Robert Gary Ingram
June 9, 2008
Marilyn Chapman Moore
June 11, 2008
(AP) – Ryan Schimpf homered twice and drove in five runs, and Blake Dean went 5-for-5 with a homer and three RBI as LSU routed UC Irvine 21-7 Monday in Baton Rouge, La., to earn a trip to the College World Series.
Micah Gibbs, Matt Clark, Johnny Dishon and Buzzy Haydel also homered for LSU (48-17-1), which is back in Omaha for the first time since 2004. The Tigers had their 23-game winning streak ended Saturday, and rallied for five runs in the ninth Sunday to stay alive in the Super Regional.
LSU will take on North Carolina (51-12) in the opening round of the CWS on Sunday.
Blake Martin started for the Tigers, giving up five hits and two runs in 4 innings, and Jordan Brown (5-0) came on in relief to pick up the win.
The Tigers scored six times in the first inning, including consecutive homers by Dean, Clark and Gibbs off Bryce Stowell (8-3). LSU cruised from there, closing 70-year-old Alex Box Stadium with a victory in front of 8,173 – the largest crowd in stadium history.
Eric Deragisch and Dillon Bell homered for UC Irvine (42-18), which was trying to get to Omaha for the second consecutive season.
Fresno State 12, Arizona State 9: Steve Susdorf’s two-run homer capped the Bulldogs’ six-run seventh inning as Fresno State stunned Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1991.
Fresno State (42-29) became the first No. 4 seed to reach Omaha since the NCAA expanded the tournament field to 64 teams in 1999. The Bulldogs will open against Rice (47-13) on Sunday.
The Sun Devils (49-13), the No. 3 national seed, had been unbeaten in four postseason games before consecutive losses to the Bulldogs. Arizona State stranded 15 baserunners after leaving 12 in their loss Sunday.
The Tigers earned a return trip to the College World Series Monday after routing UC Irvine 21-7. Ryan Schimpf had two home runs and drove in five wins in the Tigers’ final home game of the season. * Photo by STEVE FRANZ / LSU
