Oregon State keeps win streak alive
Eighth-inning rally propels LSU to 5-4 victory over Florida State
OMAHA, Neb. — Adley Rutschman hit the tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and Jake Mulholland pitched 4⅓ innings of no-hit relief as Oregon State rallied to beat Cal State Fullerton 6-5 in the College World Series opener Saturday.
The Beavers (55-4) extended their winning streak to 22 games after falling behind by four runs as national wins leader Jake Thompson scuffled.
Mulholland (7-1) settled things down for the Beavers, retiring 12 of 13 batters after taking over for Thompson, who came into the game with 14 wins but lasted 3⅔ innings in his shortest outing of the season.
The Beavers tied it with four runs in the sixth inning, and Rutschman put them ahead with his single up the middle off Blake Workman (6-3). Drew Rasmussen pitched the ninth for his second save.
Timmy Richards’ three-run homer in the first and Chris Hudgins’ two-run single in the fourth gave the Titans (39-23) a 5-1 lead, the largest deficit the Beavers have faced since losing 7-1 to UCLA on April 22.
LSU 5, FLORIDA STATE 4: Greg Deichmann drove in the go-ahead run during a wild eighth inning as LSU won its 17th straight game with a comeback victory over Florida State.
Jared Poche’ (11-3) worked 2⅔ shutout innings in a rare relief appearance, and the Tigers (49-17) advanced to a Bracket 1 winners’ game against Oregon State on Monday night. The Seminoles (45-22) will play an elimination game against Cal State Fullerton in the afternoon.
LSU was down 4-3 against FSU starter Tyler Holton (10-3) when a bizarre sequence turned the game in the eighth. Cole Freeman reached on a base hit and Antoine Duplantis singled to right. Three errors on the play allowed Freeman to score, and Deichmann singled against reliever Alec Byrd for the lead.
Zack Hess ended the game with a strikeout of Dylan Busby, who had homered and driven in three runs.
PLAYER OF YEAR: Pitcher-first baseman Brendan McKay of Louisville has won the Dick Howser Trophy as the top player in college baseball.
McKay, the fourth overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft by Tampa Bay, was honored at a ceremony Saturday by the Howser Trophy committee and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.