Texas rallies to edge East Carolina, forcing deciding third game
GREENVILLE, N.C. » Dylan Campbell drove in the winning run with a two-out bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning and No. 9 overall seed Texas overcame a five-run deficit on Saturday to beat No. 8 seed East Carolina 9-8 and stay alive in the Greenville Super Regional.
The win by Texas (45-21) forces a Sunday showdown with East Carolina (46-20) with a berth in the College World Series on the line. East Carolina (47-19), hosting a super regional for the first time, had won 23 of its last 24 games before faltering against the Longhorns. The Pirates beat the Longhorns 13-7 on Friday.
Texas took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Eric Kennedy reached on a oneout single and stole second with two outs. Murphy Stehly drove in Kennedy with a single, stole second and scored on a throwing error by Pirates third baseman Alec Makarewicz.
Jacob Starling hit a two-out solo homer in the top of the ninth off Texas reliever Andre Duplantier II (3-1) to tie the game. VIRGINIA TECH 14, OKLAHOMA 8 » Nick Biddison hit two of No. 4 overall seed Virginia Tech’s five home runs, including one to lead off the game, and the Hokies stayed alive in the Blacksburg Super Regional with a victory over Oklahoma.
The win by Virginia Tech (45-12) forces a winner-take-all game with Oklahoma (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 tworun shots in the third to put Virginia Tech ahead 5-0.
Oklahoma scored three in the bottom of the third — on a RBI single by Blake Robertson and a two-run single by Jimmy Crooks — and added another run in the fourth on a solo homer by Brett Squires to get within 5-4. ARKANSAS 4, NORTH CAROLINA 1 » Peyton Stoval sparked a three-run fifth inning with a lead-off home run, Connor Noland threw 6.2 shutout innings and Arkansas upset No. 10 overall seed North Carolina in the first round of the Chapel Hill Super Regional.
Arkansas (42-19) and North Carolina (4221), 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.