CWS Championship Game 2: Florida-South Carolina

1st Inning: South Carolina pitcher Michael Roth, who’s working on three-days rest, wasn’t overly impressive but he did a really good job getting out of a two-on, one-out jam. Florida gets a good response inning that was capitalized with a 4-3 double play. This game will most likely be another pitchers’ duel, and that should make for another epic game.

Florida pitcher Hudson Randall scuffs up a ball for a fan prior to Tuesday night's game versus South Carolina at T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha.

2nd Inning: Roth really seemed to settle down in the second. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts, and looks to be in similar form that was he was in the other night. If Florida doesn’t get to him soon, then the Gators may not score more than a run until South Carolina goes to its bullpen.

3rd Inning: It only makes sense that South Carolina second baseman Scott Wingo would drive in tonight’s first run. He’s been the hero this entire tournament and is my choice for the CWS Most Outstanding Player. If the Gamecocks win the title and he isn’t named the MOP, then something’s wrong. I’ve always hated fielding a ball off to the side so you can make the running throw. Yes, when executed the play works — and these guys practice that type of play many, many times to get it down — but fielding it squarely and getting off a strong throw with someone that isn’t tremendously fast running down the line is usually a better option in my opinion. It killed Florida by leading to a run and continuing South Carolina’s half of the inning, which it used to mount a 3-0 lead.

4th Inning: It was nice to see Florida catcher Mike Zunino to show that this Gator team has some fight in it rather than lay down after giving up three runs last inning.

5th Inning: The Gators can’t afford to waste ANY opportunities. They left two on after getting on with no outs. The Gamecocks almost took advantage of that open window by loading the bases with two outs but couldn’t bring across any more insurance runs. With the way Roth is pitching, that may not hurt them.

6th Inning: Obviously this game is far from being over, but the Gamecocks are looking like they’ll be popping champagne, or whatever beverage they use in college athletics, by the end of the night.

7th Inning: Roth had another solid inning despite giving up a leadoff walk. I think this game may be as good as over.

8th Inning: Matt Price is in the game. His arm might be falling off after tonight, but this game is done now that the bulldog is in the game and that South Carolina has reclaimed a three-run lead after losing it in the top of the inning. Get ready to dogpile, Gamecocks.

9th Inning: The South Carolina Gamecocks are the 2011 national champs. Congrats the head coach Ray Tanner and his club for defending their title.

Stay tuned to the site, chasingomaha.com for a game recap and for a post game video.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com-

Championship Game 1: South Carolina-Florida In-Game Blog

1st Inning: I really liked Randall’s stuff, and he set a really good tone by strikeout to the first two batters. I doubt he’ll repeat his 95-pitch, complete-game performance that he had in his only other outing against South Carolina in late March, but he should be tough to hit today. Forrest Koumas threw well in the bottom of the inning, but his defense can’t give away outs. He did a good job working around the error to get out of the inning unscathed.

South Carolina CF Jackie Bradley Jr. gets set to play in his second straight CWS championship. Will this year be No. 2 for him and the Gamecocks?

2nd Inning: A lot of fly balls early in this game, which means both pitchers are doing a good job getting the batters out in front and making them swing under the ball. Another sign that Randall and Koumas are keeping them off-balanced.

3rd Inning: Randall has been very efficient thus far, and South Carolina hitters are having a lot of trouble squaring up any of his pitches. Florida manufactured its run, which is exactly what you need to do if you want to win this thing. I don’t care if you can hit the ball 450 feet with these BBCORs, you won’t win many games at this point of the year if you can’t hit a ball about 275 feet in the air with a runner on third with less than two outs. Nice work by the Gators to take the early lead.

4th Inning: Randall is continuing to impress me. He’s keeping his pitch count down and has yet to allow more than one batter to reach base in any of his four innings. Koumas is trying to keep pace, but he hasn’t been as affective despite throwing well.

5th Inning: Randall and Koumas are throwing very well, and the umps may have just made the dumbest ruling for a foul ball on a low pitch I’ve ever heard. Just because the ball hit the ground doesn’t mean Thompson tipped it. The ball was low, simple as that. The ruling didn’t change the outcome of the at-bat, but it was still a bad call.

6th Inning: Yeah, this game is going to be decided based on the question of whether South Carolina will ever get to Randall? The Gamecocks have just two hits and haven’t had more than one runner on base at a time. Koumas’s day ended in the inning and he had a really nice outing. You knew head coach Ray Tanner had a short leash on the freshman who rose to the occasion. Couldn’t ask for much better of a game from Koumas.

7th Inning: Randall threw six pitches to lower his innings-per-inning number to less than 10. That’s just absolutely insane. I would advise South Carolina to take more pitches, but only 19 of his pitches have been out of the strike zone.

8th Inning: Randall proved for the first time since the fourth that he’s human. He allowed a leadoff walk and eventually let him score on a two-out single by Scott Wingo, who seems to be South Carolina’s hero every time the Gamecocks need a run.

9th Inning: Walking somebody with two outs is a carnal sin, but walking the leadoff batter in the ninth inning of a tied game has to be even more of a sin. But a heck of a play by South Carolina second baseman Scott Wingo and a bases-loaded double play gets the Gamecocks out of the jam and forces extras. What a series of amazing plays. Just wow. Wow. Wow.

Extra Innings: There’s no way to put this ridiculous of a game into words. This is either the best or second best college baseball game I’ve seen in person. It gives Friday night’s South Carolina-Virginia game a run for its money.

Health or title? O’Connor made the right choice.

OMAHA, NE — We’ve all seen or heard about a coach and his players doing whatever it takes to win a championship.

Sometimes that involves a pitcher throwing a ridiculous amount of pitches or keeping a pitcher in when he clearly should turn the ball over to his bullpen.

Virginia failed to make the College World Series championship round, but the Cavs' coach showed true class.

Other times it’s playing through injuries or playing with illnesses — see Michael Jordan and more recently Dirk Nowitzki.

But you hardly ever see a coach pull a player when he’s playing out of his mind even though he has flu-like symptoms, especially when a title is on the line.

That’s exactly what Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor did with junior pitcher Danny Hultzen in Friday’s game against South Carolina in a College World Series elimination game.

Hutlzen struck out the first six batters he faced and walked off the mound at the end of the third inning with eight punch outs, which was the same amount of balls he threw in a 40-pitch span, but his day was done.

The second overall pick in this month’s MLB Draft could not have thrown a better game — healthy or ill — so many coaches and those watching would think what would be the harm of letting him continue?

O’Connor didn’t.

He actually did something more admirable. He made a decision for his star’s health and professional career over risking those things for a title.

“He was feeling under the weather today and he was gutting it out as much as he could,” O’Connor said. “He was in pretty miserable shape after the first inning. And this kid’s got a very, very bright future.

“I was not going to put that at risk of him feeling under the weather on four days’ rest and putting his career in jeopardy.”

Those few words and his decision to sit Hutlzen is a sign of a truly great coach and, even more so, a great person.

“If we don’t win a national championship, we don’t win a national championship,” said O’Connor, who was a member of the 1991 Creighton team that played in the College World Series. “That kid’s done so much for our program for the last three years, and I owed that to him.”

O’Connor continued, “Their health, their futures in this game are always going to be at the forefront, and my responsibility of managing them. And, you know, the kid’s given us everything he’s had. And I just couldn’t life with myself if maybe he wouldn’t have pitched well the next inning and it would have cost his team the chance to move on. The bottom line is I made the decision what was right for Danny Hultzen versus trying to win the champion.”

The Cavaliers won’t win a national title after falling to South Carolina 3-2 in 13 innings Friday, but O’Connor won something that in the long-run could be even more valuable, an extremely high level of respect.

Not from his players, from his coaching staff, from the University of Virginia or from anyone who’s spent more than a minute from him. But from any player, parent, coach or spectator who has ever asked “Why hasn’t the coach pulled this pitcher? He’s thrown way too many pitches.”

A national title would have been great for the team, but O’Connor’s act of compassion, on national television no less, may have been the more important accomplishment he achieved in Omaha.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com-

Game 12: Virginia-South Carolina In-Game Blog

1st Inning: What more can I say about what Michael Roth and Danny Hultzen just did on the mound? That was flat out amazing. Roth with a six-pitch inning, and Hultzen striking out the side on 12 pitches? Yeah, this is going to be one heck of a pitchers’ duel.

2nd Inning: Virginia got to Roth in the second, but the lefty minimized the two-on, no-out situation by forcing a double play. Roth knows that his team is going to have to score more than one run to win this game, so he should be fine with trading a run for two outs. Hultzen is just a freak of nature. He recorded another 12-pitch, six-strikeout inning. I knew he was great, but I’m in awe of what he’s doing know that I’m watching him in person.

3rd Inning: Roth may not be getting the strikeouts, but he’s been just about as affective as Hultzen. He’s just taking the Crash Davis approach and being democratic with his outs. Letting others get involved is a very nice thing for this CWS vet to do. Hultzen records two more strikeouts in an inning where he allowed his first hit and first out that wasn’t a strikeout. He’s apparently doing this with the flu, too. I wouldn’t mind getting his kind of sick if it made me that good at anything I plan on doing at any point of my life. Still no score, and this one is shaping up to be an amazing pitchers’ duel, if it wasn’t already one.

4th Inning: Roth continues to be lights out. He struck out two to record his third perfect inning. For as much as I’ve talked about Hultzen, I am in almost as much awe of what Roth has done to Virginia’s lineup, although the Gamecocks have struggled at the plate. Hultzen left the game with the flu, which is highly disappointing. Everyone wanted to see the Roth vs. Hutlzen duel, and for three innings we got it. It’s just a shame that we got robbed of possibly six innings more of it. Hultzen’s replacement, Kyle Crockett, ran into some trouble in the inning by loading the bases, and that resulted in two runs. You have to wonder if Virginia is done in the tourney because of one player having the flu. I hope not, but that’s a legitimate possibility.

5th Inning: Roth worked himself in and out of his second jam of the day by stranding two runners in scoring position. I think, especially after getting out of that jam, South Carolina has as much momentum as it possibly could have simply because Hutlzen is out of the game. Obviously if the Gamecocks go on to win this it’ll be because of their own doing, but you have to consider Hultzen’s absence.

6th Inning: Roth is being Roth, so it’s not really a shocker that the sub-one ERA man is doing so well. I’m pleasantly surprised with how well Crockett has done after having a rocky first inning.

7th Inning: Roth and Crockett have provided the pitching duel that a flu prevented Hultzen from being a member. These guys are just throwing amazingly out there.

8th Inning: I’m kind of upset that Roth’s day is done. He had only thrown 90 pitches, but obviously you have to take into consideration that he’s going to asked to pitch again if the Gamecocks make the championship round. But, as I type that, South Carolina’s defense decides to not play like a team deserving to be in the title game. The third baseman and shortstop each had an error that allowed the tying run to score. You can’t make those kinds of errors against a team playing for its life. And to follow the poor defensive inning, the Gamecocks leave the bases loaded with one out. That is such a momentum boost for Virginia. It’s anybody’s game, but the Hoos have the slight advantage here.

9th Inning: We’re going to extras! Awesome. Who doesn’t love some extra-innings ball in Omaha. There are few things in baseball, especially in college baseball, that are better than this.

Extra Innings: Just wow.

Be sure to check out the website chasingomaha.com for the recap to tonight’s game.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com

Game 11: Vandy-Florida In-Game Blog

1st Inning: Vanderbilt set the tone it had to set early in this game. The ‘Dores snagged the early lead with a two-out, solo no-doubt-abouter off their bullpen’s back wall off Aaron Westlake’s bat. Sonny Gray looked impressive in the hold half of the inning by striking out one and capitalizing on a base-running mistake by Florida. He should be fun to watch today.

2nd Inning: Alex Panteliodis didn’t make a mistake this inning by setting down the heart of Vandy’s lineup in order, and Gray had to make a nice play on a bunt and some tough pitches to get out of a two-on, no out jam. I have a feeling runs are going to be a premium today.

3rd Inning: Boy did Vanderbilt miss a golden opportunity. I understand if the ‘Dores meant to get into that rundown to try to get the runner home, but why would you do that with your two-hole hitter at the plate with less than two outs? The first-and-third rundown was executed very well by Florida to keep the runner at third, though, so I have to give the Gators credit on that. Florida tied the game in the bottom of the inning by playing good ol’ small-ball, which is really what you need to be able to do to perfection in Omaha. Looks this game is going to come down to which pitcher blinks first or who takes advantage of its opportunities.

4th Inning: Panteliodis continues to impress me since giving up that homer. He has thrown really well so far minus one pitch and has actually been a little better than Gray, who had to work out of another jam in this inning, so far. Gray’s location has been less than desirable as he walked the bases loaded then gave up a two-out, two-run single that gave Florida the lead. I don’t know how much longer head coach Tim Corbin is going to go with his ace, but he shouldn’t last too much longer based on how much he’s struggled since the first.

5th Inning: Both pitchers looked solid, although Gray had to work out of the stretch with multiple runners on base. I didn’t really his strike out total was climbing as high and as quickly has it has been. He now has eight strikeouts, which equals the amount of hits he’s allowed. Gray should be OK if he keeps his walk numbers down (he’s walked three).

6th Inning: Panteliodis has another solid inning with the help of  couple nice defensive plays. Gray struggled to get out of this inning, again, by loading the bases with no outs. He did get a double-play to get out of the jam, somewhat, but a run scored to extend Florida’s lead.

7th Inning: I think Florida went to the bullpen maybe an inning too soon. Panteliodis was throwing a gem and had yet to throw 90 pitches. I understand if he’s being saved for later use, but the bullpen struggled a bit by allowing two runs to make this a one-run game going into the stretch. Gray, on the other hand, had his best inning of the game even though he failed to get his first 1-2-3 frame. He threw strong and made a good statement after his offense put some runs on the board. Vandy has the momentum, and that’s a dangerous commodity to have while trailing by one going into the eighth.

8th Inning: All I can say is wow. Wow that Vandy has made the comeback after not being able to do anything for the majority of the game. Wow that Florida’s bullpen has been this bad today. Wow that Panteliodis won’t get a decision after throwing a gem. Wow that Corbin kept Gray in for 132 pitches and waited until the bases were loaded with no outs to take him out. Wow that Mark Lamm snapped Mike Zunino’s bat in half on a day with beautiful weather. Wow that Vandy’s bullpen didn’t slam the door shut despite coming into a terrible situation.

9th Inning: Florida gets the job done to advance to the title round. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it was definitely entertaining.

Be sure to check out the main site, chasingomaha.com, for a post-game recap.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com-

Game 11: Vandy-Florida Preview

It’s more of an absolute fact than a common opinion that the SEC is the dominant, powerhouse conference here in Omaha.

Come on, it has three representatives in the tournament’s final four. I don’t care whom you are, that’s extremely impressive.

Vanderbilt got past UNC to avoid elimination Wednesday. Will the 'Dores do the same against their SEC foe?

Two of those three teams, Vanderbilt (54-11) and Florida (52-17), are squaring off in today’s early game.

Here’s what’s on the line: If the Gators win, then they’ll be moving on to the championship round. If Vanderbilt wins, then they’ll force a bracket-deciding second game Saturday.

And the pitching matchup should favor the Commodores today.

Vandy is throwing ace Sonny Gray (12-3, 2.12), and Florida has lefty Alex Panteliodis (6.2, 3.95 ERA in 57 innings) going on the mound. The ‘Dores have the clear advantage on paper as Gray clearly has the better stats, but starting Panteliodis makes sense in that the Gators have a game in which to play around.

It’s not the end of the world for Florida if it loses today, so it’s not treating it starting pitching as such.

Gray wasn’t overly affective in his first start in Omaha — 4 1/3 innings, eight hits, three runs (all earned), five strikeouts and five walks — but he did have success the last time he faced the Gators. He allowed two runs (one earned) in six innings despite not earning a decision in a 6-5 loss.

I’m going with Florida in this game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Gray has a bounce-back game and throws a gem.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com-

Game 10: Virginia-Cal In-Game Thoughts

1st Inning: Both teams got inauspicious first batters with a HBP by Cal and an error by Virginia, but Wilson and Anderson overcame them with caught steals and good follow-up batters.

2nd Inning: Virginia hit Anderson pretty hard, but right at batters. Wilson had another good inning. He looks impressive so far, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case for the rest of this game.

3rd Inning: Dixon Anderson just broke down in this inning to allow the Cavs to score. I don’t know if nerves caused his mechanics to break down on a throwing error to first and his sinker ball in the grass — not the dirt but the grass in front of the plate — or those were legitimate mistakes, but Cal would have been out of that inning unscathed if he didn’t make those two mistakes. It’ll be interesting to see how he responds and if those two runs are enough cushion for Wilson. Obviously Virginia would like to score more than two runs, but the Bears only scored once in the first meeting between the two teams, so two runs could be all that the Cavs need.

4th Inning: Kevin Miller replaced Anderson on the mound and did a great job. He sat down Swab, Coleman and King in order in a very efficient inning. Wilson continues his dominance as he strikes out his second and third batters of the game.

5th Inning: Miller wasn’t as strong in his second inning as his first but got out of the inning unscathed. He gave up a leadoff single then hit Taylor before striking out Barr, getting Hicks to ground into a fielder’s choice and ending the inning by striking out Proscia, who has been struggling big time here in Omaha, to get out of the jam. I don’t know what more I can say about Wilson. He’s been stellar tonight, allowing just two hits through 5 innings, and although Cal put good sticks on two pitches last inning, the Bears aren’t close to breaking through against the righty.

6th Inning: Remember last inning when I said Miller started struggling? Well that struggling has caught up with him. He allowed four runs — one on what seemed to be an inside the park homer that was ruled a single and three-base error for Kenny Swab — on three very hard hit balls and a blooper. He did record two strikeouts, but Virginia started to hit Miller so hard that he was knocked out of the game. Wilson did exactly what he has been doing all game: get outs. Although Cal got its first batter on base since the second inning, the Bears couldn’t do anything once that batter reached base.

7th Inning: Lechich sat Virginia down in order, but the Cavs shouldn’t worry because they seem to have all of the runs they need to win this game. Wilson matched Lechich with a perfect inning of his own. Cal better figure out how to hit Wilson in the eighth if they want to have any hope of winning this game.

8th Inning: Scary moment to start this inning when Virginia RF David Coleman was hit in the helmet with a fastball, but he seems to be alright. The Cavs had a chance to extend their lead but stranded two more runners to bring their grand total for the night to seven. Again, the lack of offense in the inning is a non-factor at this point. Wilson was just throwing darts out there, but head coach Brian O’Connor opted to turn the ball over to the pen with two outs. The righty hadn’t thrown 100 pitches yet, but Cal was started to threaten, so you can’t blame O’Connor for trying to stop any potential bleeding before actually suffering the blood-drawing cut. Cody Winiarski allowed an infield single that brought in a run, on Wilson’s line, before shutting the door.

9th Inning: Virginia tacked on two runs to build a seven-run lead going to the bottom of the inning, but what stuck out to me during this inning is the lack of life in Cal’s defense. I know they’re still playing as hard as they can, but they just look defeated. The players know they’re defeated, and that is always a sad look. Virginia held on to earn the 8-1 win and will face South Carolina at 6 p.m. CST tomorrow.

Be sure to check the main site, chasingomaha.com, for a recap of tonight’s game.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com-

Game 10: Virginia-Cal Preview

OMAHA, NE — This is the David-versus-Goliath do-or-die game.

Virginia, coming in as the top-seeded team, looks to avoid an early exit and letdown after being one of the top teams in the nation all season long.

Cal players watch Virginia go through their pre-game warmups prior to Thursday's elimination game at T.D. Ameritrade Park.

California, who could have been potentially playing its final game ever if the program wasn’t reinstated midway through the season, wants to pull off the upset and move on the the bracket championship against defending national champion South Carolina.

Could you ask for a better scenario?

No, or at least I can’t.

The Golden Bears are sending righty Dixon Anderson (4-3, 3.90 ERA) to the hill while the Cavaliers are going with their No. 2 guy Tyler Wilson (9-0, 2.33 ERA).

Although Cal are in the losers’ bracket because it lost to Virginia in the two teams’ opening game, I’m expecting the Bears to come out with a lot of intensity and will be ready to continue their offensive production that put seven runs on the board against Texas A&M on Tuesday.

I want to see the underdog to win this game, but it’s going to be very difficult to beat Wilson. So I’m going to have to go with Virginia.

The Bears going getting past the Cavs and moving on to the bracket title round would be a great story, but I just don’t see it in the cards.

-Jono Greco, jono@chasingomaha.com-

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