Courier News

June 22, 2007

North Carolina's 4 homers power it into College World Series final

By ERIC OLSON
The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. -- North Carolina powered its way back to the College World Series finals, hitting four home runs to support Adam Warren and two relievers in a 7-4 victory over Rice on Thursday night.

The Tar Heels beat Rice twice in two days to win their bracket for the second straight year. They will play defending champion Oregon State in only the second finals rematch in the CWS' 61-year history. Arizona State and Southern California met in 1972 and 1973.

It was a replay of last year's CWS for the Owls.

Rice won its first two games here in 2006, then went home after getting shut out twice by Oregon State. The Owls scored 29 runs in winning their first two games this year, including a 14-4 win over North Carolina, but they managed only five in the two losses to the Tar Heels.

North Carolina (57-14), which has an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 70 home runs in 71 games, had just one in 13 postseason games before Wednesday's 6-1 win over Rice (56-14).

Dustin Ackley, whose three-run homer broke open Wednesday's game, homered leading off the second against Rice starter Matt Langwell (8-2) on Thursday.

Tim Fedroff's two-run homer, which put the Tar Heels up 3-2 in the third, was his fifth of the season and first since March 28.

Seth Williams homered in the fourth and Josh Horton went deep in the fifth, both off Bobby Bramhall.

Langwell had allowed just two homers in 79 1/3 innings coming into the CWS, but he gave up one to Louisville, two to Rice and the two to North Carolina here. Bramhall, who had given up just two in 60 1/3 innings entering Thursday, surrendered two in a span of five batters.

Warren (12-0), who got the win by pitching 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief against Mississippi State in the CWS opener, allowed three hits and three runs in six-plus innings in his first NCAA tournament start. The sophomore right-hander gave way to Rob Wooten after issuing a walk to start the seventh.

Wooten allowed back-to-back singles and an RBI double to Diego Seastrunk, who went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs after moving from No. 7 to No. 2 in the batting order.

Andrew Carignan came on to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings for his record-tying fifth career CWS save and 18th of the season. Carignan, who retired seven of the eight batters he faced, tied the CWS save record set by Huston Street of Texas.

Oregon State's confidence leading to dominance

Anybody wondering how hot Oregon State is as it heads to the College World Series finals should consider this: The Beavers haven't trailed in a game in more than two weeks.

The span includes 52 innings and parts of six games, dating to June 5, against Virginia -- a game the Beavers won 7-3. Oregon State hasn't lost since its second game in the NCAA tournament.

The team's confidence is at a high point after its run in Omaha, where the unseeded defending national champions have looked more well-rounded than any other team.

"It's so much easier to be successful if you know someone has your back," OSU coach Pat Casey said. "We wanted to get better. The players stayed with it, it's all about them."

The Beavers have allowed three runs or fewer in eight of 10 games this postseason.

They're also hitting .426 and driving in 12 of 22 runs with two outs.

"I wouldn't say it's unlikely, we knew we had potential," shortstop Darwin Barney said. "At this point in the season, we know a lot of things have to go our way."

The Beavers started the CWS by scoring a run in the first and second innings against Cal State-Fullerton, then cruising while Jorge Reyes threw six innings of one-run, three-hit ball.

In its second game, OSU pounded Arizona State in what Sun Devils coach Pat Murphy called the worst first six innings his team has ever experienced.

The Beavers then stomped out the spark of UC Irvine, a team that was trying to emulate Oregon State's run from last year.

"They're clicking right now and playing good baseball," Irvine coach Dave Serrano said. "They're going to be tough to beat. Honestly, I'm rooting for them and I hope that they do the West Coast proud this weekend."

Plotting the sequel

North Carolina and Rice were both trying to rewrite their CWS stories from last year, but only by changing the last few chapters. So far, North Carolina has kept the plot line the same.

Last year, Rice won its first two games against Georgia and Miami (Fla.). But the Owls were then outscored 13-1 in two games against Oregon State.

The Tar Heels gave Rice a similar ending this year, coming from the losers' bracket to outscore the Owls 13-5 in two games to move on.

North Carolina went to the title game last year and ended up losing to Oregon State.

By making it back, the Tar Heels set up the first CWS title rematch since 1973, when Southern California and Arizona State met for the second straight year, in the middle of USC's five straight national championship.

Dragging dirt

Head groundsman Jesse Cuevas says only the most experienced among his crew can drag the infield in the fifth inning.

"The faster you do it, the faster they play -- the faster you can go home," Cuevas said. "That's not something you just put a first-year guy on."

But instead of having a team of three or four run from foul line to foul line dragging the infield behind them, one of the crewmen drives a three-wheeled cart, flooring on straightaways and making quick hairpin turns.

It looks something like a Zamboni outdoors, but without a speed limit.

"I figure God made machinery for some reason, so who am I to go against him?" Cuevas said.

Cuevas said it takes extra skill to drive the cart because the three-wheeled cart is old and turns extra tight. You have to go quickly while still doing a good job.

"If the drag is bouncing, you know you're going too fast," he said. "You gotta have kind of a little clock in your head, to know you have to make this time at this point."

Short hops

The players scoring North Carolina's first seven runs Thursday all reached base by walks or home runs.

Rice has a CWS record of 10-11.

Two more hit batsmen Thursday brought the CWS-record total to 47 through 13 games.

North Carolina leads the nation with 57 wins, edging Rice by one.

Danny Lehmann of Rice went hitless in four at-bats, ending a 10-game hitting streak. He reached on an error in the eighth.