Texas Tech tops Duke 6-2 for berth in College World Series.
LUBBOCK — Michael Davis and Texas Tech are going back to Omaha.
Davis hit the biggest of the Red Raiders’ three home runs, a tiebreaking two-run shot that put them ahead to stay, in a 6-2 win over Duke on Monday to send them to the College World Series for the third time in five seasons.
“Just kind of coming out and having fun, taking in every moment,” said Davis, a senior shortstop playing at home for the last time. “That final out, that’s probably the most enjoyable thing I’ve got to do since I got here.”
The Red Raiders (44-18) led for good after Davis’ homer in the fourth made it 3-1 in the deciding game of the best-ofthree NCAA super regional.
It was the 12th homer of the season for Davis, the only current position player for the Red Raiders who got in the lineup when they were in Omaha two years ago. He was playing second base then.
Gabe Holt and Brian Klein also homered for Texas Tech, which is 20-0 this season when having multiple homers in a game.
“You never plan on home runs,” coach Tim Tadlock said. “Guys got some pitches in the middle of the plate.”
Klein went deep in the seventh to make it 4-2. Holt’s solo shot in the third started the scoring, and he added an RBI single in the eighth.
Jimmy Herron had three hits and both RBIs for Duke (45-18), which was in its first super regional. He had an RBI infield single in the fourth and a runscoring triple in the sixth.
FLORIDA 3, AUBURN 2 (11)
Austin Langworthy’s home run off Steven Williams’ glove in the 11th inning gave the overall top seed Gators the victory over the Tigers in the deciding game of their NCAA super regional in Gainesville, Fla..
Florida is headed to the College World Series for the fourth consecutive year.
Langworthy lined a pitch off freshman All-American closer Cody Greenhill (6-3) to the wall. Williams had a bead on it, but it bounced off his glove and over the fence. It was Langworthy’s fourth homer of the season and second in the best-of-three series.
Williams dropped to the ground in disbelief as Florida players rushed the field and waited for Langworthy to touch home plate before mobbing him.
The Gators (47-19) advance to play Texas Tech. Florida is headed to Omaha for the seventh time in the last nine years.
Auburn (43-23) was trying to get to the CWS for the first time since 1997.
ARKANSAS 14, SOUTH CAROLINA 4
Eric Cole had three hits, a home run and scored five runs to help the No. 5 national seed Razorbacks advance past the Gamecocks in the deciding game of their NCAA super regional in Fayetteville, Ark.
The trip to Omaha is the first since 2015 for the Razorbacks (44-19), and it’s their fifth in the last 16 seasons under coach Dave Van Horn.
Cole had two RBIs for Arkansas, and Luke Bonfield added three hits and four RBIs. The Razorbacks scored five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run home run by Carson Shaddy.
Barrett Loseke (3-2) earned the win for Arkansas, allowing one run in 21⁄3 innings of relief of starter Isaiah Campbell, who struck out five in four innings.
Jacob Olson had two home runs for the Gamecocks (37-26), who were trying to return to the CWS for the first time since 2012. Carmen Mlodzinski (3-6) took the loss after allowing five runs, four earned, in his only inning of work.