sixth. TarHeel second baseman Levi Michael received a leadoffwalk before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt bycatcher Mark Fleury. Right fielder Garrett Gore then fol-lowed with a game-tying single.

“I can’t really take credit for either of those things,”said Spence, who avoided a bases-loaded jam in thefourth and had two runners on base in the second.“(Catcher) Carlos (Ramirez) called a great game, and I’mjust in the palm of his hand. He tells me what to do and Ido it.”

Spence, who gave up eight hits and three walks whilefanning eight in seven innings of work, gave way to

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Raoul Torres

Dustin Ackley

Alex White

Zack McPhee

Josh Spence

Game Five • Virginia 7, Cal State Fullerton 5

There’s an old saying in Omaha that goes “two and barbeque.” No team wantsto experience a pair of losses in as many outings at the College World Series,but it happens to two teams every year due to the tournament’s setup. That

was the case yet again in 2009, although few observers believed Cal State Fullertonwould be the first club heading home.

Despite a valiant effort that included a ninth-inning rally in which the potential game-winning run came to the plate, the Titans were forced to enjoy the tailgating specialtyprior to any of the other seven contestants. Virginia posted its first CWS victory inschool history with the help of a four-run second inning and another stellar showing bydiminutive second baseman Keith Werman to hold on for a 7-5 triumph.

“I’m not taking anything away from Virginia or Arkansas, but we didn’t play verywell,” said Titans head coach Dave Serrano. “We didn’t stay very true to ourselves andgot out of character. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and see what hap-pened. If we’d have played better ball, we wouldn’t be (leaving) right now. But we thinkwith what we have coming back next year, we’ll be back.”

The Titans started the game on a positive note by plating a pair of runs in the sec-ond inning. First baseman Jared Clark led off the frame with a single before catcherDustin Garneau swatted his fifth home run of the season to give Cal State Fullerton a2-0 advantage. The Cavaliers came right back against Titan ace Daniel Renken withRBI singles from designated hitter John Hicks and Werman before first baseman

Danny Hultzen drove in two with another sin-gle.

After the Titans scored a run in the thirdon shortstop Christian Colon’s solo homer,the Cavaliers continued to reach Renken witha single tally in the fifth before chasing him inthe sixth by scoring twice. Renken, an All-American who had worked at least eightinnings in 10 of his last 11 starts, wound upsurrendering a season-high six runs on sixhits in 5 2/3 innings.

“I was falling behind in the count and let-ting the hitters get comfortable in the box,”said Renken, who finished the season withan 11-3 record. “I didn’t execute my gameplan. As the leader of this pitching staff,which I consider myself (to be), it was inex-cusable to fall behind. It lost momentum (forour team) in the field and at the plate. Virginiais a good team, but I made them look a lotbetter today.”

Eight different Virginia players had hits and

show it,” Moldenhauer said. “Coach believes in me. I was glad to hit thehome run and I’m looking forward to the next game.”

Trailing 4-2 entering the eighth, USM battled to score three runs and takea 5-4 lead. Third baseman Tyler Walker started the rally with a leadoff dou-ble, and pinch-runner Nick Smith later scored on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitterBrian Dozier loaded the bases when he reached first base on the first catch-er’s interference at the CWS since 1981. That set the stage for right fielderCorey Stevens, who fouled off a couple of tough pitches before drawing awalk to tie the game. First baseman Joey Archer followed with a chopper tothird base that scored another run when Michael Torres committed an errorwhile trying to get the runner at home.

Texas responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on an infieldsingle by second baseman Travis Tucker, a double by Moldenhauer and anintentional walk to Keyes. USM pitcher Collin Cargill walked shortstopBrandon Loy to bring in one run before Josh Fields walked pinch-hitter KevinLusson with the bases loaded to give the Longhorns a 6-5 lead.

Southern Miss tied the game in the top of the ninth, but Fields continuedto struggle with his control in the bottom half of the frame. With one out,Fields walked first baseman Brandon Belt and hit Tucker with a pitch.Jonathan Johnstonrelieved Fields andretired Tant Shepherdon strikes for the sec-ond out before walkingpinch-hitter KyleLusson to load thebases. Loy then walkedfor the third time in thegame to bring Tuckerhome with the decidingrun.

“I told him he wasgoing to take until hegot two strikes,” Texashead coach AugieGarrido said regardinghis instructions in theninth inning to Loy. “ButI told him not to ignorethe pitches. I told himto watch every pitch toget his timing andrhythm because hewas only going to getone pitch to swing at.”

Game Four • Texas 7, Southern Mississippi 6

Southern Mississippi’s Corky Palmer nearlymissed coaching in the College World Series.His Golden Eagles struggled to make the NCAA

Tournament as a third seed before advancing to Omahaby upsetting a pair of top seeds in the first two rounds.USM showed tenacity throughout the latter half of thecampaign, yet most observers realized the team’sAchilles heel by looking at its pitching staff’s 5.01 ERA,the highest in the eight-team field.

That weakness was exposed late in the school’s first-ever appearance in the CWS. After the Golden Eaglesbattled back from two deficits to take a 5-4 lead in the topof the eighth, three relievers issued a combined six walksin the last 1 1/3 innings to give the Texas Longhorns a 7-6 victory.

“We had an opportunity to win,” said Palmer, whoannounced in April that he would retire as head coach atthe end of the season. “We kept coming back; we just did-n’t throw strikes at the end of the game. Our playersplayed like I thought they would on a big stage. I thoughtthere were no nerves; we just didn’t throw strikes at theend, and we just didn’t throw strikes all game. That’s real-ly why we lost the game. We had every opportunity towin, and we just didn’t get it done.”

The Golden Eagles received a decent start from ToddMcInnis, who allowed four runs and six hits in 6 2/3innings. He settled down after giving up two runs in thefirst inning on a double to right-center field by right fielderKevin Keyes. After Southern Miss tied the game in the top

of the fifth on a two-runhomer by designatedhitter Michael Ewing,the Longhorns took a3-2 lead in the bottomof the sixth on desig-nated hitter RussellMoldenhauer’s firsthome run of the sea-son.

“I believe I hit theball well all year,although my battingaverage (.254) doesn’t

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

six scored runs. Werman, Virginia’s ninth hitterin the lineup, was the lone member of theWahoos to have two of both while going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. That performancecombined with his debut on June 13 left the140-pound freshman 6-for-9 with two doublesand three RBI in his first two CWS outings.

“We had some good individual perform-ances,” said Virginia head coach BrianO’Connor, who earned his first career CWSwin. “Werman is a gutsy player and he’swinning hearts here in Omaha.”

The total team effort was as evident onthe mound as it was at the plate. RobertMorey twirled the first four innings, allowingfive hits and three earned runs before aquartet of Virginia arms carried the load tothe finish line. Andrew Carraway tossed 22/3 innings of shutout relief to earn hisninth win in 10 decisions before MattPacker recorded the final out of the sev-enth. Tyler Wilson and Kevin Arico workedthe eighth and ninth frames, respectively,with Arico allowing two runs before he gotdesignated hitter Khris Davis to ground outto end the game.

“This is a very big win for our program,”Carraway said. “No one wants to comehere and go two and out. We have a lot ofyoung guys on our team; the energy level ishigh.”

Russell Moldenhauer

Michael Ewing

Keith Werman

Daniel Renken

Jeff Newman • Dustin Garneau

Danny Hultzen

Khris Davis

Austin Wood

Todd McInnis

Game Six • LSU 9, Arkansas 1

In a battle of Southeastern Conference foes, the Tigers displayed their muscleagainst the Razorbacks by clubbing three home runs while LSU starter LouisColeman limited Arkansas to one run over six innings to coast to a 9-1 triumph in

the nightcap of the College World Series’ third day at Rosenblatt Stadium.Center fielder Mikie Mahtook gave the Tigers a lead they would never surrender in

the first inning. Second baseman D.J. LeMahieu led off the game with a single andadvanced to second when left fielder Ryan Schimpf walked. After Arkansas starter BrettEibner retired the next two batters, Mahtook battled to a full count before depositing achangeup over the left field wall to give LSU a 3-0 advantage.

“(Eibner) tried to sneak a fastball by me and I fouled it off, then I was looking for theslider because he’d thrown it in a couple of times in the at-bat,” Mahtook said. “He threwthe slider and left it up a little bit. I put a good swing on it and got enough of it.”

Arkansas responded with a run in the bottom of the first when shortstop BenTschepikow hit a one-out double, went to third on a single by designated hitter ScottLyons and raced home on first baseman Andy Wilkins’ sacrifice fly. The Tigers regainedtheir three-run advantage in the top of the second when LeMahieu recorded a two-outsingle and scored on Schimpf’s double. That rally forced Razorbacks head coach DaveVan Horn to pull Eibner and replace him with T.J. Forrest, who silenced the LSU bats forthe next three-plus frames.

They did a good job of fouling off pitches,” Van Horn said of the Tigers’ approach atthe plate. “They did a good jobof getting Brett’s pitch countup.”

The Tigers reached Forrestduring the pitcher’s secondtime through the lineup, in thetop of the sixth inning.Schimpf walked with two outsand designated hitter BlakeDean capitalized by takingForrest deep over the rightfield wall to give LSU a 7-1lead. Sam Murphy relievedForrest and gave up a singleto catcher Micah Gibbs andwalked Mahtook. Right fielderJared Mitchell brought Gibbshome with a single, and athrowing error by Arkansasleft fielder Chase Leavitt plat-ed Mahtook to give the Tigersa 9-1 advantage.

“Our pitching has beenpretty consistent all year, aswell as our defense,” said LSUhead coach Paul Mainieri.“Our hitting at times has beenawesome and at times not sogood. Tonight, you saw whatwe’re capable of. It seemedlike just about everybody wasthrowing up some good at-bats tonight. When we’re click-ing, we’re a good offensiveteam one through nine.”

Making matters easier forthe Tigers was the pitching ofColeman, the SEC pitcher ofthe year. Coleman, whoimproved to 14-2 on the sea-son, worked out of some jamsearly in the game that includ-ed two baserunners in thesecond and third innings yetemerged unscathed. Hecruised through his last three

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

frames and concluded the game striking outseven batters in his six innings while allowingonly six hits and three walks. The bullpen didits job as well, with Daniel Bradshaw tossingtwo scoreless frames and Nolan Cain fanningtwo of the four batters he faced to close outthe contest in the ninth.

Arkansas entered the game having posted30 two-out runs thus far in the NCAATournament. In this contest, LSU scored allnine of its runs after the Razorbacks had reg-istered a pair of outs.

“Two-out hits is how you win ballgames,”Dean said. “When you get (Coleman) nineruns, it’s going to be hard to lose the ball-game.”

Game Seven • North Carolina 11, Southern Mississippi 4

Dustin Ackley showed everyone whyhe was the first hitter taken in the2009 Major League Baseball draft.

The Tar Heel first baseman became theCollege World Series all-time hits leader whileposting the 15th five-hit performance in theevent’s history to lead North Carolina to an 11-4 victory over Southern Mississippi.

Ackley recorded a double and four singles inhis first five at-bats prior to stepping to theplate in the top of the ninth. He narrowlymissed posting only the second six-hit game inCWS annals when he flew out to left field.Ackley’s performance keyed UNC’s 23-hitattack, which equaled the highest single-gamemark previously established by three otherclubs.

“I think everybody saw today what every-body on our team and myself have seen thelast three years with Dustin Ackley,” said NorthCarolina head coach Mike Fox. “It was anunbelievable performance, and we’ve seen thatbefore from him day in and day out. He’s onesensational player, and I’m glad the nation gotto see a little bit of that today. We needed it.”

Ackley’s hit were more than simple window-dressing in a record-setting performance. Hestroked a run-scoring single in the first inning togive the Tar Heels an early 1-0 lead. In the sec-ond, Ackley had an RBI double to extend North

Carolina’s lead to 2-0. He then proceeded toregister his third run producing hit in as manyinnings to give his club a 6-0 advantage.

“Today was one of those days where I washitting the balls into the right hole,” said Ackley,the second overall pick in the 2009 draft whonow has 27 hits in 14 CWS games. “I was get-ting good hits. It’s exciting to break the record.I heard about having the chance to do it, butit’s bigger for us to win the game.”

In addition to Ackley’s outing, the Tar Heelshad six other players’ record more than one hitin the game; 10 different North Carolina bat-ters posted at least one hit. Shortstop RyanGraepel had four hits and two RBI, while leftfielder Ben Bunting registered three hits withthree runs scored and two RBI. Third basemanKyle Seager, who had three hits in the team’sfirst game against Arizona State, had twomore hits against the Golden Eagles, includinghis sixth home run of the season.

With the offense giving him an 8-0 leadmidway through the fourth inning, UNC starterAlex Warren kept the Southern Miss hitters atbay by limiting them to three hits and threeruns over six innings. Warren, who improved to10-2 on the season, was effectively wild,resulting in six strikeouts in addition to his fivewalks.

“My command on my fastball was badtoday, but I battled through,” Warren said. “Itwas one of those outings where my commandwas not there, but it got better as I wentalong.”

The North Carolina victory elimi-nated Southern Mississippi from theCWS and brought to an end thecoaching career of Corky Palmer,who announced earlier this year thathe would retire at the end of the cam-paign. In addition to guiding theGolden Eagles to their first CWSappearance, Palmer concluded theslate with 960 collegiate victories,including 458 in his 12 seasons atUSM.

“Today was a tough day, kind ofmy worst nightmare,” Palmer said.“North Carolina is a good club; theyhit well, they pitch well, and theyplayed good defense. We just didn’tmatch up very well with seven left-handers in the lineup. We had a mag-ical season. Our kids played greatand you can’t ask for more than whatwe’ve done over the past threeweeks. I’m real glad these guys letme work a little longer. It wasn’t me, itwas them.”

Louis Coleman

Kameron Brunty

Mikie Mahtook

Brett Eibner

Ben Tschepikow

Ryan Graepel Kyle Seager

Game Nine • Arkansas 4, Virginia 3 (12 innings)

One of Yogi Berra’s most notable quipsstates, “It’s never over til it’s over.”After their 4-hour and 46-minute

matchup at Rosenblatt Stadium, there’s noquestion both the Razorbacks and Cavaliersunderstand exactly what the Hall of Fame catch-er meant.

With two outs in the top of the ninth inningand his team trailing by two runs, Arkansas cen-ter fielder Brett Eibner was down to his finalstrike. Third baseman Zack Cox, who had sin-gled, resided on first base after the Razorbacks’first two hitters in the inning grounded out. Withvictory only a pitch away for the Cavaliers,Eibner instead drove the Kevin Arico offeringover the left field wall to tie the game at 3-3.Three innings later, left fielder Andrew Darr

Game Eight • Texas 10, Arizona State 6

Pitching appeared to be the primary ingredient heading into the Texas-ArizonaState contest. The Longhorns had 10-game winner Chance Ruffin going againstMike Leake, who owned an impressive 16-1 record for the Sun Devils. Yet that

type of matchup never materialized, with both hurlers departing prior to the end of thefourth inning.

Instead, offensive outbursts by both clubs resulted in a slugfest that shone the nationalspotlight on Cameron Rupp. The Texas catcher hit a pair of home runs and drove in fourruns to help the Longhorns bounce back from a 6-0 deficit and outlast the Sun Devils, 10-6.

“Baseball creates enough adversity as any sport can,” said Texas head coach AugieGarrido. “We added to it tenfold, both offensively and defensively. To win that game tonightwas nothing short of a miracle. They played the game from pitch to pitch. It was rough andugly, but they got the job done.”

Garrido’s team fell behind early by surrendering three runs to Arizona State in both thesecond and third innings. Left fielder Kole Calhoun led off the second stanza with a solohomer to left-center field. Right fielder Matt Newman singled one out later, advanced tothird on a single by third baseman Raoul Torrez, and then scored on a passed ball. Firstbaseman Jared McDonald then plated Torrez with a single.

In the third, catcher Carlos Ramirez hit a leadoff home run. The Sun Devils loaded thebases on two walks and an error, and McDonald capitalized with his second RBI of thegame by hitting a sacrifice fly. Designated hitter Johnny Ruettiger added ASU’s sixth runwhen Rupp threw the ball into center field on a stolen base attempt by Newman.

With his team down by six runs, Garrido gathered his troops in the dugout and stressedhow the game was not decided despite the score. “Coach called us in and told us that wecould do it,” Rupp said. “We had to compete and go play by play. We put everything behindus and moved on. He stayed calm; he just told us to put it all behind us.”

The Longhorns responded to the pep talk by tying the game in the top of the fourth.Rupp hit his first home run of the game, a three-run shot off Leake that came after rightfielder Kevin Keyes singled and shortstop Brandon Loy was hit by a pitch. After two singlesand a fielder’s choice left runners on the corners with one out, second baseman TravisTucker dropped down a bunt that turned into an RBI single. First baseman Brandon Beltthen tied the contest at 6-6 by contributing a two-run single that led to Leak’s departure.

“I’m not sure exactly what happened, but his stuff wasn’t his normal sinking stuff,” ASUhead coach Pat Murphy said of Leake. “He wasn’t getting the low strike - this ump had ahigher zone - which changes things a little bit. But they got some timely hits, and that’swhat happens.”

Texas took the lead in the seventh when Rupp hit reliever Mitchell Lambson’s first pitch

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

over the wall in right field to give theLonghorns a 7-6 advantage. Texas tackedon three more tallies in the top of the eighthon an RBI double by Keyes and a two-runsingle from Loy. Six different Longhorns hadat least two hits, led by Tucker’s three hitsand two runs. Their power surge in the lastsix innings overshadowed the efforts of theTexas bullpen after Ruffin departed upongiving up seven hits and six runs in twoinnings. Taylor Jungmann earned the victory,his 10th of the season, by holding the SunDevils scoreless for the last 5 2/3 frames.

stroked a game-winning double tokeep Arkansas’ hopes for a nationalchampionship alive while bringing toan end Virginia’s first trip to Omahafor the College World Series.

“I was looking for an off-speedpitch,” Eibner said of his game-tyingblast. “I got it and put a good swingon it. It’s one of my top (hits), defi-nitely since it came in the CollegeWorld Series.”

Prior to the heroics of Eibner andDarr, Arkansas emerged from con-stant threats by the Virginia offense,only to watch the Cavaliers come upempty. Virginia jumped out to a two-run lead in the fifth inning when firstbaseman John Hicks opened theframe with a solo home run to leftfield. The homer was originally ruleda double before a brief meeting ofthe umpires determined the ballcleared the wall. The team’s secondrun crossed the plate shortly there-after when left fielder John Barr sin-gled, advanced to third on shortstopTyler Cannon’s single, and scoredon Danny Hultzen’s double.

The Razorbacks rallied with a runin the seventh when second base-man Bo Bigham reached base on athrowing error, moved to third onCox’s double, and scored onEibner’s sacrifice fly. Virginiaregained its two-run advantage inthe eighth when right fielder DanGrovatt swatted his eighth home runof the season, giving the Cavs a 3-1lead heading into the ninth.

Aside from the brief offensiveuprisings, the game featured pitch-ers’ duel between Arkansas left-hander Drew Smyly and Virginiasouthpaw Danny Hultzen. The twostarters combined to allow only twoearned runs in 11 innings of work.Smyly had seven strikeouts and nowalks with two earned runs in 4 2/3innings, while Hultzen surrenderedone unearned run with seven strike-outs and no walks in 6 1/3 innings.

Equally impressive on the moundwas Arkansas’ Dallas Keuchel, whoconcluded the game with fourshutout innings, allowing three hitsand three walks while striking outfive batters. Keuchel earned his sec-ond win in as many decisions in theCWS and improved to 9-3 on theseason.

“I just told myself that I’d beenthrough this before,” Keuchel said. “Ididn’t want to let them go out likethat. They kept swinging through theslider and missing.”

The deciding tally came in thebottom of the 12th when right fielderJarrod McKinney opened the framewith a single to right and then stole

second base. Darr, who entered the game asa defensive replacement, stepped to the platefor his first at-bat of the game and battledVirginia pitcher Andrew Carraway for ninepitches. On the 10th offering, Darr drilled theball past a diving Steven Proscia at third baseto bring home McKinney.

“I tried to have a good at-bat,” Darr said. “Iwas looking for something up in the zone. Iwas confident because I’ve been there before.But across the board, it was a really goodbaseball game.”

The loss sent Virginia home with a school-record 49 wins against only 15 losses and onetie. While the Cavaliers may have been playingin their first College World Series, many of theplayers believe the best is yet to come for theACC team.

“We’re a young team, and not many peoplethought we’d be in this situation,” Proscia said.“We were looking to prove something and Ithink we did that. We’ve got a lot of youngguys that will be looking to get back here nextyear.”

Travis Tucker

Cameron Rupp

Carlos Ramirez

Tyler Cannon

Andrew Carraway

Zack Cox

Andrew Darr

decisions in the NCAA Tournament and improved to 10-1 on theseason.

“I wouldn’t say I was tired,” Spence said. “I got caught up in themoment when I gave up that three spot (in the fourth inning). I’mblessed to have such a poised coaching staff and such a poisedcatcher to keep me in line and get me back on track.”

Ramirez said afterwards that Spence needed a little encourage-ment prior to and during the contest, yet displayed the resiliencyneeded to overcome any doubts to keep the Sun Devils in con-tention for the national championship.

“He went out there right before the game and said, ‘What am Idoing?’” Ramirez said. “I said you’re about to pitch, then he said,‘But it’s on three days’ rest.’ I told him to do what he normally did.Then after we made a couple of errors I told him, ‘This is baseball.People are going to make errors. Just keep hitting your spots,’ andhe did.”

North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley singled in the ninthinning, his lone base knock in five at-bats during the contest, toextend his NCAA Tournament hitting streak to 22 games. Ackley,who had at least one hit in each of his 15 career CWS games andwent 8-for-16 in 2009, also increased his CWS hits record to 28.

“For me, I just came in as a freshman trying to get a job startinganywhere on the field,” said Ackley, who playedin the CWS all three of his collegiate campaigns.“It was a great ride. To end it on a stage like thiswas incredible.”

Arizona State, meanwhile, improved to 51-13on the season despite fielding one of theyoungest teams in the nation. Despite the club’slack of experience, Murphy had no intention ofreining in his players.

“We have the least experience of any team inmajor college baseball,” Murphy said. “There isno team with less returners. We have eight activeplayers who have ever played Division I baseball.I’m so proud of them, but why stop now?”

Game Ten • Arizona State 12, North Carolina 5

In a rematch of Game 3 of the 2009 College World Series,Arizona State overcame a 4-0 deficit after four innings byplating four in the fifth inning and scoring another eight runs

in the seventh to defeat North Carolina, 12-5, and oust the TarHeels from the tournament.

“We’re very proud to have competed against North Carolina,”said ASU head coach Pat Murphy, who earned the 1,000th victoryof his coaching career by beating the Tar Heels. “The competitionwe had against them was sensational both games we played them.We don’t have much time to recuperate (before facing Texas), butwe’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete.”

Murphy’s team fell behind early, with North Carolina taking a 1-0lead in the second inning with designated hitter Jacob Stallingsexecuting a safety squeeze. Stallings repeated the feat for the TarHeels’ first run in the fourth before center fielder Mike Cavasinniand shortstop Ryan Graepel produced back-to-back RBI singles togive UNC a 4-0 advantage.

Arizona State responded in the fifth when left fielder KoleCalhoun erased the four-run deficit by hitting a grand slam off a 3-2slider from relieverBrian Moran. TheSun Devils thenbroke the game openin the seventh byscoring eight timeson five hits, fourwalks, two stolenbases, one hit batterand a passed ball.North Carolina madethree pitchingchanges during theframe, and 13Arizona State playerscame to the plate inwhat proved to bethe team’s second-largest inning of theseason. The key con-tributions included atwo-run double byCalhoun, two-runsingles by secondbaseman ZackMacPhee and short-stop Drew Maggi andan RBI single bycatcher Carlos Ramirez.

“You don’t want those innings to happen to you in thefirst game of the year, and you certainly don’t want thatkind of inning out here,” said North Carolina head coachMike Fox. “We couldn’t find the strike zone. I feel so badfor all those kids. They’re trying as hard as they can. Weopened the door for a good team. We dodged bullets dur-ing the first few innings but couldn’t recover in thatinning.”

Calhoun became the first Arizona State player to hit agrand slam in the College World Series since MichaelCollins in 1998. Sal Bando (1965) and Bob Horner (1978)also hit grand slams in Omaha for the Sun Devils.

ASU’s offensive outburst overshadowed a stellar pitch-ing performance by Josh Spence. The lefthander threw126 pitches over seven innings while allowing four runs(three earned) on seven hits with two walks and eightstrikeouts. Spence earned his second win in as many

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESGame Eleven • LSU 14, Arkansas 5

For Tiger fans, failing to reach the championship finals ofthe College World Series since 2000 is akin to waiting forever.A rain delay of two hours and 30 minutes at the start of thecontest with Arkansas only increased the anticipation, whichproved to be worthwhile when LSU defeated the Razorbacks

for the second time in Omaha, eliminating its SEC foe by a score of14-5.

Anthony Ranaudo bounced back from a mediocre outing earlier inthe CWS to toss six scoreless innings for the Tigers. Ranaudo, whofailed to emerge from the fourth inning in LSU’s first game in Omaha,against Virginia, allowed only four singles and struck out five batterswhile issuing no walks. In addition to not allowing an Arkansas runnerpast second base, he won for the 11th time in 14 decisions this sea-son and is now 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in four NCAA Tournament startsthis season.

“I had a bad outing last time,” Ranaudo said. “I didn’t have goodcommand and that’s what gets you into trouble. Today I pounded thestrike zone early and the offense scored early and gave me time torelax and go out and compete.”

“You saw the real Anthony Ranaudo today,” said LSU head coachPaul Mainieri. “He looked like a major league pitcher, like a champion.He had good velocity, a good fastball and even got a few changeupsover. He was kind of hard to live with this week, hard to talk tobecause he wanted to get out there so bad. Nobody wants to winmore than he does. He is a great teammate and there was no way hewas going to let his team down today.”

In addition to Ranaudo’s stellar pitching performance, the LSUoffense made certain the outcome was never in doubt. The Tigersplated at least one run in seven of the nine innings and had baserun-ners in every frame except the fourth. Eight of the nine LSU startershad at least one hit. Designated hitter Blake Dean, right fielder JaredMitchell and left fielder Ryan Schimpf contributed solo home runs tothe Tiger cause, while third baseman Tyler Hanover added a two-runshot.

The Tigers scored one run in the first inning, three in the third andsingle tallies in the fifth and sixth. Their greatest outburst occurred inthe seventh, when five runners came home to give LSU and Ranaudoan 11-0 advantage. Eight consecutive batters reached base safely inthe inning that included a fielding error, a single, one home run, twodoubles and three walks.

“LSU was just too strong, and we just didn’t have enough to holdthem down,” said Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. “Ranaudowas too good. He threw a lot better today than his first time out.”

With the victory, LSU outscored Arkansas 23-6 in the two gamesbetween the teams in Omaha. The win also marked the Tigers’ fourthtriumph over the Razorbacks this season. LSU is now 8-0 in theNCAA Tournament, and extended its winning streak to 13 games, afact that means little to the Tigers while in pursuit of the school’s sixthnational championship.

“We really don’t think about winning streaks,” Schimpf said. “Welook at it as just another ballgame. The team’s doing a great job andwe’re peaking at the right time.” Added Dean, “I didn’t know about the13-game winning streak until just now. I think it’s tough to beat usright now with the way we’re pitching and hitting. I have to agree withRyan that we’re peaking at the right time.”

Despite trailing 11-0, Arkansas never quit battling. The Razorbacksscored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning on center fielderBrett Eibner’s two-run homer. Left fielder Chase Leavitt concluded thecontest’s scoring with a three-run shot in the ninth inning to end thegame with three hits in five at-bats. That type of resiliency definedArkansas’ season, particularly after the team slumped in May and hadto scramble to make a post-season run.

“We knew we were capable of it as a team,” said shortstop BenTschepikow. “We faced some tough teams in the SEC; it was a toughstretch. We kept a positive mentality and kept working hard. We gothot at the right time; we always knew we were a good team.”

While Arkansas ended its season with a 41-24 record, LSUimproved to 120-44 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as the Tigersprepared for the championship series.

“It’s a dream come true that we got to this point,” Mainieri said.“When I say a dream, it’s not that I didn’t think we couldn’t. Wethought we could when we started the year. Now there’s an opportu-nity for us, and now we’ll see if we can seize it.”

Mike Cavasinni

Kole Calhoun

Chase Leavitt

Blake Dean

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESGame One • CWS Championship Series LSU 7, Texas 6, 11 innings

With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, LSU’s D.J.LeMahieu doubled home the tying runs, and centerfielder Mikie Mahtook followed two frames later with

an RBI single to give the Tigers a come-from-behind victory anda one-game lead in the best-of-three championship series with a7-6 triumph over Texas in the College World Series.

“It’s hard to describe the emotions I feel about this game, but Iam going to try,” said LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. “This wasthe most courageous never-say-die resolve that I’ve ever seenfrom one of my teams in 27 years of coaching. That was the defi-nition of team effort, and it will be what I reference when I talk toteams in the future about team effort.”

The back-and-forth contest featured seven solo home runs,the most in any CWS game since 2001. Texas hit five one-runblasts, including two by designated hitter Russell Moldenhauer,who posted only his second and third roundtrippers of the sea-son. LSU gained the lead in the first inning on a solo homer byleft fielder Ryan Schimpf before the Longhorns posted three inthe bottom of the fourth on long balls by second baseman TravisTucker, Moldenhauer and right fielder Kevin Keyes.

The Tigers tied the game in the top of the sixth inning on atwo-run triple by right fielder Jared Mitchell. Texas answeredLSU’s rally with two more runs in the bottom of the frame on ahome run by Moldenhauer and a wild pitch that scored Keyes,who had reached base on a single.

“They went out of the park,” Moldenhauer said of his twohome runs. “I was feeling good and relaxed at the plate. I wasputting a good swing on it. I felt good.”

Even though the ball was flying out of Rosenblatt Stadium,

Game Twelve • Texas 4, Arizona State 3

The Texas Longhorns may have been making their32nd appearance in the College World Series, but noneof the school’s games could have had a more excitingfinish than their second matchup of 2009 againstArizona State. After watching the Sun Devils take a 3-2lead in the top of the ninth, the Longhorns’ CameronRupp and Connor Rowe clobbered a pair of solo homeruns in the bottom of the inning to send Texas to thechampionship series for the first time since 2005 with a4-3 victory over ASU.

“Wow, what a game,” said Texas head coach AugieGarrido. “First of all, I have to recognize Arizona Stateand the great job they’ve done with their program. Thepitching, the competitiveness, the way they battled withtheir team in the ninth. The reason that was so excitingwas as much about them as us. The two home runs inthe bottom of the ninth was about as exciting as it gets. Ifeel blessed about it. How does it happen? It just does.”

Having entered the final inning tied at 2-2, the SunDevils appeared on the verge of forcing another gameon Saturday for the Bracket 2 championship. Designatedhitter Zach Wilson, who had pinch-hit earlier in the gamefor Johnny Ruettiger, hit a triple in the top of the frameto score center fielder Jason Kipnis with the go-aheadrun. Arizona State also had on the mound MitchellLambson, who had tossed two shutout frames in relief ofstarter Mike Leake.

Lambson opened the ninth by striking out shortstopBrandon Loy. Rupp, the Longhorns’ catcher, followedwith his second hit of the game and his 11th home runof the season. Rupp’s blast was one of the longest in

recent CWS history, carrying deep into the bleachers beyond the center fieldwall.

“We came in (from the field in the ninth) and were a little upset,” Rupp said.“We picked each other up. We’ve done that before and we take pride in that.We go into each inning looking to win. We’ve competed like that all tournamentlong and it gave us the win tonight.”

After Lambson retired left fielder Preston Clark for the second out of theinning, Rowe followed Rupp’s heroics five pitches later with a line drive overthe left field wall for the game-winning blast. Rowe’s hit was the first walk-offhomer in the CWS since Texas’ Chance Wheeless defeated Baylor in thesame manner in 2005.

“I wasn’t thinking about hitting a home run,” said Rowe, the Longhorns’ No.9 hitter for the game. “I had faced (Lambson) three times before and I’d seen alot of changeups. I was sitting there waiting for it and got it.”

The ninth-inning fireworks out-shined stellar pitching performances by bothstarters. Both Cole Green of the Longhorns and ASU’s Mike Leake went sixinnings and allowed two earned runs on eight hits. Leake had seven strikeoutsand one walk, while Green fanned six batters and walked three. Leake waspitching on two days’ rest and concluded the season with a remarkable 1.71ERA.

“When we won yesterday, I wanted the ball,” Leake said. “I tried to makemy pitches, made a couple of mistakes and paid for them. But I tried to putthem past me and work to help my team.”

Added ASU head coach Pat Murphy, “I think we’re going to watch MikeLeake get inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He was 40-6 in hiscareer, and he led us to Omaha twice and to three Super Regionals.”

State took an early 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI single by Kole Calhoun.The Sun Devils’ left fielder had one of the premier performances in the 2009CWS. In addition to going 3-for-4 in his team’s final game, Calhoun contributedthree homers and 11 RBI and reached base in 13 of his last 16 plate appear-ances.

“It might be a great game for somebody to watch on TV sometime,”Calhoun said. “But right now, it hurts. This is the best team I’ve ever been onand I didn’t want it to end.”

Texas tied the game in the bottom of the third when third baseman MichaelTorres hit a leadoff homer. The Sun Devils added a run in the fourth inning andshortstop Drew Maggi contributed an RBI single before the Longhorns knottedthe game once again in the bottom of the fifth on second baseman TravisTucker’s run-scoring single.

With steady relief pitching by Lambson and Texas’ Austin Wood, the gameremained tied until the ninth, when two of the nation’s heavyweight programsexchanged blows, leaving only the Longhorns standing. Arizona State depart-ed its 21st CWS with a 51-14 record, marking its 16th season with 50 or morevictories.

“You can probably surmise that this is a pretty emotional moment,” Murphysaid. “(Lambson) has been good all year and he was good again tonight. Thecredit goes to Texas. They did a wonderful job of hitting in the clutch. I’m reallyproud of this club. This is something they are going to remember forever.”

both starting pitchers performed admirably. Texas starter ChanceRuffin tied his season high with 10 strikeouts despite battlingcramps in his calf through 5 2/3 innings of work. He allowed threeearned runs and five hits before giving way to Austin Wood in thesixth. LSU starter Louis Coleman, the SEC Pitcher of the Year,fanned six batters in six innings while giving up nine hits and sixruns, all of them earned.

“I went out to Coleman and said, ‘At least they’re solo homeruns,’” said Mainieri. “I told my hitters we were going to have to hit towin the ballgame. But based on the way the ball was flying aroundthe park, I had confidence that we would win.”

In the seventh inning, LSU added another single run on a homerun by LeMahieu to pull to within 5-4. Texas center fielder ConnorRowe contributed another solo homer in the bottom of the frame to

Connor Rowe

Russell Moldenhauer

Kevin Keyes

D.J. LeMahieuMichael Lambson

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESgive the Longhorns another two-run advantage. The score remained the

same until LeMahieu tied the game in the top of the ninth with his double.After neither team scored in the 10th, the Tigers dented the scoreboard

again in the 11th when they took advantage of two walks, a stolen base, anerror and a single by Mahtook to take the lead.

“(Brandon Workman) was throwing hard, and I saw that from the dugout,”said Mahtook, who had two hits in six at-bats on the night. “I made a point toput my foot down early and look for my pitch. He left one up, and I took it upthe middle.”

With baseballs jumping out of the ballpark on the hot and humid night, LSUreceived a significant boost when Matty Ott took the mound in the bottom ofthe ninth. The reliever did not give up a hit in three innings of work andallowed only one walk while striking out three batters. While Ott was creditedwith the win, the loss was the first for the Longhorns in 40 games this seasonwhen leading after eight innings.

“I was feeling good the whole time,” said Ott, who allowed only twobaserunners in his three innings of work. “We practice and lift weights to keepin condition throughout the season. I told myself that I need to be able tothrow three to four innings because I might need to step in and throw later inthe season.”

In the end, the game lived up to the hype associated with college baseball’sshowcase event. Even with his team facing a must-win situation, Texas head

coach Augie Garrido could appreciate the performancehe had witnessed on the field.

“It was an incredible game between two teams thatwere doing unbelievable things to win a game,” Garridosaid. “The team that lost the game was going to feel thewrath of baseball. We were that team tonight. It was anincredible performance by both teams.”Game Two • Texas 5, LSU 1

Texas head coach Augie Garrido knew hisLonghorns had to win Game 2 of the championshipseries or his team would be heading back to Austin asthe runner-up. With the College World Series and a shotat the national championship on the line, the Hall ofFame skipper turned to a freshman to start what couldbe considered to be the most important contest of theseason for the NCAA Tournament’s top-seeded club.

“I was very confident,” Garrido said of TaylorJungmann, who had thrown six pitches—all for balls—as a reliever in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the cham-pionship series. “It was my decision to put him in thatposition last night. It was a decision made in haste. I puthim into something he wasn’t prepared for. He is apitcher and a real good one.”

His previous night’s performance notwithstanding,Jungmann put together a stellar showing on the moundfor Texas. The freshman All-American limited the Tigers,who entered the contest averaging 9.5 runs in its firstfour College World Series outings, to five hits and oneunearned run. He also pitched the first complete gamein the CWS in three years while issuing only two walksand striking out nine LSU batters.

“I was staying back,” said Jungmann, who earnedhis third win in the CWS, his first as a starter. “I had agood feel for the ball. I mixed the pitches well.”

The start of the game was delayed by an hour and34 minutes due to a thunderstorm that poundedRosenblatt Stadium. As a result, the temperature fellfrom 97 degrees to 82 while the humidity was slashed.The subsequent cooler weather, according to Garrido,proved beneficial for Jungmann.

“The rain played an important part in the gametonight,” Garrido said. “It took the temperature down,and that helped Taylor finish the game. When we got offthe bus, it was steaming. His teammates got him an

early lead. I’ve always thought that the best thing for a curveball is afour-run lead.”

Texas scored all five of its runs in the first three innings. Left fielderPreston Clark recorded a solo homer in the second inning, his first ofthree hits on the night, and designated hitter Russell Moldenhauerbecame the 10th player to hit four home runs in a College WorldSeries. Moldenhauer, who arrived in Omaha without big fly on theseason, went deep in the third inning when he cleared the right-centerfield fence off LSU pitcher Ryan Byrd.

“I was seeing the ball well again,” Moldenhauer said. “I was layingoff the sliders he was throwing low in the zone. I had a hunch he’dcome back inside, and luckily he left it up enough for me to elevate it.”

Tiger starter Austin Ross went only two innings, allowing four hitsand a walk and giving up two earned runs. Mainieri was not pleasedwith his pitcher’s performance and pulled him prior to the start of thethird inning.

“The start was terrible, to walk the first batter on four pitches, thenthey were going to sacrifice and the next pitch wasn’t close,” Mainierisaid. “Then the error on (catcher Micah) Gibbs trying to pick off therunner, they scored right away. I thought we were very fortunate thatthey only scored one run in each of the first two innings. I thought(Ryan) Byrd just has a very different approach than Ross or (Nolan)Cain. (Cain) came in and did a phenomenal job and kept us in theballgame.”

LSU’s lone tally came in the bottom of the second inning whenTexas shortstop Brandon Loy’s fielding error allowed right fielderJared Mitchell to score. The Tigers were able to get their leadoff manon base in four of the final five innings, yet were unable to cross homeplate.

“He just changed speeds well and kept his pitches down,” Mitchellsaid of Jungmann. “He stayed in the zone and made it tough for us.”

Jungmann received several strong defensive plays, including adouble play in the fourth that began with an impressive backhand play

by second baseman Travis Tucker in the hole. After never goingdeeper than 7 2/3 innings during his first collegiate campaign,Jungmann wound up twirling a complete game to win his 11thcontest of the season against three losses.

“I think we’ll stay around here in Omaha for another day ifthat’s okay,” Mainieri said. “It would have been nice to win today,but (Jungmann) had a lot to do with us having to stick around.He was outstanding. He had good velocity and a good slider.This was our first loss in 15 games, and it’s pretty hard to winevery game in baseball. At least that’s what they tell me.”

Game Three • LSU 11, Texas 4 To say that June was a good month for LSU right fielder Jared

Mitchell would be a gross understatement. The outfielder, whobegan the month by being the Chicago White Sox’s first-rounddraft pick, concluded it by leading the Tigers to the nationalchampionship and earning Most Outstanding Player honors inthe College World Series after hitting at a .348 clip in six gameswith five extra-base hits, five walks and seven RBI.

Mitchell’s best game may have been his last with the Tigers.The junior clubbed a three-run homer in the first inning to giveLSU an early 3-0 lead and walked to lead off the sixth inning andbegin a five-run rally that broke open a tie game. By the end ofthe evening, the Tigers not only owned an 11-4 victory overTexas, but had won their sixth national championship and theirfirst since 2000.

“I’ve dreamt my whole life of having this moment,” said LSU’sPaul Mainieri, who won his first national title as a head coach.“It’s almost surreal. My first thoughts are with this wonderful uni-versity and with this state and its tenacious people. This champi-onship is for them.”

In addition to an offense that scored 11 runs on 12 hits, theTigers won the game with solid pitching. Starter AnthonyRanaudo, who earned the victory against Arkansas to send LSU

Anthony Ranaudo

Jared Mitchell

Ryan Schimpf

Taylor Jungmann

to the championship series, won his 12th game in 15 decisionsafter allowing eight hits and five walks that led to four runs in 5 1/3innings of work. Relievers Chad Jones and Louis Coleman were evenbetter, holding the Longhorns scoreless for the final 3 2/3 inningswhile limiting Texas to a hit and one walk.

“As the starting pitcher, the three-run home run in the first givesyou a lot of room to go and compete and throw strikes,” Ranaudosaid. “I didn’t have my best stuff today. That has been the story of theseason for us. When the pitchers didn’t have their best stuff, the hit-ters picked them up. And when the hitting wasn’t going, the pitcherspicked them up.”

The Tigers scored all three of their runs in the first inning after thefirst two batters were retired. Designated hitter Blake Dean was hit bya pitch before first baseman Sean Ochinko contributed a single, hisfirst of four hits on the evening. Mitchell followed with his 11th homerun of the season that was just inside the right field foul pole. LSU’slead grew to 4-0 in the second inning when left fielder Ryan Schimpf’ssingle scored catcher Micah Gibbs from third base.

Texas cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third with the help ofthree walks. The Longhorns then tied the game in the bottom of thefifth when right fielder Kevin Keyes hit a two-run, two-out homer, hisninth roundtripper of the season.

Yet just as the game appeared to be headed for another classicfinish, the relentless Tiger offense continued to apply the pressure.After Mitchell led off the sixth with a walk, freshman center fielderMikie Mahtook hit a double to right-center to give LSU a 5-4 lead. Anerror and sacrifice fly scored Mahtook for the Tigers’ sixth run. LSUincreased its lead to 7-4 following a walk and two hit batsman beforeOchinko plated two more with a single. He also recorded his ninthhome run of the season during the game and finished with three RBI.

“(Mitchell’s) home run in the first is what got the wheels going forus,” said Ochinko. “We were talking about jumping out early and thatgot us going.”

NCAA DI MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIESThe championship represents an impressive turnaround for an

LSU program that struggled during the middle portion of thisdecade. The Tigers failed to qualify for the SoutheasternConference post-season tournament in 2007 and continued tobattle inconsistency during the first half of last year prior torecording an SEC-record 23 straight wins. LSU finished this sea-son with a 56-17 record and tied Texas for the second-mostnational championships in baseball, behind only SouthernCalifornia’s 12 titles.

“I’ve had wonderful kids everywhere I’ve been,” said Mainieri,who has also coached St. Thomas, Air Force and Notre Dame.“They’re all feeling a part of this. I’m so happy for these kids.They’ve done everything I’ve asked. They played great. Theyplayed great defense. Our pitching has been solid all year. Whenwe got to the end of the season, everyone was determined theywould get it done. It’s been a coach’s dream to have a group likethis.”

Texas head coach Augie Garrido, who is the only head coachin Division I history to win national championships at two schools,agreed with his coaching counterpart. “We all saw it together,”Garrido said. “LSU is a very talented college baseball team. Idon’t think we lost the tournament. They won it. It was a well-deserved championship for LSU.”

2009 NCAA College World Series All Tournament Team:Catcher: Cameron Rupp, Texas; First Base: Dustin Ackley, NorthCarolina; Second Base: D.J. LeMahieu, LSU; Third Base: KyleSeager, North Carolina; Shortstop: Tyler Cannon, Virginia;Outfield: Kole Calhoun, Arizona State; Outfield: Jared Mitchell,LSU; Outfield: Ryan Schimpf, LSU; DH: Russell Moldenhauer,Texas; Pitcher: Anthony Ranaudo, LSU; Pitcher: TaylorJungmann, Texas; Most Outstanding Player: Jared Mitchell, LSU.