Butler drives Wolfpack past Stanford in CWS opener

OMAHA, Neb., June 20, (AP): Jonny Butler homered and drove in a career-high five runs, Reid Johnston pitched six strong innings and North Carolina State opened the College World Series with a 10-4 victory over Stanford.

The Wolfpack (36-18), who knocked out No. 1 national seed Arkansas in the super regionals last week, continued their postseason roll in the first CWS game since 2019. The 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic.

BASEBALL

NC State got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Butler’s homer to right off Pac-12 pitcher of the year Brendan Beck. After Devonte Brown barely cleared the fence in right-center in the fourth to give NC State at least two homers in 17 of its last 21 games, Butler’s two-run bloop single made it 6-0. Beck (9-2) left with two outs in the sixth having allowed six runs, three earned, on

seven hits. He walked two and struck out 10. No. 9 seed Stanford (38-16), which outscored Texas Tech 24-3 in a two-game super-regional sweep, was slow to get started against Johnston (9-3).

Johnston, who allowed seven runs in three innings in a 21-2 loss to Arkansas in NC State’s super regional opener last week, limited the Cardinal to Tim Tawa’s solo homer and a single through six innings.

Meanwhile, Jayson Gonzalez singled through the infield with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning, giving Vanderbilt a 7-6 win over Arizona in the College World Series.

Gonzalez grounded a 1-2 pitch beyond diving shortstop Nik McClaughry’s glove to end the first extra-inning game at the CWS since 2014. It lasted 4 hours, 51 minutes, making it the fourthlongest game in CWS history.

Vince Vannelle worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the 11th, but the defending national champion Commodores (46-15) wouldn’t be denied in the 12th.

Isaiah Thomas led off with an infield single and Parker Noland bunted for a hit before Vannelle walked Javier Vaz. Gonzalez then came through for the second time in the game. He had hit a tying home run in the fourth inning.

North Carolina State starting pitcher Reid Johnston (29) throws against Stanford in the first inning in the opening baseball game of the College World Series, on June 19, at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. (AP)