Seminoles rally to knock out Titans
Seventh inning rally helps Florida State advance to another elimination game
OMAHA, Neb. — Florida State’s dugout was a bit deflated after the Seminoles gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to have a two-run lead against Cal State Fullerton turn into a one-run deficit.
Things perked up when shortstop Timmy Richards couldn’t make a play on Taylor Walls’ grounder leading off the top of the seventh. That started a three-run inning that helped send the Seminoles to a 6-4 win that knocked the Titans out of the College World Series.
“Anytime a guy gets on base, the first hitter, we think we’ll score a crooked number, not just one,” FSU’s Drew Mendoza said. “The first hitter sets the tone, and with guys getting on base, we were feeling really good about the inning. It gives the guy behind him confidence to pass the bat to the next guy.”
Fullerton (39-24) has gone two games and out in four straight CWS appearances and has lost nine games in a row in Omaha. The last four of those losses are on coach Rick Vanderhook’s tab.
“I know I’m 0-4. I knew how difficult it was to get here. But it’s even more difficult to get here and win,” he said.
Chase Haney (3-2) worked two-thirds of an inning for the win, and Drew Carlton earned his seventh save after Fullerton put two runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch hitter Hank LoForte struck out looking to end the game.
It was another heart-wrenching loss for the Titans. They blew a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning against No. 1 national seed Oregon State on Saturday, and they failed to hold a 4-3 sixth-inning lead against the Seminoles after Dillon Persinger’s double and Timmy Richards’ two-run homer.
“You get up one. It’s tough,” Persinger said. “We wanted a shutdown inning to get the momentum on our side.”
That didn’t happen. The Seminoles (46-22) used three walks, two infield singles and a double to take the lead in the seventh.
After Walls reached leading off against Jack Pabich (1-3), Dylan Busby doubled when left fielder Chris Prescott went back to catch the low fly, which dropped out of his glove when he ran into the fence.
Blake Workman came on and intentionally walked Jackson Lueck, and then walked Quincy Nieporte and Cal Raleigh to give the Seminoles a one-run lead. Florida State made it 6-4 against Brett Conine when Richards couldn’t make a play on Matt Henderson’s grounder to short.
“We certainly felt like we had the right people coming to the plate, and Taylor had a very good at-bat,” FSU coach Mike Martin said. “Dylan had another good at-bat. And you all saw the results.”
In Omaha, Neb., Bryce Fehmel limited LSU to two hits in eight innings, KJ Harrison hit the first College World Series grand slam at TD Ameritrade Park, and Oregon State beat LSU for its 23rd straight win.
The top-seeded Beavers (56-4), who matched the school-record win streak they set earlier this season, took control of Bracket 1. They don’t play again until Friday, and need one more win to advance to next week’s best-of-three finals.
LSU (49-18) had its 17-game win streak end with its most lopsided CWS loss since a 20-6 rout by Cal State Fullerton in 1994.
LSU had issues early in the game. Starter Eric Walker (8-2) left the game after throwing four pitches in the third inning because of forearm tightness.
Caleb Gilbert held the Beavers for a couple of innings, but they capitalized on a couple of LSU misplays to go up 3-0 in the fifth.
Oregon State broke the game open in the sixth.
Harrison hammered Hunter Newman’s first pitch over the left-center fence for the first CWS grand slam since 2010, the last year the event was played at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Harrison broke into a wide smile as he watched the ball fly out, his trot turned into a run and he whooped and pounded his chest as he approached teammates waiting at home plate. Harrison has four home runs and 14 RBIs in seven NCAA Tournament games.
Fehmel (6-2), who pitched a complete game in the Beavers’ super regional-clinching win over Vanderbilt on June 10, made his second postseason start since the rotation was adjusted to account for the loss of Luke Heimlich.
Heimlich, the Pac-12 pitcher of the year, has been out since it was revealed June 8 that when he was a teenager he pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old girl.