College Sports Capsules: Bruins control CWS bracket with 6-3 win over TCU
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Gerrit Cole one-upped his teammate, and UCLA is one win from the College World Series' championship round.
Cole struck out 13 and carried a one-hitter into the seventh inning, and Cody Regis and Jeff Gelalich homered to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 victory over TCU in a winners' bracket game Monday night.
Cole's dominant performance came two nights after Trevor Bauer scattered six hits and struck out 11 over seven innings in the Bruins' 11-3 first-round win over Florida.
"They compete against each other. That's what our pitching staff has done all year," UCLA coach John Savage said.
The win gives UCLA (50-14) control of Bracket 1 and three days off. The Horned Frogs (52-13) will play Florida State in an elimination game Wednesday, with the winner meeting the Bruins on Friday.
"Whenever you get into the College World Series and win the first two games, you have to be happy where you're at," Savage said. "When I say we haven't done anything, I mean no disrespect. We certainly beat good Florida and TCU teams. But this team is on a mission. We have a lot of baseball to play."
The Frogs (52-13), who came into the game hitting a CWS-best .341, scored three runs on four hits in the seventh inning off Cole (11-3).
The New York Yankees' 2009 first-round draft pick allowed Matt Curry's base hit to right leading off the second and didn't give up another until Jason Coats' hard grounder past first baseman Justin Uribe with one out in the seventh.
After Curry and Jantzen Witte followed with singles to load the bases, the pro-TCU crowd rose as Cole ran the count full against Taylor Featherston.
"My stomach dropped there for a while," Featherston said. "It probably was the most fun at-bat in my life."
Featherston fouled one off before ripping a two-out triple beyond the reach of diving center fielder Beau Amaral. The ball rolled to the wall in left-center, and the Frogs were within 5-3.
"You know it's coming," Cole said. "TCU is a good offense. You look at their numbers, and you're pretty impressed. It was just a matter of time before they put in a few good hacks."
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Cole, who regularly touched the mid 90s with his fastball, pitched a scoreless eighth before turning the game over to closer Dan Klein, who earned his 10th save.
Cole allowed five hits, walked two and hit a batter. He has given up five or fewer hits in 13 of his 18 starts.
Savage said he almost took out Cole in the eighth, but the pitcher talked him out of it.
All Cole said to his coach: "Trust me."
After the way Bauer and Cole have pitched, the onus is on the next starter, Rob Rasmussen. The three form the core of a pitching staff that joins Texas' as the only ones in the nation with a team ERA under 3.00. Any of the three UCLA starters would be a No. 1 on almost any staff in the country.
"It's not about being the best guy," Savage said. "Gerrit has been our Friday guy all year. He really has done an unbelievable job for us. His talent is off the sheets."
The Bruins went ahead 5-0 in the third inning on Regis and Gelalich's home runs against TCU starter Kyle Winkler (12-2). Regis' two-run homer was his ninth of the season, with all coming since May 7. Two batters later, Gelalich followed with his second homer.
The Bruins, who scored in eight innings of their win over Florida on Saturday, got runs each of the first three against Winkler.
Amaral went 3 for 3 and reached base four times, with an RBI and two runs scored. He has reached on nine of his 10 plate appearances in the CWS and is batting .516 (16 for 31) in the NCAA tournament.
Winkler, who pitched 7 2-3 shutout innings against Texas in the super-regional final, was charged with five runs in 2 1-3 innings.
"Wink has had a phenomenal year for us and has really pitched well the back half of the season," TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "It wasn't his day. He pitched behind in the count and walked some guys. He'll pitch again and will be better next time."
Schlossnagle said he's not concerned about how his team will respond in an elimination situation.
"One thing we talked about is you can lose two games and win a national championship," he said. "You can't lose any more between now and the championship series. We've used our Mulligan."
McGee homers, earns save in FSU's 8-5 CWS win
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — To Florida State's Mike McGee, pitching is hard work and hitting home runs is fun.
He mixed business and pleasure Monday, leading the Seminoles to an 8-5 victory over Florida in a College World Series elimination game.
McGee hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the third inning, laid down a squeeze bunt in the fourth and moved in from left field to pick up the save after Florida made things interesting in the ninth.
"Pitching, it's great to end the game and get the save. I like to be in control," McGee said. "But hitting the home run is the best feeling there is."
The Seminoles (48-19) will play TCU in an elimination game Wednesday night. The Horned Frogs lost 6-3 to UCLA on Monday.
The Gators (47-17) lost for the fourth time in five meetings this season with their Sunshine State rival.
Florida State took an 8-2 lead into the ninth inning but had to bring in McGee from the outfield after Preston Tucker's bases-loaded double into the right-field corner drove in three runs.
McGee gave up a single to Austin Maddox and hit Matt den Dekker, loading the bases with one out. Shortstop Stephen Cardullo caught Mike Zunino's line drive and flipped to second baseman Devon Travis for a game-ending double play.
McGee, who earned his 13th save and hit his team-leading 16th homer, said he lucked out. The pitch Zunino hit was a mistake.
"It was supposed to be a slider down in the dirt, something completely unhittable," McGee said. "It slipped out of my hand. As soon as I let go of it I felt it come up and I was, 'Oh, oh.' He hit it well. I heard a glove pop. That was a good way to get out of a game."
Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan, whose team left 10 runners on base, leaped to his feet when Zunino's line drive left the bat.
"I was hoping it would go a little left or a little right," O'Sullivan said. "He put a good wing on it. We put together a good inning there. We hit a lot of balls right at them. If we played them tomorrow maybe we would hit balls that would find their way through."
The Seminoles had 14 hits, with Tyler Holt and Jayce Boyd getting three apiece.
McGee's homer broke a 1-1 tie after Florida starter Hudson Randall walked two batters in the third. Randall (8-4) went 2 2-3 innings, allowing four runs and four hits with two walks.
The Seminoles got home runs from Holt and Cardullo. Holt's 13th of the season led off the bottom of the first inning, and Cardullo's 11th started the seventh.
Left-hander Brian Busch (6-2) went 5 1-3 innings and held the Gators to two runs and two hits, including Jonathan Pigott's homer in the fifth. Busch walked four.
Busch walked Nolan Fontana and Josh Adams to start the game and gave up an RBI single to Maddox. Busch retired the Gators in order in the second and third and doubled off den Dekker in the fourth when he caught the first of Zunino's two line-drive double plays.
Busch went to the fifth with a 5-1 lead after McGee laid down a bunt toward first base, allowing Holt to score from third on the safety squeeze.
"In the first inning I couldn't control anything," Busch said. "Any time you walk four guys and give up two runs, you're pretty fortunate."
Relievers Geoff Parker and Bennett held the Gators scoreless until Tucker's double in the ninth.
Then it was time to call on McGee.
"We've got the man in the game that we want in the game, because he's been there so many times," Florida State coach Mike Martin said. "But, yeah, I was a little anxious. I was glad when it was over."
-- Eric Olson
Clemson beat top-seeded Arizona St 6-3 at CWS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Clemson kept waiting for the Pacific-10's pitcher of the year to throw the ball over the plate. When he did, the Tigers were ready.
The Tigers roughed up previously unbeaten Arizona State ace Seth Blair and got strong performances from Casey Harman and Alex Frederick to stop the No. 1 national seed Sun Devils 6-3 Monday in the College World Series.
Clemson (44-23) is the only non-No. 1 regional seed to make it to Omaha, and had to stave off elimination three times to get this far. Now the Tigers find themselves in the winners' bracket, needing a victory over Oklahoma on Tuesday to gain control of Bracket 2.
"Just because we're in the winners' bracket doesn't mean the tournament is over," coach Jack Leggett said. "We have to play Oklahoma, which is feeling as good as we're feeling right now. So you can't too feel good about yourself because you'll get slapped right in the back of your head."
The Sun Devils (52-9), who haven't lost consecutive games this season, will meet South Carolina in an elimination game Tuesday.
Blair (12-1), taken 46th overall by St. Louis in the recent major league draft, walked four of the first 12 batters he faced. He finished with a career-high five walks, and was tagged for five runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings.
"I thought Clemson did a good job of being very patient," ASU coach Tim Esmay said. "They were making him pitch, making him throw pitches to the zone. And he just wasn't on it. He just wasn't as efficient as he's been in the past where he gets on it early. And I thought at some point he was going to get back on it."
The Tigers, who averaged 15 hits and 11 runs over its previous five games, got 14 singles off Blair and three ASU relievers. Every starter had at least one hit.
"It proves we can play with anybody," Clemson second baseman Mike Freeman said. "We let everyone know that just because we might be the last seed here, we're not to be overlooked. We've got guys on this team that are as good as anyone in the nation. It's nice to go out there and prove that we belong."
Blair reached 110 pitches in the fifth inning and left after John Hinson's RBI single put the Tigers up 3-1. Blair's only shorter start this season was a three-inning stint against BYU on May 10 when he was on a pitch count.
ASU came to Omaha having won 16 of 17 games in which Blair started.
Brady Rodgers took over for Blair, and Richie Shaffer reached when left fielder Drew Maggi lost the ball in the sun to score another run, and Wilson Boyd's single made it 5-1.
Harman (8-3) allowed only one run on two singles and a double in the first five innings against a lineup featuring seven players batting .327 or higher.
"We knew he was going to pound the zone away, the fastball away, and changeups," Riccio Torrez said. "We knew what he likes to throw and the way he throws it, but we just couldn't square him up."
Torrez extended his hitting streak to 26 games with his RBI single in the sixth.
Harman gave up a run in the sixth, and was relieved by Frederick after ASU loaded the bases with none out in the seventh. Maggi's RBI groundout cut Clemson's lead to 6-3, but Frederick struck out Zack MacPhee to end the rally. MacPhee slammed his bat onto the plate after fanning.
Frederick retired the Sun Devils in order in the eighth and ninth for his third save.
"It felt good, because we always talk as a pitching staff that we're always behind you," Frederick said. "I go out every time and try to do what I can to help when something happens, like when the bases are loaded with no outs."
The game originally was scheduled for Sunday night but was postponed by rain.
"We know late in the season we've had to win some ballgames to get where we are right now," Leggett said. "So nothing's been easy. You've got to just keep on plugging one game at a time and not get too high or low with it. When we play confidently, we're pretty good."
-- Eric Olson
Notebook: Gators hope to help break in new stadium in 2011
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Moments after Florida was the first team eliminated from the final College World Series played at Rosenblatt Stadium, Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan was already looking ahead to playing next year at the new TD Ameritrade Park downtown.
"To be a part of this tournament, the last year in Rosenblatt, that's something that can never be taken away from these players and coaches," O'Sullivan said Monday after the Gators lost 8-5 to Florida State. "But I can tell you we're looking to forward hopefully breaking in the new one next year. So we'll see."
Seven freshmen or sophomores were among the Gators' everyday players. Austin Maddox and Mike Zunino, who combined for 26 home runs, are freshmen. Preston Tucker, who batted .333 and hit a three-run double in the ninth inning against Florida State, is a sophomore, as is season wins leader Alex Panteliodis (11-3).
"If we get back here next year, everyone's going to be a little more experienced and be a little more confident, maybe," Tucker said.
The Gators won the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and were the No. 3 national seed. They won three straight games in the regionals and then swept Miami in the super regionals.
The Gators lost 11-3 to UCLA on Saturday in the opening round.
"I don't know if it was nerves," O'Sullivan said. "We obviously didn't play like we have all year. I don't want to take anything away from UCLA or Florida State, because they played obviously better than we did.
"I don't want it to be the focus, that we weren't used to playing in this type of a crowd. We're a much better pitching team than this and defensive club than this. We have to improve on a few areas. And hopefully we'll be fortunate enough again to come back next year."
RAINOUT REWARD: First-time College World Series visitors Bobby Fulmer and Kaye Miller were rewarded for sitting through two long rain delays Sunday.
The two Clemson fans were able to sprawl out in the right-field bleachers for Monday morning's game between the Tigers and Arizona State.
The engaged couple from Columbia, S.C., were happy to see both Clemson and South Carolina in the final CWS at Rosenblatt Stadium. They had plenty of room in the bleachers as the morning attendance was announced at 14,198.
"We came to support the Gamecocks and Tigers," Fulmer said. "If you live where we live, it's a good year to come."
The trip to Omaha wasn't without a hitch. The couple missed their connecting flight out of Chicago on Saturday and didn't land until Sunday morning.
They sat through more than six hours of rain delays to see Oklahoma's 4-3 win over South Carolina, then drove 55 miles to Lincoln, the closest city with hotel rooms available.
They were glad to see the sun come out Monday.
The couple, sporting Clemson T-shirts, didn't hesitate when asked which of the South Carolina teams they wanted to win most.
"Clemson, absolutely," Fulmer said. "We'll root for Carolina if they're playing somebody else. We just like baseball, period."
As for the wedding, Fulmer said a date hasn't been set.
"We might wait until next year and do it in Omaha," he said.
NO MORNING HANGOVER: Clemson looked sharp in its 6-3 win over Arizona State on Monday, but that didn't surprise coach Jack Leggett. His team stuck around all day Sunday in the rain before finding out the game would be played Monday morning.
"It was frustrating not to play last night," Leggett said. "But I think we had the right approach. And we got up early, took showers, ate breakfast, tried to treat it like it was an afternoon ball game."
SHORT HOPS: Oklahoma shortstop Caleb Bushyhead went from benchwarmer a year ago to a team-high 61-game starter in 2010. He gave the Sooners a 2-1 lead over South Carolina Sunday with his first CWS homer. Bushyhead had just one hit all last season. ... Clemson had a season-high 14 hits Monday, and they were all singles. ... Monday's 10:22 a.m. start marked the first CWS morning game since 2000, when Southern California and Florida State's first pitch came at 11:40 a.m. ... Oklahoma first baseman Cameron Seitzer is the son of Kevin Seitzer, who spent 12 years with four major league teams. ... Monday marked the first time since 1980 that there were three games played in one day at the CWS.
Football
Ohio State recruit shot 2nd time since April
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio State football recruit was shot and wounded twice in two months, and authorities believe the cases are unrelated.
Jamel Turner, 18, was left in critical condition by a shooting early Saturday in Youngstown. A 17-year-old girl was killed in the shooting.
Police Capt. Rod Foley said Monday the case apparently was unrelated to a drive-by shooting on April 16, when Turner was wounded.
Foley declined to discuss a possible motive for the latest shooting, but said Turner and Tracy Banks, who was killed, apparently were intended victims of a shooter who fired from outside a house.
Police were trying to determine Turner's relationship with Banks.
Foley said detectives had identified a possible suspect, but no charges had been filed.
Turner was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where he was listed in critical condition Saturday night with multiple wounds. Officials at the health center didn't immediately return calls seeking a condition update for Turner.
In the April shooting, Turner was riding in a vehicle with two others on Interstate 680 in Youngstown when a dark car with tinted windows pulled alongside their vehicle and began shooting. Turner sustained a gunshot wound to the lower left ankle and another to the right hip.
Turner was a defensive standout for Ursuline High School in his hometown of Youngstown, but was declared academically ineligible last August. He enrolled in Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, but left earlier this year.
Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel issued a statement over the weekend saying that he was praying for Turner.
Shelly Poe, a spokeswoman for the football program, said there would be no further comment Monday.
Asked if Turner was still a recruit in good standing, Poe said, "He signed in February. That's really where that is. Until he would report to campus we can't really, I mean we don't grade them by one way or another."
WR Duron Carter leaves Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Receiver Duron Carter has left Ohio State and enrolled at a community college in Kansas.
Carter is the son of former Ohio State and NFL star Cris Carter. He has had academic problems and was declared ineligible for the Rose Bowl when semester grades were released in December. Coach Jim Tressel announced his departure Monday.
Carter caught 13 passes for 176 yards as a freshman last season. He's enrolled at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.
Ohio State also announced that defensive end Keith Wells will not be part of the team in 2010. No reason was given. Wells saw limited action for the Buckeyes as a freshman in 2008 and redshirted in 2009.
Louisville, Adidas agree to 5-year extension
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville has signed a five-year contract extension with Adidas that will have the Cardinals wearing Adidas apparel and footwear through the 2014-15 academic seasons.
The Portland, Ore.-based company will outfit all 23 of Louisville's varsity sports, including football and men's and women's basketball.
The company will also supply coaches with training apparel, sideline gear and accessories. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.
The Cardinals moved to Adidas in 2001-02.
Louisville is among a handful of schools across the country that have all-encompassing deals with Adidas, joining Michigan, Tennessee and Notre Dame among others.
Men's Basketball
Dendy transferring from Iowa State to Middle Tenn.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Forward LaRon Dendy is transferring from Iowa State to Middle Tennessee after one season with the Cyclones to be closer to his mother in South Carolina.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Dendy averaged 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds coming off the bench. The Greenville, S.C., native shot 60 percent from the floor and ranked sixth in the Big 12 in blocked shots. He scored 14 points against then-No. 1 Texas and had 10 points in an upset of then-No. 5 Kansas.
Dendy will have to sit out the 2010-11 season and will have one season of eligibility remaining after playing two years at Indian Hills Community College.
Coach Kermit Davis said they are very excited to have Dendy and will use the upcoming season as a redshirt year.
Longtime ACC official Barakat dies
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Retired Atlantic Coast Conference associate commissioner Fred Barakat died Monday. He was 71.
In a statement, ACC commissioner John Swofford remembered Barakat as someone who "served college athletics well throughout his career, and was a significant and impactful influence especially within the basketball community."
The conference provided no details as to the cause of death.
Barakat, a 1961 graduate of Assumption College, joined the ACC in 1981 as the coordinator of basketball officials and held numerous duties, including manager of the men's basketball tournament. He retired in 2007 as associate commissioner of men's basketball operations.
He spent 11 years as head coach at Fairfield before joining the ACC, compiling a 160-128 record and leading the Stags to three NITs.
Adams leaves St. Bonaventure coaching staff
OLEAN, N.Y. (AP) — Six weeks after he was named assistant men's basketball coach at St. Bonaventure, former NBA star Michael Adams is resigning, citing family reasons.
Adams said Monday that he wanted to focus on supporting his son through senior year in high school.
Adams spent this past season as head coach of Archbishop Carroll high school in Washington, D.C., after two seasons under Gary Williams at Maryland.
The native of Hartford was one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in NBA history during an 11-year career that included stints in Sacramento, Washington, Denver and Charlotte.
St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt, who was a teammate of Adams at Boston College, said he was disappointed but supported his friend's decision.
Rutgers names Murdock to basketball staff
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey native and NBA veteran Eric Murdock has been named director of player development for the Rutgers men's basketball program.
In announcing the appointment Monday, new coach Mike Rice said Murdock will focus on the development of life skills via peer exercises, mentoring programs and schedule management for the Scarlet Knights' players.
Murdock, who starred at Bridgewater-Raritan High School and Providence College before turning pro, has been active on the Garden State youth basketball scene in recent years.
Rice called Murdock "a great fit for the position" and "a tremendous resource for our players."
Drafted 21st overall by the Utah Jazz in 1991, Murdock played for nine seasons in the NBA and two in Italy.
King leaves Villanova program
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — Redshirt sophomore forward Taylor King has voluntarily withdrawn from the Villanova basketball program.
The school said in a statement Monday that King plans to remain at Villanova to complete his degree requirements.
King transferred to Villanova in the summer of 2008 after one year at Duke. A McDonald's All-American at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., King sat out the 2008-09 season as a transfer student and then played in 32 games for the Wildcats in 2009-10, averaging 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 19.0 minutes per game.
He recorded a season-high 20 points and nine rebounds in a 97-89 victory over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 9.
Women's Basketball
Okla. guard cleared after medical rehab
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma sophomore guard Whitney Hand has been cleared by team medical personnel for full participation in basketball activities following six months of rehabilitation from an ACL injury.
Hand suffered an ACL tear in her right knee Nov. 27 during the Sooners' game with San Diego State. Officials say the tear was surgically repaired in December.
Hand was the 2009 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range when her season ended.
SC's Staley brings in former assistant Taylor
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is bringing on one of her former assistants to take over for her departing Olympic teammate.
Staley said Monday that Darius Taylor would take over for Carla McGhee, who is leaving the Gamecocks after two seasons to pursue other opportunities. Taylor had spent four seasons on Staley's staff at Temple. He worked the last two seasons overseeing player development for the NBA Developmental League.
Staley said Taylor would have an immediate impact with South Carolina's post players and in recruiting. Taylor helped Staley's Owls win two Atlantic 10 Conference tournament titles and reach the NCAA tournament all four seasons.
McGhee had been with Staley both her seasons at South Carolina. The two were teammates on the 1996 U.S. women's team that won basketball gold in Atlanta.
Indiana women add ex-player Thomas to staff
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Former Indiana women's basketball player Whitney Thomas has been hired as the team's video coordinator.
Thomas finished her IU career with 1,240 points and 1,090 rebounds — one of two players in school history with to top the 1,000 mark in each category.
Thomas is a Bloomington native and played on the Hoosiers' volleyball team last fall after completing her basketball eligibility, then became the student assistant for the women's basketball team.
All Sports
Hawaii spared effects of realignment
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's athletic programs appear to have been spared from the potential fallout of conference expansion.
The Mountain West Conference has announced it plans to compete as a nine-team league, making it unlikely that it will attempt to lure teams like Fresno St. and Nevada from the Western Athletic Conference.
Such a move would have left Hawaii stranded in a smaller, weakened Western Athletic Conference with less revenues and national exposure.
Boise St. already left the WAC to join the Mountain West Conference, but further moves stalled after the Big 12 didn't disband.
