Oklahoma State wins pitching duel

Cubs draft pick blanks UC Santa Barbara

OMAHA, Neb. — A rough start turned into a smooth finish for Thomas Hatch.

The Chicago Cubs’ third-round draft pick threw a complete game and extended his shutout streak to 26 innings in Oklahoma State’s 1-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara in the College World Series opener on Saturday.

Hatch scuffled early before settling in to record the first shutout by the Cowboys (42-20) at the CWS since 1986, a game current pitching coach Rob Walton started.

“Not the easiest game in the world to pitch, because the first game of the World Series has a little vibe and buzz about it to kick things off,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. “He handled himself exceptionally well, and it’s a great way for us to start the tournament.”

Garrett Benge singled in the lone run in the fourth inning, and from there Hatch took over.

“I definitely think there was some adrenaline,” Hatch said. “There weren’t many nerves. I was in a good place mentally. I was missing high (early), and when I tried to get the ball down, I was spiking some fastballs, which is unusual.

“I was able to make adjustments, calm down and make the pitches I needed to.”

Arizona 5, Miami 1 — Nathan Bannister matched his career high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings, and the Wildcats (45-21) capitalized on Hurricanes starter Michael Mediavilla’s rocky first inning.

Arizona, in the CWS for the first time since winning the 2012 national title, will play Oklahoma State on Monday night in a Bracket 1 winners’ game.

Miami (50-13), the No. 3 national seed, will face UC Santa Barbara in an elimination game that afternoon.