Arizona State 5, UC Irvine 4

Arizona State didn't put up a ton of runs, but they won today like they've won many times this season - with the long ball.

Matt Spencer struck the first blow in the second with a three-run shot to put ASU up 3-0. UC Irvine, however, came right back and put four on the board.

The Sun Devils tied it up on a solo homer by C.J. Retherford, and then, in the eighth, got the game-winning blast, a solo short from Ike Davis, for the final margin.

The Sun Devils will play the winner of tonight's Oregon St.-Cal St. Fullerton game on Monday evening, while the Anteaters will take on the loser of that game in an elimination game on Monday afternoon.

Jason Jarvis relieved Mike Leake in the eighth and pitched the final two innings for the win. Scott Gorgen pitched into the eighth for UC Irvine and threw well with the exception of the three longballs, which ultimately saddled him with the loss, and stopped him short of his fifth straight complete game.

Exciting day one of CWS, day two set to get underway.

Action in Omaha got off to an explosive start on Friday, with two games featuring big innings and big comebacks.

In game one, Louisville didn't show any first-time jitters against #2 national seed Rice in their first five frames, getting out to a 10-4 lead. But, the Owls scored 11 unanswered runs in their last few at-bats to take a 15-10 win. Louisville's Logan Johnson hit two homers for the Cardinals, and Chris Dominguez homered as well. For Rice, Joe Savery and Aaron Luna homered.

Rice had 19 hits, led by catcher Danny Lehmann's three, and every other starter but Jared Gayhart (1 for 3) had two hits. Louisville had 15 hits, led by Jorge Castillo's three.

Both teams starters' struggled, with Rice's Ryan Berry not making it out of the third, and Louisville's Zack Pitts not making it out of the fifth. But, Rice's bullpen helped make the difference, with Bobby Bramhall and Scott Lonergan allowing only one run in the last 4.2 innings.

In the second game, Mississippi State got an early 4-0 lead, but #3 national seed North Carolina came back yet again, using a six-run sixth to ride to an 8-5 opening win.

Mississippi State scored four runs in the second and chased UNC starter Robert Woodard. That was probably the move that won the game for the Tar Heels, as the next pitcher, Adam Warren, pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, during which the Tar Heel bats came alive.

It was the fifth game in six that UNC has had a comeback win.

Both teams had 12 hits. Chad Flack led the Tar Heels with three hits, and four players had two hits for Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs will play the Cardinals in an elimination game at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, while the Owls will take on the Tar Heels in the winner's bracket matchup at 6.

In today's action, #5 national seed Arizona State takes on UC Irvine in the first game, while defending national champion Oregon State takes on Cal St. Fullerton in the second game.

CWS gets underway tomorrow.

2003 national champion and one of this year's favorites, Rice, takes on the Cinderella story and first-timer Louisville in the first game of the CWS tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.

In the evening game on Friday, last year's runner-up, #3 national seed North Carolina, take on Mississippi State at 7 p.m. ET. MSU will be starting junior lefty Justin Pigott (7-6, 4.40 ERA) against UNC's ace, senior Robert Woodard (10-2, 3.01 ERA).

Both games will be televised by ESPN2.

CWS field set...

With Oregon State's win over Michigan Monday evening, the field for Omaha is now complete. Check out the 2007 College World Series Bracket over at SCS.com with complete game times and TV listings!

Gut-wrenching loss for Michigan.

Michigan's Zach Putnam had a no-hitter going for 8.2 innings, but the one hit he gave up was the one that cost the Wolverines dearly. After giving up a walk to lead off the ninth to Steve Santschi, who moved to second on a bunt, Putnam allowed his first and only hit of the game with two outs, an RBI single by Joey Wong.

That would be the only run of the game, as Michigan got a runner on second in the ninth but couldn't get him home. The Beavers are one win away from their third straight trip to Omaha.

Louisville, meanwhile, is having no problem putting up runs against Oklahoma State today. It's now 16-2 Louisville after five innings. After a five-run fourth, the Cardinals tacked on four more in the fifth, using four hits, a sac fly, and a wild pitch to get their runs. Louisville has scored in every inning so far. This one's looking a lot like their title game with Missouri last Monday, when they rolled to a 16-6 win. They've already matched that mark in five innings, and with the way OSU is pitching, should easily top it.

North Carolina and South Carolina's decisive third game is about to get underway in Chapel Hill.

Keep it locked here for updates on every game's goings-on.

Louisville pouring it on against OSU.

The Cardinals have scored in every inning thus far, and lead 10-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Louisville countered OSU's third-inning run with one of their own, and now have countered a fourth-inning homer by Rebel Ridling with three runs so far in the fourth, and are looking for more, with the bases loaded with one out.

It's been quite the duel in Corvallis. Oregon St. and Michigan are still scoreless in the bottom of the eighth. Michigan's Zach Putnam has been incredible on the mound, with a no-hitter through eight. OSU's Jorge Reyes had an impressive seven-inning stint, giving up only three hits.

Judging by what we've seen so far today, one can only imagine how the other three games are going to go tonight.

UC Irvine makes history.

The Anteaters shook off a Wichita St. ninth-inning rally, then made one of their own to take a 3-2 win and win the Wichita Super Regional. UCI clinched their first CWS appearance with the win.

UCI's Wes Etheridge was in control for eight innings, extending the weekend scoreless streak into the ninth, while his offense gave him a two-run cushion entering the final frame.

But, Wichita St. rallied, with a little help from a controversial call. After Derek Schermerhorn led off the inning with a single, Damon Sublett hit a ball to shortstop Ben Orloff. Orloff's throw was off, and first baseman Taylor Holiday had to reach. First base ump Jack Cox initially ruled that Holiday's foot had stayed on the bag for the out, but was overruled by the rest of the crew and thousands of raucoous Shocker fans.

After Conor Gillaspie moved the runners to third, Etheridge was replaced by Tom Callahan, who got Matt Brown to line out to third. Dylan Axelrod came in to face pinch hitter Danny Jackson, and walked him to load the bases with two out. Tyler Hill came up, and on a 1-1 pitch, singled to right to drive in the tying runs.

But, the Anteaters shook it off and finished the home team off in the bottom of the inning. Anthony Capra came in to replace Rob Musgrave, who pitched an excellent 8.1 innings. Capra immediately gave up a single to Matt Morris. Morris advanced to second on a wild pitch by Capra, and then, on the 3-2 pitch, cleanup hitter Bryan Petersen launched a drive into right center that was beyond Brown, and Morris scored, setting off a wild celebration by the Anteaters.

UCI goes to 45-15-1 with the win, and Wichita St. ends their season at 53-22.

In Chapel Hill, South Carolina forced a decisive game by holding off #3 North Carolina in the second game of their super regional, which resumed in the seventh after being suspended last night. The Tar Heels trailed 8-5 when the game resumed, and scored a run in the top of the eighth, but that was all they could get.

Meanwhile, Louisville has come out swinging against Oklahoma State, and are on their way to some history themselves. The Cardinals scored a run in the first, then scored five in the second, with the aid of a two-run homer by Chris Dominguez and a two-run double by Jorge Castillo, to go up 6-0, as OSU bats in the third.

Oregon State and Michigan are scoreless after four and a half in the opener of their super regional in Corvallis.

Oklahoma State just got a homer from Ty Wright to pull within 6-1 in the third. Stay tuned (on ESPN, and here), because a lot of runs could be scored at Jim Patterson Stadium today.

Sun Devils rally to take 1-0 series lead.

Ole Miss took a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, but pitching came up and bit them late as it has many times this season, and so did a resilient Arizona St. club.

After being dominated through the first seven innings, the Sun Devils might have been pretty fortunate to be down only 3-0. The Rebels have runners in scoring position in five innings and did not score, and in the third, only got one run when they very well should have gotten more.

Arizona St. starter Mike Leake did a good job of keeping the home team in it. Even though he allowed 13 hits total, he kept Ole Miss at bay for the most part, but was done after giving up two in the seventh to help Ole Miss pad their lead.

It was a lead that might have seemed safe, but it wasn't. ASU got a solo homer from Eric Sogard in the bottom of the eighth to get on the board. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, the Sun Devils mounted the deciding rally.

Ike Davis, Matt Spencer, and Tim Smith led off the ninth with singles to load up the bases. C.J. Retherford then grounded out to third to bring pinch runner Rocky Laguna home to make it a 3-2 game and move the other two runners up. The next batter, pinch hitter Jason Jarvis, flied out to the right fielder, but it was good enough to bring home pinch runner Mike Jones to tie it at 3. Up came Arizona St.'s top hitter, first baseman Brett Wallace, and the sophomore delivered, singling in pinch runner Ryan Sontag with the game-winning run, and capping off the comeback. It was Wallace's first hit in five at-bats, and his 103rd hit and 75th RBI of the season might have been his biggest.

Brian Flores, who has made 21 starts for ASU this season, made his first relief appearance of the season, and pitched two scoreless innings to go to 11-1 on the season.

ASU's comeback was helped by a potentially questionable decision by Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco to keep starter Will Kline in, even when the senior started struggling in the ninth. Then again, Kline had been excellent for eight innings.

But, the Rebels don't have long to think about that decision, as they have to rebound tomorrow or their season is over. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are one win away from making their second trip to Omaha in three years. And, they can get that win tomorrow night, in a game that starts at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, and will be televised on ESPN2.

Fullerton routs UCLA to go up 1-0.

Cal St. Fullerton got big-time hitting performances from John Curtis (3 for 5, HR, 2 RBI) and Evan McArthur (3 for 3, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored), and a complete-game, seven strikeout performance from Wes Roemer to defeat UCLA 12-2 in the first game of the super regional in Fullerton.

Roemer pitched like the All-American from last year to pick up his 11th win of the season.

South Carolina and North Carolina's game was suspended due to lightning, and will resume tomorrow afternoon with the Gamecocks up 8-3 and leading off the bottom of the 7th.

In Tempe, it's been a pitcher's duel so far, and Ole Miss is out on top against host and #5 national seed Arizona St. 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth. Ole Miss' Will Kline has held the powerful Sun Devils lineup to only four hits so far, but ASU's still very much in it, because Mike Leake has given up only one run despite allowing ten hits in six innings. All those wasted baserunners for the Rebels might loom large in the end.

Rice became the second team to punch their ticket to Omaha, and booked their second straight trip there with a 5-2 win over Texas A&M. Rice's Matt Langwell started and had a quality performance, giving up only one run on four hits and striking out seven in 6.1 innings. Cole St. Clair came in and pitched the final 2.2 innings and gave up only two hits, one of which was a solo homer in the eighth inning.

Time for another UNC rally?

Just like last night, South Carolina has jumped out to a big lead. The Gamecocks were up 6-0 going into the bottom of the sixth last night, but couldn't hold the lead and lost 9-6. Tonight, USC has put together big innings in the first and fourth, and lead 8-3 after five. Justin Smoak hit his 22nd homer of the season in the fourth for USC. Smoak is 2 for 2 so far, with three runs scored and a couple of RBI.

In Houston, Rice is looking to close it out against Texas A&M and be the second team to punch their ticket to Omaha. The Owls are up 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth. Don't count the Aggies out just yet, though. Blake Stouffer's solo homer just made it a three-run margin, so there does appear to be some fight in A&M still. Joe Savery is 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBI for Rice.

In Fullerton, Cal St. Fullerton looks set to take a 1-0 lead against UCLA. The Titans are up 7-1 in the fifth, and are looking for more, with runners on first and third with one out. UCLA ace Tyson Brummett has been replaced after a tough outing (4.1 IP, 8 hits, 7 runs). Evan McArthur has driven in three runs for the Titans, and Chris Jones has driven in two.

MSU to Omaha, Cowboys to play another day...

Mississippi State finished off Clemson in just two games, sending the Tigers home after an 8-5 victory that sends the Bulldogs to Omaha. The Friday crowd set a Super Regional record, and the Bulldog fans promptly broke it again Saturday, packing nearly 14,000 into the stadium to see the team win their way to Rosenblatt.

In Louisville meanwhile, Oklahoma State went into extras with the hometown Cardinals, got a run in the top of the 12th, and then held on for the 3-2 win, forcing a deciding game 3 on Sunday.

The opener in Wichita, meanwhile, was a pitchers' duel. No one put a run on the board until the top of the eighth when UC Irvine took a 1-0 lead, and that was enough to put the Anteaters up a game to none in the series. Game two is Sunday.

Elsewhere, the opener between Michigan and Oregon State was rained out, while three additional evening games are now underway. Rice is up 3-1 on Texas A&M in the fifth with the Aggies needing a win to force game three. In Chapel Hill, South Carolina is off to a good start in their effort to force a third game as they plated 3 runs in the first and are leading 3-1 in the 2nd. It's also 3-1 in Fullerton, as the Titans have taken the early lead over UCLA in the opening game of that series.

Mississippi and Arizona get underway at 8PM central out west.

Mississippi St. three outs away from Omaha, Irvine three outs away from a 1-0 lead.

UCI finally put the game's first run on the board in the top of the 8th. Sean Madigan's two-out infield single scored Bryan Petersen. Wichita St. got the first two on in the bottom of the 8th, but a fielder's choice and double play wiped out their attempted rally.

Mississippi State's Aaron Weatherford sat down Clemson in the bottom of the eighth, and the Bulldogs go to the ninth up 7-5.

Meanwhile, in Louisville, the Cowboys and Cardinals go to the 12th tied at 2.

Not over yet in Louisville.

Oh how a game can change on one swing. Oklahoma State's Ty Wright leads off the top of the ninth with a home run to tie things up at 2.

In Wichita, both the Anteaters and Shockers wasted a first and third, one out chance in the seventh, and it's still scoreless, going into the eighth.

Mississippi State is nine outs away from Omaha, and lead Clemson 7-5 entering the 7th. Freshman All-American Ricky Bowen is in to keep the Tigers off of the board.

Cardinals three outs away from history.

Louisville goes to the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead over Oklahoma State. Three more outs will send the Cardinals to their first appearance in Omaha.

Oklahoma State's Justin Friend has pitched very well, but it may well not be enough if the Cowboys can't put together a rally in the final inning.

Score updates.

Mississippi St. continues to lead Clemson. The Tigers put two across in the bottom of the 4th, but MSU got those runs back, and are up 7-4 going to the bottom of the fifth.

Louisville has taken the lead against Oklahoma St. The Cardinals got a two-run double from Jorge Castillo in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead going to the 7th.

Wichita St. and UC Irvine are still scoreless, going to the 7th.

Mississippi State explosion and other headlines...

The runs are coming early in Starkville. Clemson countered MSU's first-inning run with two of their own. But, that lead didn't last long. MSU has put four runs on the board in the top of the second to take a 5-2 lead.

Clemson starter David Kopp only makes it through 1.2 innings. For many, it might be a surprise that MSU's gotten to Clemson's two studs on consecutive days, but the Bulldodgs have. Kopp allowed five runs on five hits, and walked two in his short stint. Ryan Hinson has been brought in to slow the MSU bats down. That move shows just how big this one game is, considering Hinson is a regular #3 starter. But, you have to win game 2 to get to game 3.

In Louisville, Oklahoma St. has finally put up their first run of the weekend, and they take the lead with it. Corey Brown just hit his team-leading 22nd homer of the season to put the Cowboys up 1-0 in the top of the 4th.

In Wichita, they're scoreless in the bottom of the third. Irvine has two hits, both by leadoff hitter Taylor Holliday, who's been stranded on third (in the first) and second (in the third). Wichita St. has one.

Three early games get underway.

Mississippi State and Louisville look to book their tickets to Omaha today. The Bulldogs put themselves a win away from Omaha with an 8-6 win over Clemson yesterday. Louisville did the same against Oklahoma St., winning 9-0.

UC Irvine and Wichita St. open their series at the Shockers' Eck Stadium.

In Starkville, MSU strikes early, getting a run in the top of the first. In Louisville, the Cowboys go down in order against Louisville's Justin Marks in the top of the first. That game can be seen on ESPNU. And, in Wichita, Irvine gets a runner to third, but doesn't score in the top of the first. That game can be seen by some on ESPN2, along with the Mississippi St.-Clemson game.

Today's remaining schedule:

Michigan at Oregon St. - 2 p.m. CT/Noon PT (ESPNU)
Texas A&M at Rice (game 2 - Rice up 1-0) - 5 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
UCLA at Cal. St. Fullerton - 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT (ESPN)
South Carolina at North Carolina - 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Ole Miss at Arizona St. - 9 p.m. CT/7 p.m. PT (ESPNU)

UNC, Rice Night Game Winners

#3 UNC overcame a 5 run deficit with 9 runs in the 6th and 7th innings to take game 1 of the Super Regional series against South Carolina. The Gamecocks' defense proved incapable in the 2 innings, making costly errors which led to the 9 runs, all scored with 2 outs. Robert Woodard's career home record stayed intact at 22-0 after he left the game and because of the Tarheel rally, earned a no decision. For UNC, junior shortstop Josh Horton recorded 3 doubles and was key in the UNC rally. James Darnell hit a homerun along with Robbie Grinestaff hitting a pinch hit grand slam. North Carolina will play tomorrow against South Carolina, needing 1 win in the next 2 games to return to Omaha.

#2 Rice rallied in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game and then won it against instate foe Texas A&M in the bottom of the 10th. Jordan Dodson's RBI single in the 10th scored Danny Lehmann, ending the game and making Rice 1 win away from the College World Series. Freshman Ryan Berry of Rice threw a gem, allowing only 2 runs in 7.1 innings with 10 strikeouts. But it was Bobby Bramhall that got the win for the Owls, pitching 2.2 innings of scoreless ball with 4 K's. Pitching was the name of this game, and tomorrow's contest should be just like this one.

Louisville Shuts Out OK State 9-0

A sold out crowd at Patterson Stadium saw Zack Pitts and the Louisville Cardinals shut out the powerful Cowboy offense 9-0. They also saw Louisville come 1 win away from a trip to Omaha for the College World Series. Starter Zach Pitts threw 7 innings of 4 hit ball while Gavin Logsdon threw the final 2 frames. On the day, Louisville had 13 hits, including homeruns from Isiah Howes, Chris Dominguez, and Pete Rodriguez. Tomorrow, Louisville will have a shot to make it to the College World Series.

Tonight, South Carolina plays at #3 North Carolina while Texas A&M will play #2 Rice.

First final of the day: MSU 8, Clemson 6

Mississippi St.'s Aaron Weatherford allowed a leadoff walk to open the ninth, but retired the next three batters to end the game and put MSU one win away from their first Omaha trip since 1998.

Mississippi St. did what many didn't expect them to, getting to Moskos, and dropped him to 3-6. MSU outhit Clemson 12-8, and were led at the plate by Moreland, who was 2 for 4 with the homer, his 23rd double, and three RBIs. The bottom of the order came through with four hits, including POwers' homer. Picking up the win was Lalor, who shut Clemson's burst down in the sixth and pitched three innings total, giving up two hits and only the homer to Hogan in the eighth.

For Clemson, the 4-5-6 combo of D'Alessio, Harbin, and Hogan were big, combining for five hits, three homers, and all six RBI for the Tigers.

Tomorrow's game will also start at 11 a.m. CT, and be televised by ESPN2. The crowd is expected to top today's record crowd, and if so, could threaten the NCAA on-campus record of 14,991, set at the same venue, against Florida in 1989, and the single-game record for a postseason game, which is 15,379 in Oklahoma City in 1995.

Meanwhile, in Louisville, the Cardinals are now up 5-0 on Oklahoma St. in the 5th. Chris Dominguez launched his 12th homer of the season, a drive just inside the right field foul pole, to lead off the top of the 4th. If the Cardinals keep tacking runs on, OSU is in trouble. They've got that lineup full of big hitters, but Louisville ace Zack Pitts has shut them down thus far. Maybe facing him a second time might lead to a little success, but either way, the Cowboy pitching staff is going to have to stop Louisville, or at least slow them down a little, for the offense to have a chance.

MSU three outs away from a 1-0 lead, Louisville up 4-0 after 2.

Clemson gets a two-out solo homer from Doug Hogan to close the gap to 8-6 in Starkville going to the bottom of the 8th.

Louisville gets another run in the top of the second, but could have had more. With two outs, the Cardinals' Boomer Whiting drilled a shot deep to left. It looked like it was going to go over the wall, but Oklahoma St. left fielder Ty Wright leapt and pulled in the ball at the top of the fence to keep the score at 4-0.

In the bottom of the eighth, MSU goes down in order, and in the bottom of the second, OSU gets a runner on with two outs, but fails to score again.

MSU 8, CU 5 after 7, UL 3, OSU 0 after 1.

MSU gets consecutive RBI doubles from Moreland and Turner to expand their margin.

In Louisville, OSU gets a runner on with one out, but doesn't make anything out of it.

Oklahoma St.-Louisville underway.

The Cardinals get it going in the top of the first, scoring three runs on three hits. The big blow of the inning was a two-run homer by Louisville's leading hitter, Isaiah Howes (#17 on the season).

Cowboys now at bat.

In Starkville, Mississippi St. has a runner on second with one out in the bottom of the 7th, and Easley is coming up to bat.

Mississippi St. roars back to take the lead after six.

After Easley's single drove in McCaskill to make it 5-3, first baseman Mitch Moreland drove a fly ball to straightaway center that carried, carried, carried just over the fence for his ninth homer of the season, to make it 5-5.

MSU kept it going, getting a double from Brandon Turner, then getting Brian LaNinfa on due to an error by the second baseman. That spelled the end of the day for yesterday's fourth overall pick.

Stephen Clyne came in and got a double-play chopper from Russ Sneed, but it was good enough to score Turner and give MSU their first lead.

The crowd is definitely back in it, and it's a historic crowd. The crowd of 12,620 is the biggest crowd ever to see a super regional game, whether on-campus or not. It breaks a record of 11,870 set by LSU and Tulane in 2001.

Clemson 5, Mississippi St. 2, after five and a half

The Tigers get the leadoff hitter on with a walk, then D'Alessio hits a bomb to right for his 17th homer of the season. MSU takes out Crosswhite, because he was beginning to labor physically and had a rising pitch count, and replaced him with Jesse Carver. Carver promptly gave up a home run to Harbin, and then a single to the next hitter.

But, John Lalor came in and stopped any further damage, and that could loom large with the meat of Mississippi St.'s order coming up.

And, while I'm typing this, MSU has put together a double by McCaskill and a single by Ed Easley to make it 5-3.

2-2 after five.

Mississippi State's Connor Powers ties it up at 2 in the bottom of the 5th with a towering 2-run shot to right center.

Momentum turn? We'll see in the sixth.

Clemson goes up 2-0 after four.

Tigers get the leadoff man on via a controversial throwing error. Consecutive singles by Marquez Smith and Andy D'Alessio bring home the first run for the Tigers, and Smith comes home on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Harbin.

MSU goes down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 4th.

Both teams have pitched well so far. Crosswhite, with the exception of the stretch in the last inning, has matched Moskos. Moskos had his rough patch in the third, but got past it. Five strikeouts for Crosswhite, three for Moskos through four innings.

Clemson-Mississippi St. scoreless after three.

The Bulldogs just had the best scoring chance of the game so far, getting three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. But, Clemson's Daniel Moskos got MSU leadoff hitter Jeffrey Rea to foul out and then got a 6-4-3 double play grounder from Joseph McCaskill to end the threat.

With run-scoring chances likely at a premium today, will this missed opportunity come back to bite MSU in the end? We'll see.

SCS.com bloggers return for 2nd weekend...

The opening day of Super Regional play is finally here, and the SCS.com staff is again ready to blog about all the action throughout the upcoming weekend. From Corvallis to Tempe, from Houston to Chapel Hill, from Fullerton to Starkville, and from Wichita to Louisville, we'll have all the bases covered as eight teams look to punch their ticket to Omaha by the time Monday night arrives. Will there be surprises? How about contoversy? Those two questions and more will soon be answered!

Here's a look at Friday's schedule. You can see the complete weekend schedule over at SCS.com!

Friday, June 8 (all times central)
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11:00 AM - ESPN - Clemson at Mississippi State
1:00 PM - ESPN2 - Oklahoma State at Louisville
6:00 PM - ESPN - South Carolina at North Carolina
6:00 PM - ESPN - Texas A&M at Rice

ESPN TV Schedule set.

ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU will carry all of the super regional action this weekend.

Friday through Sunday super regionals (Game times are Eastern):

Texas A&M (48-17) at No. 2 Rice (52-12) 7 p.m. (ESPN), 6 p.m. (ESPNU), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Oklahoma St. (41-19) at Louisville (44-21) 2 p.m. (ESPN2), Noon (ESPNU), 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Clemson (41-21) at Mississippi St. (36-20) Noon (ESPN), Noon (ESPN2), 1 p.m. (ESPN)
South Carolina (45-18) at No. 3 North Carolina (51-12) 7 p.m. (ESPN), 7 p.m. (ESPN), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday through Monday super regionals:

Michigan (42-17) at Oregon St. (42-18) 3 p.m. (ESPNU), 4 p.m. (ESPN), 7 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
UCLA (33-26) at Cal St. Fullerton (36-23) 7 p.m. (ESPN), 10 p.m. (ESPN2), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Ole Miss (40-23) at No. 5 Arizona St. (46-13) 9 p.m. (ESPNU), 7 p.m. (ESPN2), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
UC Irvine (43-15-1) at Wichita St. (53-20) Noon (ESPN2), 1 p.m. (ESPN), 12:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

Even though names like Miami, Florida St., Texas, and others are absent from this weekend, it's still going to be an exciting weekend of baseball. It's only good for the sport for names like Irvine, Louisville, and Michigan to reach this point, and it's also good to see old names like Mississippi St., Oklahoma St., and Wichita St. back with a chance to return to Omaha, where all three were regulars in the 80s and 90s.

If you can't make it to a park somewhere this weekend, tune in on TV. And, if your team is playing on ESPNU, and you don't have it, catch the action on the radio, either from your radio at home or online. Either way, don't miss out on what will continue to be an exciting (and sure to be full of more surprises) postseason.

Super hosts set...

Cal State-Fullerton (vs UCLA), Arizona State (vs Mississippi), Wichita State (vs UC Irvine), Rice (vs Texas A&M), Louisville (vs Oklahoma State), Mississippi State (vs Clemson), North Carolina (vs South Carolina), and the winner of Tuesday's Virginia/Oregon State game (vs Michigan) will host this weekend's Super Regionals.

Stay tuned to SCS.com for complete Super Regional previews, game time announcements, and more!

#1 Vandy Eliminated

The special season for Tim Corbin's Commodores ended way shorter than they wanted it to after dropping a 10 inning affair to Michigan 4-3. Vandy rallied in the bottom of the 8th to tie the score at 3, but couldn't score a man from second with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. With Shea Robin on 2nd with 1 out, David Macias hit a ball that looked to be a bloop into right field. But Wolverine second baseman Kevin Cislo made a spectaclular diving catch, which later ended up on ESPN Sportscenter as the 3rd play on the top 10 list. Pitching for Vandy in the 10th was All American and likely #1 pick David Price, who gave up a homerun to Michigan freshman Alan Oaks, who was hitting around .190 with 1 HR on the year. When Vandy came up, All American Pedro Alvarez hit what looked to be a tying homerun to left center. But another Wolverine came up with an amazing defensive play. This time, Derek Vanbuskirk robbed the homerun, with his play being #1 on ESPN Sportscenter. Vandy finished their season at 54-13 while Michigan will advance to the Super Regionals in the upcoming weekend to play the winner of the Virginia/Oregon State game.

While we wait...

As we await the Super Regional host announcement, the biggest news of the night has been Michigan's upset of Vanderbilt. The Wolverines got a homerun off All-American David Price in the 10th to win the game by a single run. That means UM will take on the winner of Oregon State and Virginia, that game set to be played at a now-announced start time of 11:00 AM central tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Texas A&M finished off ULL, Wichita State did the same to Arizona, and South Carolina rallied to take down Charlotte, as each advanced to Super Regional play.

Here's how next week's matchups stack up with host projections:

1. Michigan vs Virginia/Oregon State (Likely Host: UVA/OSU winner)
2. UCLA vs Cal State-Fullerton (Likely Host: CSF)
3. Mississippi vs Arizona (Near-Lock Host: Arizona State)
4. Wichita State vs UC Irvine (Near-Lock Host: Wichita State)
5. Rice vs Texas A&M (Near-Lock Host: Rice)
6. Louisville vs Oklahoma State (Toss-up: Oklahoma State)
7. Mississippi State vs Clemson (Toss-up: Mississippi State)
8. South Carolina vs North Carolina (Near-Lock Host: North Carolina)

There will be baseball on Tuesday...

Oregon State rallied with 5 runs in the final four innings to force a second game with Virginia on Tuesday. Game time had originally been set for 5:00 PM central, but UVA's website now indicates a time to be determined.

Clemson moves on...

The Tigers took down host Coastal Carolina 15-3, setting up a very interesting debate that will be decided later tonight: who gets to host the Super Regional? The Tigers have a more impressive conference record, more impressive overall record, slightly better RPI, and swept through their regional with relative ease. MSU, meanwhile, has the better facility, their athletic director as the head of the selection committee, and is fresh off two dominating wins over nationally-seeded Florida State. Tough decision, eh? Super Regional hosts are scheduled to be announced at 10:00 PM central this evening.

Elsewhere, Oregon State has taken down Rutgers and will now battle Virginia in the title game in Charlottesville needing to win twice to continue their run at defending their national title. That contest is just now underway.

Charlotte is leading South Carolina 1-0 in the third, but weather has forced a delay in Columbia. That game is scheduled to resume at 6:30 PM central.

Here's the rest of the evening's schedule (times are central):
6:00 PM - Nashville Regional - (2) Michigan vs (1) Vanderbilt
6:30 PM - College Station Regional - (2) LA-Lafayette vs (1) Texas A&M
7:00 PM - Wichita Regional - (2) Arizona vs (1) Wichita State
9:00 PM - Columbia Regional - (1) South Carolina vs (3) Charlotte (if nec.)

Blowout Monday?

In Columbia, Missouri, third-seeded Louisville is on their way to a championship, leading the hosts and top-seeded Tigers 16-6 after seven innings.

And, in Myrtle Beach, Clemson's on their way to a super matchup with Mississippi State, leading top-seeded Coastal Carolina 12-0 in the top of the 4th. The Tigers have homered three times today.

South Carolina-Charlotte is in the bottom of the first in Columbia, SC.

With nine spots already filled and two more well on their way, that leaves five more spots to be decided.

And, it's now 13-0 in Myrtle Beach.

Down goes Texas...

UC Irvine finished an impressive run through the Round Rock Regional just moments ago, taking a 9-6 decision in a game that was postponed yesterday and completed in about an hour this afternoon. The Anteaters will advance to face the winner of the Wichita Regional and could actually host next week's Super Regional if Arizona were to knock off the Shockers.

Elsehwere, North Carolina has just rallied for two runs in the ninth to win their regional over Western Carolina, while defending national champ Oregon State is trying to make it to the title round themselves to take on Virginia and is currently winning 5-2 in the 8th.

In the Columbia, MO final, Missouri fell behind 8-0 after just one inning, rallied a bit, but is now down 12-5 in the 4th.

The only other game underway is the Coastal Carolina/Clemson game in Myrtle Beach. Clemson is up 2-0 in the 2nd in a game CCU needs to win to force a second matchup with the Tigers.

Another national seed goes down.

UC Irvine 9, #4 Texas 6 - Round Rock Regional title game

After their game was suspended last night, some might have figured upstart Irvine might not be able to hold up against one of the most storied programs in college baseball history.

Not at all.

Irvine held a 6-5 lead in the 7th last night when the game was suspended. The Anteaters came out swinging today, and added three more runs to their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Things got a little nervy in the ninth when Texas scored a run and had the bases loaded with one out, but UCI's Wes Etheridge came in and got the last two outs to preserve a historic win for the Anteaters.

Irvine dropped baseball in 1992 for financial reasons, but restarted the program in 2002, and has been steadily rising since. But, this season has been the biggest ever for the program, and now UCI has not only its first regional victory, but first regional championship. And for it to happen against one of the biggest names in all of college sports is no doubt a pretty special accomplishment.

And this special season is going to continue for at least one more week.

Elsewhere, Louisville is on its way to making some history as well. The #3 seed Cardinals knocked off top-seed Missouri 4-3 last night to force a deciding game today in Columbia, and they came out swinging today, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the first. It's 9-5 Louisville in the top of the 4th. Louisville has already won a school-record 43 games this season, and like Irvine, just picked up their first regional win this weekend. Win #44 would be their biggest ever, and send them into a super regional matchup with Oklahoma St.

Also, in Chapel Hill, #3 seed Western Carolina leads top-seed and #3 national seed UNC 5-4 in the top of the ninth. A win by the Catamounts would force a deciding title game tonight.

Super Regional host up for grabs...

With UCLA winning the Long Beach Regional and Cal State-Fullerton taking the San Diego bracket, who will host next week's Super Regional between the pair of #2 seeds? The NCAA committee, led by Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton, will make that announcement late Monday evening.

Speaking of MSU, if Clemson was to win the Myrtle Beach Regional over host Coastal Carolina today, there would be a similar situation between the Tigers and Bulldogs, also both #2 seeds. Would Templeton's leadership of the committee sway things in State's favor?

Elsewhere, Arizona State will host Mississippi next week, while Rice will welcome in either Texas A&M or LA-Lafayette. Oklahoma State's future is undecided at this point. If Missouri wins their home regional, the Cowboys will head to Columbia. However, if Louisville were to take down the Tigers, that Super host would be up for grabs, though it would likely end up in Stillwater.

Action gets underway at 12:00 PM central today. Here's a look at the complete schedule.

The latest...

Two teams in the loser's bracket forced winner-take-all championship games tonight.

Louisville beat Missouri 4-3 to force a deciding game tomorrow in Columbia. With the game tied 2-2 in the 8th, substitute Chris Pelaez hit a two-run shot to give the Cardinals the lead for good. Missouri's Jacob Priday hit a solo shot to lead off the bottom fo the ninth, and the Tigers put the tying run on second with one out, but couldn't push him across.

Host and #1 Texas A&M knocked off Louisiana 4-1 to force a deciding game in College Station.

Another team has advanced to the supers, and another national seed has been knocked out. Oklahoma St. held off Arkansas' late comeback attempts to knock off the #7 national seed in their house by a score of 7-6 to win the Fayetteville Regional. It's the first time the Cowboys have been to the supers since 1999, when they went to Omaha.

Four down, twelve to go.

Trio advance to Supers.

Ole Miss was the first team to punch their ticket to the super regionals, claiming the Oxford Regional with a 21-13 win over Sam Houston St. in the championship game. Ole Miss will play the winner of the Tempe Regional, which will be decided by #5 national seed Arizona St. and Nebraska.

#2 national seed Rice was the second team to punch their ticket, claiming the Houston Regional with a 3-1 win over TCU. Rice will play the winner of the College Station Regional. Texas A&M leads Louisiana 4-0 in the top of the 8th. UL is the winner's bracket team.

Mississippi St. was the first non #1 to claim a regional, by sweeping through the Tallahassee Regional. The #2 seeded Bulldogs knocked off #6 national seed and host FSU 3-0 yesterday and 9-4 today to advance to their first super regional since 2001.

Punch those tickets!

It looks like Western Carolina is going to punch their ticket to the championship round in Chapel Hill. The Catamounts are up 9-5 over East Carolina going into the 9th inning. If they hold on, they'll play North Carolina tomorrow, and will have to beat the #3 national seed twice.

Charlotte is on its way to punching a ticket to a rematch with South Carolina tomorrow. The 49ers are beating up on N.C. State 8-0 in the top of the third.

In the other Carolina regional, Coastal Carolina and St. John's are playing in an elimination game. The Red Storm beat VCU 5-4 earlier today, and Coastal lost to Clemson 11-8 this afternoon. The #1 seed is currently in a little trouble, down 5-3 to SJU in the bottom of the 5th.

A couple of teams are looking to punch tickets to the supers, and in the process, take out national seeds. UC Irvine leads #4 Texas 6-5 in the 7th, though that one is in a delay. Mississippi St. leads #6 Florida St. 7-4 in the top of the 8th. Oklahoma St. leads #7 Arkansas 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth.

Tennessee Fires Rod Delmonico

Earlier in the evening, Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton let go of longtime Vols coach Rod Delmonico. Hamilton said that the program was going in the wrong direction and needed more consistency. In his 18 year tenure, Delmonico led Tennessee to 3 College World Series appearances and posted a 699-396 overall record, with a 263-255 SEC record.

Today's headlines...

Miami isn't going to win a regional for the first time since 1993. The #2 seeded Hurricanes were eliminated by #3 Louisville, 8-7, earlier today in the Columbia, MO Regional. The Cardinals will play Mizzou tonight.

#1 seeds staying alive - Wichita St. (7-3 winners over New Orleans), Vanderbilt (11-5 winners over Austin Peay), Florida St. (17-1 winners over Stetson), Texas (7-4 winners over Wake Forest in 12 innings), Texas A&M (10-4 winners over Ohio St.), and Arkansas (6-0 winners over Creighton).

In the game of the day so far, in Oxford, #4 seed Sam Houston St. battled back from a 7-1 deficit, and rallied four times in the late innings, to win 12-11 over Southern Miss and advance to the championship round vs. host and #1 seed Ole Miss. That game is currently 6-3 in the first inning, in favor of Ole Miss.

Still wet in Columbia, SC and elsewhere...

Rain pushed back the 10:00 AM central start of game one of the day in Columbia to noon central, and the threat of showers is still in the area. Myrtle Beach was able to get underway without any delay, but that's not the case for Chapel Hill and Charlottesville. Game times in both of those locations have also been pushed back.

For the complete, up-to-the-minute game schedule, visit SCS.com.

Early start to a long (and potentially wet) day...

Thanks to rain yesterday, games in Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC will get underway this morning at 10:00 AM central time. Three games are scheduled to take place at both of those sites before the day is done.

I don't know the exact stats, but getting off to a 2-0 start in regional play is the key to success, as all college baseball fans know. Here's a look at the fourteen teams (minus Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC) who are in that driver's seat heading into today, needing to win just one of the next two games to advance to the Supers:

(1) Virginia, (1) Arizona State, (1) Mississippi, (1) Rice, (1) Missouri, (1) North Carolina, (2) Michigan, (2) UCLA, (2) Cal State-Fullerton, (2) Arizona, (2) UC Irvine, (2) LA-Lafayette, (2) Mississippi State, (3) Oklahoma State

Weather still looks to be a big factor today in Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC, as well as Chapel Hill and Charlottesville. At this point, the Charlottesville site looks to be in the most danger.

#1 Vandy goes down to Michigan, 4-3.

Flaherty strikes out to end the game. Big win for Michigan. The Wolverines need only one win to advance, and Vandy has to beat Austin Peay tomorrow, then beat Michigan twice if they want to avoid being the first #1 national seed to not advance out of the regionals.

In the other late games, UCLA beat Illinois-Chicago 3-1 in the winner's bracket in Long Beach, #5 national seed Arizona St. beat #2 seed UC-Riverside 9-2 in their winner's bracket game in Tempe, and #2 national seed Rice beat TCU 6-3.

In the last game still going on, CS-Fullerton is beating Fresno St. 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth.

Here's an interesting note: Only six of 14 #1 seeds have started 2-0. South Carolina and Coastal Carolina's regionals were both rained out today, but both have tough games, so that number could change even more.

Down to the ninth for the 'Dores.

4-3 Michigan.

Vandy tied things up in the bottom of the 8th on a two-run homer by Matt Meingasner, but Michigan retook the lead in the top of the ninth on a two-out infield single by Kevin Cislo.

The first two went down for Vandy in the bottom of the ninth, but the 'Dores just got a single from De La Osa, and Pedro Alvarez is up, so there's still definitely hope for VU.

Update: Alvarez just singled, and now it's runners on first and third. Ryan Flaherty, he with the 32-game hit streak, is now up.

#1 in serious trouble...

#1 ranked and overall top national seed Vandy is staring defeat squarely in the eye.

The Commodores are trailing Michigan 3-1 in the top of the 8th inning.

Vandy took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 5th on a solo homer by Parker Hanks, but Michigan answered immediately in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded, first baseman Nate Recknagel laced a double to right center to clear the bags and give the Wolverines the lead.

Vandy's out-hitting Michigan 6-5, but have left runners in scoring position in the last two innings.

Stay tuned - an upset is brewing. Keep in mind though that the 'Dores have been known to make some late runs this year, including in the SEC tourney against Ole Miss, when they battled back from deficits in the late innings twice to win in extras.

Fireworks in Fayetteville

#3 seed Oklahoma State is taking it to #7 national seed Arkansas in their winner's bracket game in Fayetteville.

The Cowboys just put six across in the 7th to take a 14-3 lead over the Razorbacks.

Arkansas appears to be headed for a elimination game against Creighton (21-11 winners over Albany), and OSU appears headed for the championship game tomorrow evening. The way things are going, y ou may as well start sending Oklahoma St. to Fayetteville every year.

Moving on...

Missouri and Louisiana-Lafayette both punched their tickets to championship games in their respective regionals.

Missouri came back from a 4-0 deficit and held off a Louisville rally in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-5. The Tigers get a little rest, and Louisville will play Miami tomorrow afternoon.

Louisiana made a little comeback of their own, taking the lead with three runs in the 7th, then holding off a Texas A&M rally in the ninth to claim a 5-4 win in College Station. A&M, the #1 seed, will play Ohio St. tomorrow, with the winner advancing to play to #2 seeded Cajuns tomorrow night.

Arizona just punched their ticket as well. The #2 seeded Wildcats were locked in a tight one with the #4 seed Privateers, but two runs in the 8th gave them a 9-8 lead, and that was the final margin. UNO gets a rematch with Wichita St., who they beat yesterday, and Arizona is only one win away from their first super since 2004.

#8 San Diego Eliminated, Texas Falls

The Toreros were one of the better stories of the season. Their season came to an abrupt end tonight after losing to Minnesota 6-5. In the top of the 9th, down 5-0, San Diego rallied and scored 5 runs, keyed by a 3-run homerun from Logan Gelbrich. A bases loaded single in the bottom of the 10th by Derek McCallum ended the game, ending the #8 national seed's season and extending Minnesota's by one game. They will play the loser of the Cal State Fullerton/Fresno State game tomorrow.

In Round Rock, Texas, earlier today, the #4 national seed Texas Longhorns went down to UC Irvine by a score of 3-1. But unlike San Diego, they will have one more day to play to advance. The Longhorns will play Wake Forest and if they win that game, they will have to beat UC Irvine twice. It will be a tough task for Texas, but being the #4 national seed, they can do it. For UC Irvine, starter Scott Gorgen was simply brilliant. In a complete game effort, he surrendered only 1 Longhorn run on 5 hits. UC Irvine will play the winner of the Texas/Wake Forest game and will need to win only 1 of 2 games to advance to the Super Regionals.

Toreros go 0-2

First national seed goes down.

#8 USD falls to Minnesota 6-5 in 10 innings. Minnesota advances to play the loser of Cal St. Fullerton-Fresno St. tomorrow.

And elsewhere, Virginia's scored two in the 13th to go up 6-4, and is looking for more.

Close ones all around.

Ah, finally at the computer after being away for two days. Seems I've missed a lot.

Several close games going on right now. Virginia, in the 13th, has the lead run on third with no outs.

#8 national seed San Diego is teetering close to elimination. Minnesota has the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th.

More #1 seeds sent to the losers' bracket...

Top seeded Florida State and Texas were both defeated just minutes ago, the 'Noles taken down by Mississippi State while the 'Horns were upset by UC Irvine. That means both teams, each a national seed, must now win three straight games to advance to Super Regional play.

Long Beach State and Wichita State, meanwhile, who were both sent to the losers' bracket in their own regionals last night, got past Pepperdine and Oral Roberts, respectively, but like FSU and UT, they still must each win three games in a row to advance.

Elsewhere, San Diego - the other #1 seed who fell victim to a #4 on Friday - is in extra innings with Minnesota after the Torreros put up 5 runs in the 9th to stay alive.

Other #1 seeds Texas A&M (vs UL-Lafayette) and Arkansas (vs Okahoma State) both find themselves behind, while top-seeded Virginia (vs Oregon State) is in extra innings. Missouri, finally, will try to protect a one-run lead in the 9th.

Action in Myrtle Beach, Columbia, SC moved to Sunday...

Tropical rains have forced the regional schedules in both Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC to be moved back to Sunday. That means that there will be three games played at each site tomorrow, and then one guaranteed game on Monday, plus the if-necessary second championship game. You can view the most updated regional schedule, as well as all of the results, at SCS.com.

No real surprises on the day thus far, but the much-anticipated 1 vs 2 matchups are still to come this evening for the most part. North Carolina and East Carolina have already gotten underway in one such game, and the Pirates are up 7-5 in the 6th inning.

Not looking good in Myrtle Beach...

Rain has just started moving into the area in Myrtle Beach, putting game one of the day on hold, and from the looks of the radar, it may be quite a lengthy delay. Rain is already in Tallahassee, and it appears headed towards Columbia, SC next.

Barry may make things wet...

Tropical Storm Barry, now over the the state of Florida, could pose a huge threat to regional sites like Tallahassee, Columbia, SC, Myrtle Beach, and Chapel Hill today. Rain is either already falling or is expected later today in each of those locations, and it is very possible that the entire day of play could be postponed at any of those sites.

Looking towards Sunday, the storm could be affecting locations like Chapel Hill and Charlottesville before the weekend is complete.

The weather elsewhere looks to be fine for Saturday play. First pitch is set for 11:00 AM in Myrtle Beach, though that obviously could be in danger. Thirty-one additional games are set to take place throughout the day!

Day one ends with a third #1 going down...

The game lasted well into Saturday morning across much of the country, but after a relatively upset-free Friday afternoon, the evening provided a number of huge shockers, capped off with Fresno State's take-down of top-seeded San Diego. The Bulldogs joined Illinois-Chicago (over Long Beach State) and New Orleans (over Wichita State) as the three #4 seeds to take down #1s on opening day. Just four #3 seeds were victorious over #2s on Friday, meaning there were a total of 7 "upsets" throughout the course of the day.

Saturday action begins at 11:00 AM central time. Here again is a link to the complete schedule of activity, as well as a link to all of the live TV, video, and audio information.

We'll be back tomorrow and throughout the weekend!

Another #1 falls...

Another host team has gone down. This time it is Long Beach State, falling 4-1 to Illinois-Chicago. The Flames allowed LBSU just one hit the entire game.

While it appears Arizona State will survive against Monmouth, San Diego - the #8 national seed - finds themselves down 2-0 in the 4th to Fresno State. Could a third #1 seed fall to a #4 before the night is finished?

Vandy survives, more one seeds in trouble...

Vanderbilt survived a huge extra inning scare from Austin Peay, as the 'Dores picked up a run in the bottom of the 11th to win 2-1.

As I type though, two additional #1 seeds are in tight games. Long Beach State is down 2-1 to Illinois-Chicago in the 7th, while Arizona State has just homered to break up a tie game as the Sun Devils now lead Monmouth 3-1 in the 6th. The only other game of the night is between San Diego and Fresno State; there is no score out west in the 2nd inning.

Tourney's first HUGE upset...

New Orleans has just finished off a huge comeback win over #1 seed and homestanding Wichita State. The Privateers scored 3 runs in the top of the ninth and then held on for the victory. In case you missed it from earlier today:

"Looking for a #1 over #4 upset on Friday? Keep an eye on New Orleans taking on Wichita State. The Privateers have - count 'em with me - five players who have 11 or more homeruns this year! posted by Jonathan, Editor 1:14 AM"

UNO makes me look good....

Vandy Survives Austin Peay in 11

When they say that you've got to be lucky to win sometimes, that holds true in the case of the Vanderbilt Commodores in this particular contest. Tim Corbin's squad barely won a game in which David Price struck out 17 in 9 innings. The problem was that he was facing Austin Peay starter Shawn Kelly, who pitched an absolute gem. He threw 10 innings, allowing only 1 run on a wild pitch and walking no one. In the bottom of the 11th, Vandy was doubled up on a ball hit to first base. Ryan Flaherty singled to left and then moments later was at 3rd base. To get to 2nd, he avoided a tag after the 2nd baseman dropped the ball. He advanced on 3rd on a wild pitch. And he scored on a ball that was hit as hard as a bunt. The Austin Peay closer tripped when he tried to field the ball, allowing the game winning run to score. #1 Vandy wins 2-1.

Few upsets dot afternoon games...

Nine of the twelve games completed thus far have seen the higher-seeded team win, all games involving #2 seeds vs #3s. Only Louisville (over Miami), Charlotte (over NC State), and Oklahoma State (over Creighton) have pulled off the mini-upsets, and of those, only the Cardinals' win over the 'Canes is even a little bit surprising.

Earlier in the day, Clemson had to rally with 2 in the bottom of the 9th to take down St. John's, while Arizona (over Oral Roberts), TCU (over Baylor), Louisiana-Lafayette (over Ohio State), and East Carolina (over Western Carolina) all survived one-run contests, with the Ragin' Cajuns and Pirates scoring runs in their final at-bat to claim the wins.

At this point, it appears that favorites Coastal Carolina and Southern Miss will also advance.

Looking towards the night activity, most of the matchups are of the 1/4 variety, so it will certainly be interesting to see if all of the top seeds survive day one.

Weather update...

The forecast looks good for most regional sites at this point, though it appears Wichita and Columbia, MO could be battling the threat of rain throughout the day. Fayetteville could be dodging showers as well, but other than the typical afternoon thunderstorms in the south, most things look clear at this point.

The first game of the day is now underway, with (2) Clemson and (3) St. John's scoreless in the 2nd.

Mix Up in Arkansas Pitching Rotation

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn announced earlier this week that he will be mixing up the rotation this weekend. Instead of going with All American Nick Schmidt in Game 1 against Albany, he will start usual Sunday starter Duke Welker. Jess Todd, who dominated South Carolina with 17 K's in the SEC Tourney last weekend, will start in his usual Saturday spot against either Creighton or Oklahoma State, provided that they beat Albany Friday. So that sets up Nick Schmidt pitching in Game 3 in either the regional championship game or a loser's bracket game. This strategy hurt Vanderbilt in the SEC Tourney after Tim Corbin started Brett Jacobsen over David Price against Tennessee (lost 6-4). But I believe the thinking is that if Welker can give the Hogs about 7-8 innings with only allowing 1 or 2 runs, the rest of the regionals they will be set up perfectly. Van Horn doesn't want to waste Schmidt against a team like Albany.

Let the ballgames begin...

We're well under 12 hours until the first pitch of the 2007 NCAA Regionals will be tossed out. If you're stuck at the office - or elsewhere - be sure to check out our complete listing of games for Friday (and the rest of the weekend) that includes links to live TV, video, audio, and stats on all the Regional games. You might be interested in the staff predictions as well if you haven't seen those yet.

Looking briefly towards Friday's early part of the schedule, the (2) Miami/(3) Louisville game in Columbia, MO looks especially interesting. The 'Canes are always ready come postseason play, but this year's Cardinal team has won 40 games and is well deserving of their at-large bid. (2) Arizona/(3) Oral Roberts in Wichita, (2) NC State/(3) Charlotte in Columbia, SC, and (2) Creighton/(3) Oklahoma State in Fayetteville all look like excellent matchups as well. All of those teams just listed are capable of making runs this weekend and threatening the homestanding top seeds.

Looking for a #1 over #4 upset on Friday? Keep an eye on New Orleans taking on Wichita State. The Privateers have - count 'em with me - five players who have 11 or more homeruns this year!