San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
No. 1 seed Tennessee bounces back to dominate Notre Dame
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Luc Lipcius hit two home runs in an eight-run fifth inning and No. 1 overall seed Tennessee rolled to a 12-4 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday to stay alive in the Knoxville Super Regional.
Tennessee (57-8) and Notre Dame (39-15) will play a third game on Sunday with a berth in the College World Series on the line. The Fighting Irish beat Tennessee 8-6 on Friday. Tennessee is looking for its second straight and sixth CWS appearance overall. The Vols have never won the event, finishing second in 1951. Notre Dame has made two CWS appearances — 1957 and 2002.
Tennessee was clinging to a 1-0 lead — on Trey Lipscomb's RBI double in the first inning — heading into the top of the fifth. Lipcius homered off Notre Dame starter John Bertrand (9-3) on a 1-1 pitch to lead off. Cortland Lawson doubled and moved to third on a single by Seth Stephenson. One out later, Jordan Beck hit a three-run shot to make it 5-0. After Lipscomb popped out, Evan Russell homered to left field. Jackson Dennies relieved Bertrand and walked Jared Dickey before yielding a single to Christian
Moore. Lipcius made it 9-0 with a three-run shot.
Jorel Ortega had a RBI double in a three-run seventh to cap the scoring for the Volunteers.
Jack Zyska hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth for Notre Dame. The Irish were held to seven hits — two for extra bases — after hitting four homers in their first-round win.
Chase Dollander allowed just two runs on five hits in seven innings to up his record to 10-0 on the season. He struck out five.
Tennessee played without its clean-up-hitting center fielder Drew Gilbert. Gilbert was suspended for a game after being ejected for arguing a strike call in the fifth inning on Friday. Pitching coach Frank Anderson, who was tossed for running on to the field, also missed the game.
VIRGINIA TECH 14, OKLAHOMA 8
Nick Biddison hit two of the No. 4 overall seed Hokies' five home runs, including one to lead off the game, and the Hokies stayed alive in the Blacksburg Super Regional.
The win by Virginia Tech (4512) forces a winner-take-all game with the Sooners (40-22) on Sunday for a berth in the College World Series. The Sooners beat the Hokies 5-4 in Friday's opener.
The Sooners are aiming for their 11th CWS appearance — winning the event in 1951 and 1994. Virginia Tech has never been to the CWS and just won its first regional tournament.
Gavin Cross and Cade Hunter hit two-run shots in the third to put Virginia Tech ahead 5-0.
The Hokies pulled away with a four-run fifth — sparked by Tanner Shobel's lead-off home run.
Jonah Hurney (6-1) pitched
four shutout innings in relief to get the win. He allowed just two hits, striking out seven.
David Sandlin (8-4) took the loss for Oklahoma, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks in 32⁄3 innings. He struck out six.
ARKANSAS 4, NORTH CAROLINA 1
Peyton Stoval sparked a threerun fifth inning with a lead-off home run, Connor Noland threw 62⁄3 shutout innings and the Razorbacks upset the No. 10 overall seed Tar Heels in the first
round of the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
Arkansas (42-19) and North Carolina (42-21), both making a 10th super regional appearance, will play again on Sunday. A win by the Razorbacks would send them to their 11th College World Series in search of their first title. A win by the Tar Heels would force a winner-take-all game on Monday. The two schools are playing for the first time in 33 years.
The Razorbacks took the lead for good in the top of the fifth. Stoval hit the first pitch out to right-center field for his ninth home run of the season. Zack Gregory walked, Braydon Webb singled and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch by UNC starter Max Carlson (4-3). Slavens singled to center to drive in Gregory and Evan Wallace followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Webb.
Gregory walked and scored on a single by Slavens in the seventh to make it 4-0. Vance Honeycutt drove in the lone run for the Tar Heels with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth.
Noland (4-2) yielded six hits and a walk, striking out six. Hagen Smith pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.