MCWS: KADE ANDERSON’S SEVEN-INNING GEM LIFTS LSU OVER ARKANSAS
Kade Anderson allowed just three hits in seven innings and No. 6 national seed LSU defeated No. 3 national seed Arkansas 4-1 in a Men’s College World Series opener on Saturday night in Omaha, Neb.
On Monday, the Tigers (49-15) will face UCLA, which defeated Murray State, 6-4, earlier Saturday, and the Razorbacks (48-14) will face Murray State in an elimination game.
The Razorbacks didn’t get a hit until Wehiwa Aloy led off the bottom of the fourth with a single, but Anderson held them scoreless until Reese Robinett led off the bottom of the sixth with his third home run of the season.
Anderson left after allowing a lead-off single in the eighth. Chase Shores replaced him and retired the next three batters. Casan Evans then pitched a scoreless ninth.
LSU knocked Arkansas ace Zach Root from the game while taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the second. Chris Stanfield had an RBI single, Michael Braswell III was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Josh Pearson’s RBI grounder finished Root.
Gabe Gaeckle relieved and held the Tigers scoreless into the eighth, but he allowed a one-out double to Steven Milam and, one out later, Cole Gibler relieved and gave up an RBI single to Derek Curiel.
MWCS: UCLA LEVERAGES PIVOTAL FOURTH INNING IN WIN OVER MURRAY STATE
AJ Salgado’s two-run double capped a four-run fourth inning to give No. 15 UCLA the cushion it needed to hold off Murray State, 6-4, Saturday at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
After promising first and second innings resulted in just one run each, UCLA (1-0) broke through in the pivotal fourth. Phoenix Call and Dean West singled, then Roch Cholowsky laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to score Call.
Roman Martin’s two-out RBI single preceded Salgado’s key double, giving the Bruins a 6-0 lead over the Racers.
Murray State (0-1) avoided early threats, escaping a bases-loaded, no-outs first inning giving up only one run. In the second, Dean West drove in Cashel Dugger with no outs, but West was caught returning to first after trying for two. The tag helped the Racers momentarily avoid further damage.
The Racers scored runs in the fifth and sixth on Carson Garner and Dan Tauken RBIs, and Dylan Zentko came on in relief to hold UCLA scoreless for 2 2/3 innings.
Jonathan Hogart, who went 3-for-5, reached third in the seventh but Murray State could not drive him home. The Racers cut the deficit to two runs with a pair scored on August Souza in the eighth, but Murray State came no closer.
Easton Hawk sat down the Racers in order in the ninth, earning the save and sending the Bruins to a Monday matchup with the winner of Saturday’s No. 3 Arkansas-No. 6 LSU game. Murray State draws the Arkansas-LSU loser in a Monday elimination game matinee.
