South Carolina Wins Their Second Straight National Championship

South Carolina is the sixth school to win back to back NCAA National Baseball Championships Tuesday night defeating the Florida Gators 5-2. South Carolina won their 16^th straight game breaking the previous CWS record set by the University of Texas in 1983 and 1984.

South Carolina’s head coach, Ray Turner, turned to Michael Roth (14-3) again to bring home a national championship. Roth started last years championship clinching game for South Carolina and started Tuesday night’s game going 7.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 ER for the win. Matt Price threw 1.1 innings for another CWS save; his 20^th on the season.

Karsten Whitson threw 4.2 innings for the Gators but gave up 3 runs, 1 ER, on 4 hits to take the loss. Florida brought everything they had to they mound, having 6 different pitchers make an appearance but they were not able to stop the Gamecocks offensive attack yielding 10 total hits, 5 runs, 3 ER.

The Gamecocks had 7 different batters register a hit and three of those batters with two hits each; 1B Christian Walker 2-4, DH Brady Thomas, SS Peter Mooney 2-3. Monday night’s hero for the Gamecock’s, 2B Scott Wingo, went 1-3 with 2 RBIs to pace the Gamecock attack. Catcher Mike Zunino tried to keep Florida in the game going 3-3 with a solo home run in the 4^th.

South Carolina jumped on Whitson in the 3^rd inning getting a sacrifice fly from Scott Wingo to score SS Peter Mooney. Christian Walker then reached on a fielding error by SS Nolan Fontana scoring Evan Marzilli, and Brady Thomas hit an infield single to 2B scoring Jackie Bradley Jr. Mooney hit a solo home run in the 6^th to add to the Gamecocks lead. Wingo added a RBI single in the 8^th for the games final score.

The SEC has won the last three CWS; LSU 2009, South Carolina 2010 and 2011. The PAC-10 was the last conference to accomplish the same feat winning Arizona 1986 and Stanford in 1987 and 1988. Southern California has won the most consecutive CWS winning 5 straight times from 1970-1974. 

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College World Series Championship Round Updates

The South Carolina Gamecocks have found an exciting but dangerous blueprint for winning in the College World Series. With a flair for the dramatic the Gamecocks went extra innings on Monday night to defeat the Florida Gators 2-1 to win game 1 of the College World Series.

Just like in the Gamecocks’ CWS Championship berth clinching game versus the Virginia Cavaliers, the Gamecocks took advantage of two throwing errors to score the winning run. With one out in the top of the 11^th inning 1B Christian Walker hit a single up the middle to start the inning. Walker, cleared to play with a broken wrist just before game time, attempted to steal second base when Gators’ catcher Mike Zunino, a Johnny Bench Award finalist, overthrew second allowing Walker to advance to third. Gators’ CF Bryson Smith then overthrew third trying to get Walker out at third allowing the winning run to score. Walker and his broken wrist went 2-5 for the Gamecocks.

Florida had their chances to score in the 9^th and 10^th inning. Two Gator runners were thrown out at home in the 9^th and one in the 10^th. In the 9^th inning 2B Scott Wingo, an 11^th round draft pick by the Dodgers, threw home twice to get Gator runners Zunino and DH Brian Johnson out. 3B Cody Dent was thrown out by LF Jake Williams in the 10^th.

Offensively the Gators had great nights from Johnson 3-5 and Smith 2-4 with a walk but only managed 8 hits in total. The Gamecocks faired no better at the plate only getting 7 hits, with 2 hits coming from Walker.

The Gamecocks threw four pitchers Monday night with starter Forrest Koumas going 5.2 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 ER. Matt Price was a hero again for the Gamecocks earning the save closing out the 11^th inning. John Taylor, a Seattle Mariners’ draft pick, pitched the 9^th and 10^th innings for South Carolina to earn the win. Taylor walked 3 and gave up 3 hits while shutting down the Gators.

The Gators countered the Gamecocks with Hudson Randall who threw 7.2 innings of 3 hit ball giving up 1 ER. Nick Maronde, a third round draft pick of the Angels, took the loss throwing 1 inning of relief.

Cody Dent put the Gators on the board in the 3^rd scoring LF Tyler Thompson, a National’s draft pick, on a scarf ice fly. The Gamecocks scored in the 8^th to tie the game on 2B Scott Wingo’s single up the middle scoring SS Peter Mooney. 

Game 2 is Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. EST. The College World Series Championship Round is a best of 3 series.

 

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