The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Arkansas routs Stanford, while Ole Miss beats Auburn
OMAHA, NEB. » Connor Noland allowed one run over 7 2/3 efficient innings, Chris Lanzilli hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and Arkansas beat No. 2 national seed Stanford 17-2 on Saturday in the most-lopsided College World Series game in 34 years.
The Razorbacks knocked out Pac-12 pitcher of the year Alex Williams in the fifth inning and went on to log their biggest margin of victory in 36 CWS games. It was Stanford’s biggest loss in their 73 CWS games.
The Hogs (44-19) will play Monday against the winner of the Saturday night game between Auburn and Mississippi. Stanford (47-17) will play the loser in an elimination game.
Arkansas scored 11 runs in the last three innings and finished with a season-high 21 hits, including Cayden Wallace’s 30th career homer in the ninth.
Noland (8-5) surrendered a homer to Stanford leadoff man Brock Jones on his third pitch, but with the help of a defense that turned double plays to get him out of two jams, Stanford didn’t score again until Carter Graham greeted reliever Kole Ramage with a base hit in the eighth.
Noland threw only 79 pitches on a hot, humid afternoon when the feels-like temperature reached 106 degrees. He induced 11 groundball outs and seven flyouts, and his only strikeout came in the sixth inning. Other than Jones’ homer, all the Cardinal mustered against him were five singles and a walk.
Razorbacks fans rose and gave him an ovation, many of them “Calling the Hogs,” as he hugged teammates and walked from the mound to the dugout.
Williams (8-4) struggled for a third straight start in the NCAA Tournament. He gave up a triple to Braydon Webb on the game’s first pitch, hit a batter and issued a walk but got out of the inning down only 1-0.
MISSISSIPPI 5, AUBURN 1 » Dylan Delucia allowed one run and struck out 10 in 7 2/3 innings and Mississippi continued its postseason roll with a victory over Auburn.
Delucia mostly dominated an Auburn team that came in averaging just under 11 runs per game in the NCAA Tournament, limiting the Tigers to four hits without a walk before giving way to Josh Mallitz.
Mississippi (38-22) will play a second straight Southeastern Conference West rival in Arkansas on Monday. The Razorbacks beat Stanford 17-2 on Saturday. Auburn (4221) will meet Stanford in an elimination game.
After being the last at-large team selected for the NCAA Tournament, the Rebels won three straight in regionals and shut out Southern Mississippi twice in super regionals.
The Rebels scored four of their five runs against Auburn with two outs. Kemp Alderman drove in two with a base hit in the first inning off Joseph Gonzalez (7-4), Kevin Graham homered in the third and TJ Mccants singled in a run in the sixth.